My husband loves to eat homemade soup for lunch. I try to incorporate lots of vegetables into my soups as he doesn’t get enough of them otherwise! He enjoys any of these soups, except the purely vegetable-based recipes (if I were to add a cup of diced ham, he would probably like them, too!). [Editor’s Note: My attitude toward vegetable-only soups and stews is aptly described in the Old Testament by the account of a cook, who, not knowing what he was doing, made vegetable stew and served it to the prophets who said, "’There is death in the pot’ And they were unable to eat" (2 Kings 4:40b).]

These are my favorite homemade soups, tailored to my own family’s particular preferences. None include pepper, but feel free to add it according to your own tastes. You may use canned chicken and beef broth when such broth is called for, but I sometimes make my own, which are probably healthier, but sadly take more time in the kitchen. Nonetheless, I have included basic recipes for the homemade broths as well.

Serving hot nourishing soups and cold refreshing drinks to family and friends for lunch reminds me of the Scripture, "'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.’"(Revelation 3:15-16) As Christians our actions toward others are to be hot (building up others and making them strong as a nourishing soup can do) or cold (like a refreshing drink which revives the tired and thirsty). Never are we to act lukewarm toward family and friends, as if we did not care, providing no edification and no encouragement. So, when you make and serve one of these soup recipes, remember to also offer a word of Scripture as instruction or encouragement, be hot or cold and so uplift others.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoons pepper
2 cups milk
¾ lb. fresh asparagus

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and salt, whisking until smooth. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Wash asparagus and cut in ½ inch pieces. Boil asparagus 5 minutes. Remove asparagus from cooking water with slotted spoon, saving the liquid. Puree asparagus in a blender. Save a few tips of asparagus to garnish soup. Add enough boiling water to cooking liquid to make 1 cup, add white sauce and pureed asparagus and heat through.

3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup celery
1 ½ cups potato cubes
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth
1 can Beef Consommé soup
5 cups water
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons parsley flakes

Fry ground beef and drain. Melt butter in Dutch oven. Add celery and potatoes and cook 15 minutes. Add flour and parsley, cook for five minutes. Add broth, water, and consommé. Add ground beef to pot, add salt, and simmer one hour. We had this soup just after my son’s birth along with the midwives who attended, and they thought it was wonderful! It is very rich.

1 pound beef bits
1 can Beef Consommé soup
1 can water
½ teaspoon salt
2 medium potatoes, chopped
¼ cup peas
½ cup green beans
2 tablespoons barley
1 carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon Heinz ketchup

Fry beef bits in olive oil. Add vegetables, add liquids and seasonings. Bring to a boil, simmer 4 hours. Mix ¼ cup cold water and 1 tablespoon flour, add to soup and stir. Cook about 5 minutes to thicken.

2 pounds beef shank or soup bones
6 cups cold water
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 carrot, cut up
1 stalk celery with leaves, cut up
1 small onion whole with skin on
2 peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Cook beef shanks over medium heat until brown on both sides. Add water, heat to boiling, skim foam. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat to boiling. Skim foam again, reduce heat to simmer and cook 3 hours covered. Remove bones from broth (I cannot emphasize enough the need to remove the bones) and store beef separately from broth. Strain broth, discarding vegetables. Separate fat from broth, and refrigerate broth up to 24 hours or freeze.

1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli
2 cups water
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ cups chicken broth
dash ground nutmeg
½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup cheddar cheese

Wash broccoli, trim ends and remove flowerets. Cut stalks into 1 inch pieces. Boil 2 cups water. Add broccoli, celery, and onion, reserving 1 or 2 broccoli flowerets. Cover and heat to boiling. Boil 20 minutes, do not drain. Place in blender and puree. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, stir until smooth. Add chicken broth, boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in broccoli mixture, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Heat just to boiling, and add cream. Heat just until hot, add cheese and stir until melted. Add reserved flowerets and serve. This works well with one head cauliflower also.

Put chicken into large pot, cover with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and add rest of ingredients. Cover pot and simmer for 1½ hours. Pour through a large colander or strainer, and discard the vegetables(save carrots if you are making chicken soup) Let chicken cool and remove from the bones, cutting into small pieces. Store separately from broth. Refrigerate 24 hours or freeze.

Prepare chicken broth. Strain and discard vegetables, except save the carrots and chop into bite size pieces. Let chicken cool and remove from the bones, cutting into small pieces. Return chicken and carrots to cooked broth. Bring to boil again and add matzo balls, noodles, or rice and a bit more garlic if you like, for 30 minutes or so, or just eat the soup plain. Will cure anything, according to folklore (it just hasn't cured anything for us yet, sigh...). Anyway it is very comforting.

Brown chuck, onions, and red pepper in frying pan. Add rest of ingredients. Stir often, cover, and simmer 2 hours, or place in crock pot to keep warm. Serve with crackers and grated cheddar cheese.

8 cups vegetable broth (see below)
2 cups water
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 cup ditalini pasta

Add water to the vegetable broth, bring to a boil. If making with just pasta eliminate the lentil step. Add lentils and salt, gently boil covered for 40 minutes. Stir in the ditalini and cook for 12 minutes. Garnish with crumbled bacon, olive oil, and grated cheese.

Chop red pepper, carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and then sauté about 5 minutes in 2 tablespoons Olive oil. Add ground beef, tomatoes, broth, spinach, beans and seasonings. Bring to boil, simmer 1 hour.

8 slices salt pork
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups boiled diced potatoes
1 can chopped clams
1 cup half and half, regular or fat free
1 stick butter
¼ cup diced onion
½ cup flour
1 bottle clam juice
1 frozen mussels package
1 cup mussel juice
1 cup chicken broth
dried parsley

Fry salt pork. Cut off fat, crumble. Cook mussels according to package directions, save broth. Sauté onion and celery in butter until it is translucent. Add the flour to make a roux, stirring well. Add the heated clam juice and mussel broth slowly, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth. Stir in clams, mussels, potatoes, salt pork. Bring to boil, simmer ½ hour. Add half and half and garnish with parsley. Clams are actually optional in this chowder. You can eliminate clams and clam juice and just use the mussel juice and chicken broth. This is my husband’s all-time favorite soup.

1 pound beef bits
1 bay leaf
¼ cup butter
10 oz. okra
½ red pepper
1 can tomatoes
½ clove garlic
6 oz. tomato paste
2 tablespoons Flour
1 ½ lb. shrimp
3 cups beef broth
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes

Sauté onions, pepper, and garlic in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Stir in rest of ingredients. Simmer until beef is tender. Add peeled shrimp. Cover, simmer 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice, garnish with parsley.

1 medium onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups dried split peas
6 cups chicken broth
¼ teaspoons dried sage
½ teaspoons thyme
½ teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoons salt
1 ham bone or 1 cup chopped ham

Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in olive oil. Add split peas, chicken broth, herbs. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer covered about 3 hours. Remove ham bone and chop off ham, discarding bone and fat. Add ham to soup.

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups russet potatoes, diced
2 teaspoons salt
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 quarts water, heated to boiling
3 bay leaves

Heat oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and 1 teaspoons salt. Toss potatoes in oil. Lower heat to medium and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add celery and carrots, stir. Add tomato paste. Add water and bay leaves and 1 teaspoons salt, stir well, cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to keep steady boil, cook 1 hour covered and 1 hour uncovered, stirring occasionally.

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