Vegetable Soups Built for Maximum Flavor (Published 2016) (2024)

Soup season has us in its wintry grip, and now is the time to give in to its demands. “Make more soup,” the wind insists as the sleet pelts down from the hoary sky.

There are many ways to accomplish this bone-warming task.

You could simmer loads of rich meats and grains into something stewlike and hearty. You could make a silky, sophisticated puréed soup, one leaning heavily on homemade chicken stock and plenty of cream to give it a satisfying richness.

Or you could worship what few local vegetables we’ve got this time of year and build your soup, letting the roots, shoots and alliums take command of the pot.

These three soups do just that. Instead of depending on meat or quarts of homemade stock for depth, they use a few simple techniques to build flavor in the pot. You’ll taste the pure essence of vegetables, coaxed to their maximum potential.

The first is to caramelize the vegetables, either in your soup pot or in the oven, to sweeten them and condense their juices.

Next, add plenty of aromatics to the pot — herbs, spices, garlic, onions and the like — and let everything simmer for a long time to blend the flavors.