It's finally soup weather — 8 easy recipes to warm you up

Now that the weather is finally in sync with the calendar, it’s time to make soup. Hearty and delicious — and easy — soups also keep well and their flavor often improves over days, so one pot can make a week of meals.

Sweet kabocha squash says fall in this brothy, one-pot meal that includes chicken drumsticks, udon noodles and bok choy. Ponzu sauce gives it a rich, bright flavor that is enhanced with ginger, daikon radish and spicy, peppery shichimi togarashi.

Kabocha Squash and Chicken Hot Pot

Time 45 minutes

Yields Serves 4

This tortilla soup swaps tomatillos for tomatoes as the base to make a bright, tangy, citrusy soup thickened with tortillas. Garnishes of roasted pepper strips, toasted pepitas, fresh cilantro leaves and sour cream add color, flavor and a tad of richness to the broth.

Tomatillo Tortilla Soup

Time 45 minutes

Yields Serves 4

Although we tend to think of pho as a beefy dish, chicken pho has been around for decades, and this version can be ready in 40 to 50 minutes rather than requiring the long simmer of more classic recipes. The ingredients are all readily available in local supermarkets. Fresh cilantro and mint add bright notes to the pho and pair exceptionally well with chicken. Scaled to serve 2, it is a great quick fix for empty nesters and smaller households.

Pho Gà Nhanh (Quick Chicken Pho)

Time 50 minutes

Yields Serves 2

The Mediterranean meets the Middle East in this soup that combines the flavors of spicy shawarma with ingredients of Italian wedding soup. Lamb meatballs, beans (rather than pasta) and escarole (or whatever greens you prefer or have on hand) make for a tasty, hearty, stew-like soup. Serve a little as a first course or ladle it into larger bowls for a one-dish meal.

Spiced Lamb Meatball and Escarole Soup

Time 50 minutes

Yields Serves 4 to 6

A Mexican comfort food, this puchero is rich with chicken flavor and teeming with vegetables — cabbage, corn, zucchini and green beans, to name a few. The recipe makes enough to feed a crowd or to last for several meals and send a container to your neighbors, friends or family members who may be jonesing for some great chicken soup. Just make sure you have a really big pot to cook it in.

Mexican Chicken Soup

Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Yields Serves 6 to 8

This simple, delicious butternut squash soup is a perfect fall dish. The squash is roasted and then pureed with milk, chicken broth, aromatics and spices and then finished with a douse of heavy cream. To keep it vegetarian, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken broth. To make it vegan, use soy, almond or oat milk rather than cow’s milk and cashew cream instead of heavy cream for added richness. (To make cashew cream, soak raw cashews in an equal amount of water for at least 20 minutes up to overnight and then puree adding more water, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency.)

Flavor del Mar's Butternut Squash Soup

Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Yields Serves 8 to 10

Quick and easy to prepare, this tom kha gai, a beloved Thai classic, is far from simplistic. It has that delicate balance of sour, salty and spicy. Lime juice, fish sauce and Thai chiles, respectively, account for the balance, complemented by flavors of lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime leaves in the Thai chicken stock. And then there’s the coconut milk, which adds a hint of sweetness and that lush creaminess.

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Chicken Soup)

Time 15 minutes

Yields Serves 4 to 6

The individual components of this meal-in-a-bowl can be prepared in advance or store-bought and then quickly assembled for a tasty, hearty weeknight meal. The spicy mustard greens impart their distinct flavor to the broth, but other greens will work just as well.

Mustard Greens and Beans Soup with Herby Pork Meatballs

Time 30 minutes

Yields Serves 4