11 Hearty Soups and Stews for December's Coldest Nights

These will warm you up better than an electric blanket.

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published December 01, 2025
A bowl of zuppetta Scarola e Fagioli with croutons and beans a spoon scooping out the soup

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

Working from home has its advantages. For one, I can have a pot of soup or stew going while I'm tapping away on my laptop, and when the weather takes a frigid turn, it saves me from turning on a space heater. (I'm nothing if not frugal about central heating!) But even if I didn't have the luxury of working from home, I'd still keep hearty soups and stews in heavy rotation for dinner because they're excellent make-ahead meals and great for freezing. Below, you'll find easy soups and stews—including a robust ham and bean soup and a comforting beef stew—that will warm and nourish you on December's coldest nights. And the best part? They all require minimal effort and deliver big on flavor and texture.

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  • Creamy Tortellini "Upvote" Soup

    Overhead view of lifting up a spoon of tortellini from soup

    Serious Eat / Amanda Suarez

    Viral recipes usually sound promising, but tend to fall short on flavor—such is the case with Reddit's famous "upvote" soup. Nevertheless, Serious Eats senior editor Genevieve saw potential and set out to create a delicious, satisfying rendition truly worthy of attention. She uses juicy Italian sausage in place of chicken thighs, and adds fresh fennel and fennel seeds, which give the soup a subtle sweetness. Cooked tortellini and hearty winter greens added towards the end, along with generous dollops of pesto and plenty of Parmigiano-Reggiano, make this a soup worth making all season.

  • Tomato-Coconut Soup

    3 bowls of rice and Tomato Coconut soup, dutch oven on the side, and green tabletop.

    Serious Eats / Jatin Sharma

    Canned peeled tomatoes (preferably sweet Italian San Marzanos) and full-fat coconut milk form the base of this light and silky tomato soup, which is imbued with subtle heat from fresh ginger, shallots, and chile powder. Served over a steaming bowl of basmati rice, it's the kind of easy one-pot meal that brings both warmth and, as Serious Eats contributor Kaumudi Marathé’s grandmother would say, “santosh” or contentment.

  • Loaded Baked Potato Soup

    Overhead view of Baked Potato Soup

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    In this soup version of a classic loaded baked potato, we've streamlined the process from our already easy potato-leek soup recipe by microwaving the potatoes while the bacon crisps and the onion sautés, then putting the cooked potatoes directly through a ricer. Adding sour cream to the soup base provides a tangy richness that melds seamlessly with the sharp cheddar, echoing the quintessential loaded baked potato experience.

  • Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup

    20170111-pressure-cooker-beef-barley-soup-vicky-wasik-13.jpg
    Photograph: Vicky Wasik.]

    Hearty beef barley soup is an instant remedy for those it's-so-cold-I-can't-think-straight kind of days. Here, we speed up the process with a pressure cooker so the soup is ready to eat in about an hour. Using collagen-rich chuck roast (a budget-friendly all-star) or short ribs guarantees flavorful beef that stays tender even when cooked at high heat, and incorporating carrot, onion, and celery helps infuse the broth with their flavors.

    Continue to 5 of 11 below

  • Ham and Bean Soup

    Ham and bean soup

    Serious Eats / Liz Voltz

    This thick, comforting soup is rich and robust, loaded with creamy beans, chunks of tender ham, and aromatic vegetables. Better still, it's even creamier the next day and can be frozen for up to three months.

  • Classic Chicken and Rice Soup

    Chicken and rice soup fills two white bowls. Two spoons lay beside them.
    Tim Chin

    I've been known to keep a can or two of chicken and rice soup for emergencies, but nothing compares to the real deal: one that's full of deep, roasted poultry flavor, perfectly cooked rice, and tender vegetables. The key to this recipe is cooking the rice separately, then adding it to the soup at the very end, which prevents your meal from becoming gloopy.

  • Neapolitan Escarole and Bean Soup

    A bowl of zuppetta Scarola e Fagioli with croutons and beans a spoon scooping out the soup

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    In the realm of rustic Mediterranean bean and vegetable soups, zuppa di scarola e fagioli is perhaps one of the easiest to make. Our rendition of this satisfying Neapolitan soup consists of just five core ingredients—beans, escarole, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes—and three bean options, so you can make it even if you're short on time. Serve the soup with crunchy toasted croutons, a drizzle of olive oil, and a shower of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

  • Lebanese Lentil Soup

    Lebanese brown lentil soup in a bowl with a dollop of yogurt served with pieces of potato and lentils visible

    Serious Eats / Qi Ai

    It takes less than an hour to transform brown lentils into a nourishing soup fragrant with onion, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Adding Swiss chard towards the end of cooking helps the vegetable keep its structure, and a generous pour of lemon juice brightens every spoonful of the soup.

    Continue to 9 of 11 below

  • Spanish Beef Stew

    A bowl of Spanish beef stew served from a pot with a ladle featuring chunks of meat carrots and other vegetables

    Serious Eats / Anh Nguyen

    Smoked Spanish paprika, piquillo peppers, and dry red wine give this beef stew its depth of flavor and complexity. The cooking method is straightforward: Brown the beef, sauté the aromatics, add the vegetables, dried herbs, and wine, let it all braise low and slow in the oven, then reduce the gravy on the stovetop to a glossy finish. Serve the red-brick-hued stew with a dollop of cool sour cream and crusty bread, boiled potatoes, or rice.

  • American Beef Stew

    20160116-american-beef-stew-recipe-34.jpg
    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    On a frigid December night, this is what you want to serve for dinner: juicy, tender beef and vegetables, coated in a robust, luxuriously savory sauce. Gelatin adds richness, while umami-rich ingredients like anchovies, soy sauce, and tomato paste deepen the stew's flavor without overpowering the beef.

  • Quick and Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken, Lentil, and Bacon Stew With Carrots

    2 bowls Chicken Lentil stew with a plates of sliced bread on the side, black salt and pepper shakers, and a glass and bottle of red wine

    Serious Eats / Greg Dupree

    The beauty of a pressure cooker is that it lets you extract maximum flavor from minimal ingredients in a ridiculously short time. 20 minutes is all it takes to get your chicken fall-off-the-bone tender, and a splash of sherry vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil at the end adds brightness to the finished dish.

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