We love making soup here at Starts at 60. There’s something comforting about sitting down to a family meal where soup is the star of the show, so we’ve got three soup recipes that offer that great cozy feeling.

You can serve these sensational soups as a first course, or add a side salad and crusty bread for a main course or a hearty lunch. Everyone needs easy recipes to taste delicious. We guarantee you’ll love the flavour of these soups!

Caramelized Cream of Onion Soup

If you’ve never had cream of onion soup, you’re in for a real treat! This recipe is made with simple ingredients like caramelized onions, chicken stock, cream, and sherry. This smooth soup will wow family and friends. It’s perfect for those looking for something a little different than French onion soup.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups dry sherry
• 1 quart low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3 twists of freshly ground pepper
• a cup of shredded mozzarella

Method:

1. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and add the sliced onions. Saute the onions over medium heat until they are caramelized. This step can take 30 minutes. You’ll want to stir the onions often to prevent them from burning.

2. After the onions have caramelized, stir in the white pepper and thyme. Add the flour and mix thoroughly with caramelized onions. Pour in the sherry and cook until thickened.

3. Stir in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let cook for 5 more minutes. Add cream, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce. Cook until heated through.

4. If needed, adjust seasoning and add cheese on top of the soup.

Tomato Soup

This tomato soup is everything you want tomato soup to be! It’s rich and creamy, yet doesn’t weigh you down. It’s bursting with amazing tomato flavour, and surprise- it’s made from canned tomatoes!

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 large can (28 ounces) of whole tomatoes, with their liquid
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup cooked Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• For the tomato-basil variation (optional): 10 to 15 fresh basil leaves, to taste

Method: 

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and turning translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and stirring occasionally.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender, being sure not to fill past the maximum fill line (blend in batches if necessary). Add the beans, butter, sugar, and several twists of black pepper. Securely fasten the lid and blend the soup until smooth, being careful to avoid hot steam escaping from the lid.
4. Since canned tomatoes vary in flavour, I always end up tinkering with this soup a bit at the end. Taste and, if necessary, add a little more sugar (to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes), pepper, and salt (I usually add another ¼ to ½ teaspoon).
5. If you’re adding basil, add it now. Briefly blend again, and serve hot. This soup keeps well for up to four days or so. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.

Butternut Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1.5kg butternut pumpkin, diced
• 20g butter
• 1 medium leek, trimmed, halved, washed, sliced
• 2 medium cream delight potatoes, peeled, chopped
• 1L chicken-style liquid stock
• 1 tablespoon pure cream
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Combine pumpkin and garlic in a bowl. Drizzle oil over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine everything well. Arrange the pumpkin mixture in a single layer over the prepared tray. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and beginning to go golden.
2. Squeeze garlic cloves from the skin and set aside. Discard skin. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook leek, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add potato and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes. Pour in stock plus 2 cups cold water. Season with pepper. Cover. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potato is tender. Stir in roasted pumpkin and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
3. Blend with a hand blender, in batches, until smooth. Return to pan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Divide amongst serving bowls. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with chives. Serve.