Recipes

The 10 Most Popular Soup Recipes of 2020

From a French onion–Taiwanese beef noodle mashup to a creamy mushroom to chowder, these are our readers' favorites.
Bowl of Amiel Stanek's French Onion Noodle Soup
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Yekaterina Boystova

During this objectively tough year, it’s perhaps no surprise we’ve been turning to soup—one of the most universally comforting dishes there is. As Virginia Woolf once said, “Soup is cuisine’s kindest course.” Beyond their ability to fortify the spirits, each one of these recipes is damn delicious too. We’re talking about a Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup laced with an entire Dutch oven’s worth of caramelized onions. A vegan(!) take on cream of mushroom so creamy, earthy, and silky you’ll wonder why the OG ever included dairy in the first place. And a brothy fish number bursting with jammy tomatoes and zippy lime. Here you’ll find this year’s 10 most popular soup recipes, starting with No. 1.

  • classic chicken noodle soup
    Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova
    3/10

    Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

    There are tons of shortcuts for chicken noodle soup, but this time we're not cutting corners—this is the long game! This version is about as classic (and as comforting) as they come, using a whole chicken—bones, skin, and all—to lend flavor and body to the broth. We used ditalini here, but feel free to use any small quick-cooking pasta you have. (We wouldn’t be mad about orzo or ABCs either.)

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  • Mushroom soup
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones
    4/10

    Cream-ish of Mushroom Soup

    Okay, we waited until now to mention that this creamy, earthy, silky rich soup is vegan. Puréeing some of the mushrooms along with cashews adds body that doesn’t compromise on flavor.

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  • Image may contain Bowl Food Dish Meal Plant Vegetable and Broccoli
    Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova 
    5/10

    Broccoli Cheddar Soup With Cheesy Croutons

    Our better-than-ever broccoli cheddar is lighter, brighter, and less gloppy than the kind you’d find in your corporate cafeteria—with a creaminess that comes from blended potatoes and broccoli stalks rather than heavy cream.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Bowl Soup Bowl Stew Soup and Curry
    Photo by Chris Morocco 
    6/10

    Spring Hot-and-Sour Soup

    Hot-and-sour soup inspired this highly nontraditional springtime version. Miso gives just enough body so that you won't need cornstarch to thicken it, and you can use silken tofu or thinly sliced yuba instead of egg for that same silky effect.

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  • frito pie soup
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova
    7/10

    Vegetarian Chili With Lots of Fritos

    Quick, spicy, filling, and made mostly of pantry ingredients, this chili/tortilla soup/frito pie mash-up is calling your name. (Shhh. Listen closely.) 

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  • A bowl of seafood chowder with white fish and lobster meat topped with oyster crackers
    Photographs by Elizabeth Cecil, food styling by Danielle Pattavina
    8/10

    Seafood Chowder

    What sets this New England–style chowder apart from all the rest? It’s deeply flavored yet light and decidedly not gloppy. This recipe is from Larsen’s Fish Market, a tiny little seafood shack in the tiny little fishing village of Menemsha, Martha’s Vineyard. As one Florida-based reviewer wrote, “This was so, so delicious!!”

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  • Image may contain Food Curry Bowl Plant Dish and Meal
    Photo by David Malosh, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Cindy Diprima
    9/10

    Coconut Cod Chowder With Seasoned Oyster Crackers

    Too often fish chowder is heavy, gloppy, and one-note. Not this guy. Coconut milk and lots of zippy aromatics bring life to the dish. And though you may think oyster crackers can’t be improved upon, you’ll change your mind when you try them extra-buttery and smothered in paprika.

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  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Bowl Stew Soup Bowl Soup and Curry
    Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou
    10/10

    Brothy Tomato and Fish Soup With Lime

    This sour-salty soup was made for those late-season tomatoes on your countertop about to go bad. They get jammy while the fish poaches. And go ahead, add some greens. Use shrimp! This soup is flexible.

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Ali is a writer and editor at Bon Appétit whose culture and lifestyle work includes reporting on the health claims behind fake meats, interviews with opinionated chefs about the evolution of restaurants, personal essays on the intersection of work and identity, and subtle attempts to propagate her favorite Australian foods. ... Read More
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