10 Ingredients to Make Your Soup Even More Awesome (2024)

Kelli Foster

Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor

Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.

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published Jan 6, 2015

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10 Ingredients to Make Your Soup Even More Awesome (1)

When I make homemade soup I like to separate my ingredients into two categories. There are the basic building block ingredients, like veggies, herbs, meat and stock, that form the general structure of the soup. Then, there’s my favorite category — the flavor boosters. These ingredients are key for a really flavorful soup, though they can easily be overlooked.

Some of the very best ways to load your soup with rich layers of flavor are basic ingredients; here are 10 that you probably have in your pantry right now.

10 Pantry Staples that Make Soup Even More Awesome

1. Vinegar – A spoonful of vinegar is a quick fix when you find yourself with a bowl of dull, flat-tasting soup. Just a small amount of acid will brighten up the flavors.

2. Soy Sauce – Soy sauce is another item that’s ideal for brightening up and adding depth of flavor to an otherwise dull soup. This works especially well with meat-based soups.

3. Fish Sauce – Commonly used in Asian cooking, fish sauce has a strong smell, though when used judiciously its taste is neither strong nor fishy. Instead, a spoonful will add a wonderful, savory umami twist to your bowl.

4. Anchovy Paste – The thought of anchovies used to make me completely cringe. I’m way past that now. This savory, umami-packed paste has become my secret weapon in the kitchen.

5. Harissa – Whether you make your own or use a jarred version, this North African chili paste is how I like to add a little heat to my soup. Stir in a spoonful (or two, if you like a lot of heat) early on in cooking, just after sautéing the vegetables.

6. Chipotle Peppers – Canned chipotle chilies packed in adobo sauce are a small yet mighty way to add rich, smoky flavors to any bowl of soup.

7. Curry Paste – Red and green Thai curry paste just might be one of my favorite ways to flavor soup! This spiced blend adds depth of flavor and just a little kick. Mix it early on in cooking to give the flavors more time to develop.

8. Pesto – Pesto isn’t just for summertime! Mix a spoonful of frozen pesto into a chunky vegetable soup, or use it as a garnish to dress up bright pureed soups.

9. Miso Paste – It’s not just for traditional miso soup! Use this salty, richly-flavored soybean paste liven up your favorite soup variety.

10. Coconut Milk – You don’t need a recipe for soup with coconut milk; just stir in a cup or two to finish any soup. Use this fragrant addition to put an Asian spin on your chicken noodle soup, or make a pureed vegetable soup, like butter squash or carrot, even creamier.

Try these flavor-packed soups!

What are your favorite ways to add more flavor to soup?

10 Ingredients to Make Your Soup Even More Awesome (2024)

FAQs

10 Ingredients to Make Your Soup Even More Awesome? ›

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

What ingredients improve soup? ›

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

What is the secret to making good soup? ›

7 Tips for Successful Soup Making
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. It is worth investing in a heavy pot with a thick bottom to use for making soup. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

What makes homemade soup taste good? ›

To make a good soup, you have to build flavours as you go. Vegetables like onion, garlic, celery and carrots — referred to as "aromatics" — are part of most soup recipes for this very reason, sautéed in oil or butter as a first step of flavour-making.

What should be added to enrich the flavor of the soup? ›

Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.

How do you deepen soup Flavour? ›

How do you make soup more flavorful? Depending on what kind of soup you have, there are lots of things that add flavor. Black pepper can give an “after burn" to any recipe. Worcestershire sauce, Maggi sauce, tomato paste, fresh herbs, mustard, vinegar, bouquet garni, garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce.

How do you make can soup taste better? ›

Here are some ideas to liven up your canned soups and make them taste more like homemade:
  1. Sauté some onions and/or garlic: Low and slow is the way to go. ...
  2. Add protein: Leftover chicken or steak, some cooked diced ham or bacon or sausage (just a little — that soup is already salty).
Apr 25, 2023

How to season a soup? ›

Some of our favorites are Dried Shallots, Dehydrated Red Bell Pepper, Dehydrated Green Bell Pepper, Tomato Flakes, Minced Onion and Roasted Garlic Flakes. Or, add a bay leaf to your recipe. The bay leaf will give the soup a little something extra without overwhelming the dish.

What are 6 qualities of a good soup? ›

A good soup should be full-flavored, with no off or sour tastes. Flavors from each of the soup's ingre- dients should blend and complement, with no one flavor overpowering another. Con- sommés should be crystal clear. The vegetables in vegetable soups should be brightly colored, not gray.

What not to do when making soup? ›

The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
  1. Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
  2. Not using enough salt. ...
  3. Ignoring water. ...
  4. Overcooking the vegetables. ...
  5. Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
  6. Neglecting to garnish. ...
  7. Not trying a pressure cooker.
Nov 19, 2014

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What are the 7 things soup does? ›

There is an Italian saying: “La zuppa fa sette cose.” It means “Soup does seven things.” Soup quenches thirst, satisfies hunger, fills your stomach, aids digestion, makes teeth sparkle, adds color to cheeks and aids sleep. In other words, soup cures most, if not all human ills.

What ingredient can be added to a soup to make it thicker and richer? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

What makes a well made soup? ›

All soups and stews must have three major components in order to be tasty: an undercurrent liquid, aromatics, and volumizing ingredients. In every case, they're layered together until all of the flavors meld together in a harmonious, silky balance.

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