Homemade Soup that Even the Culinary Novice Can Make

Steaming hot soup can be a wintertime comfort food. It can be loaded with vital nutrients, with very little calories, or it can be high in sodium and calorie rich. Popular canned soups have been available since our grandmother's day, yet there is little argument that homemade soup is in a class of its own. Even the culinary novice can cook up a savory pot of soup. An ideal time to tackle homemade vegetable soup is when the bountiful autumn harvest offers up an abundant supply of fresh and varied vegetables.

Soups can be served hot or cold, thick or thin, delicate or zesty, creamed, jellied or puréed. Some soups can be prepared in a matter of minutes, while others require hours of simmering to enhance and fuse the flavors. The base of the soup can be stock, created from broths, or vegetables, milk or cream. When calories are a consideration while preparing a cream soup, the choice of milk verses cream will dramatically affect the soup's calorie count. Choosing to make your own soup (as opposed to buying restaurant or canned soup) will allow you to control the soup's healthful benefits and its fat content.

When preparing your soup, you will want to keep the pot covered during the simmering. A covered pot will help to retain both the nutrients and flavor. Yet, you may need to uncover the soup for a period, to allow the soup to thicken or cook down. It is important to season your soup during the latter part of cooking, because as the soup cooks down, the seasoning will intensify. If you salt your pot of soup early in the cooking, you may discover, as the soup cooks down, it has become salty.

A quick way to throw together a batch of vegetable cream soup is to dice up the vegetables, then sauté in butter. Stir in a couple tablespoons of flour, and stir to create a roux. To the roux slowly add milk or cream, and once it is blended, allow it to simmer (partially covered) and thicken. Add desired seasoning, appropriate to the soup you are preparing. Nutmeg, for example, is an excellent spice to brighten homemade mushroom soup.

Preparing homemade vegetable soup can be accomplished by using a combination of beef broth and a canned of diced tomatoes. To the broth add a combination of diced vegetables. Most diced vegetables will cook while simmering in the broth. If you add potatoes, you may want to cook them slightly in the microwave before dicing and adding to the soup. If you don't have access to fresh vegetables, you can easily substitute with canned vegetables, to create your own homemade vegetable soup.