The 10 Soup Recipes Are Readers Are Loving the Most Right Now

Warm up with December’s most-saved soups, including Italian wedding, French onion, and creamy chicken with wild rice.

By
Leah Colins
A studio portrait of editor Leah Colins.
Leah Colins
Senior Culinary Editor

Leah is the Senior Culinary Editor at Serious Eats, and was previously a recipe developer and editor with America's Test Kitchen for almost 9 years. She has developed recipes for and edited over 20 cookbooks ranging in topic from bread baking to plant-based eating to outdoor grilling and so much more. While there, she also developed recipes and articles for Cooks Illustrated Magazine, Cooks Country Magazine, and ATK's digital platform.Before her life as a recipe developer, she cooked in 5-star and Michelin-starred fine dining establishments from coast to coast such as The Herbfarm and Aubergine Restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel; she also treasures her time flipping burgers on flattops in her teenage years, and baking and boxing cookies and pies at a wonderful family-owned German bakery in her early professional life.

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Published December 15, 2025
A bowl of zuppetta Scarola e Fagioli with croutons and beans a spoon scooping out the soup

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

December is the time of year when a bubbling pot on the stove feels as essential as twinkly lights and an emergency stash of hot cocoa mix. It's the month when we want our soups to warm us up after chilly walks, feed a crowd when the house is full, and give us leftovers we can happily eat for days.

And according to what readers are saving on MyRecipes—our free tool for keeping track of all your favorite dishes—you're craving hearty, comforting classics right now. Our most saved soup recipes so far in December feature brothy bowls stacked with greens and meatballs, rich French onion with a cap of molten cheese, and creamy rice soups that practically hug you back. 

Scroll on to discover the 10 most-saved soups of the month. Whether you're looking for a low-lift weeknight option or a weekend simmer project, you'll find something warm and satisfying to carry you through the final stretch of the year.

Love these recipes? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

  • Italian American Wedding Soup

    Italian wedding soup in a bowl with vegetables and meatballs

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This Italian American take on wedding soup pares down the original’s many meats into tender, flavorful meatballs simmered with leafy greens and aromatics. It’s hearty, comforting, and entirely weeknight-friendly—proof that with a few smart adaptations, an easy recipe can still deliver amazing flavor.

  • 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

    This Lebanese lentil and lemon soup balances earthy lentils, bright citrus, and tender greens for a vibrant yet comforting bowl. A fairly new addition to our site, it’s been a hit right out of the gate since its publication this fall. It's simple, nourishing, and easy to love, so it’s no surprise readers keep coming back to it.

  • Neapolitan Escarole Bean Soup

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

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    This humble Neapolitan soup—just escarole, beans, and a few pantry staples—proves how rich and satisfying simple ingredients can be. Our version cooks down into a thick, comforting bowl that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.

  • Classic Chicken and Rice Soup

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

    Chicken and rice soup seems simple, but as recipe developer Tim Chin points out, the rice can easily turn mushy and blow out in the broth. His solution takes a cue from pao fan, the Chinese soupy rice he grew up eating, which keeps the grains tender and distinct. The result is a deeply comforting bowl with all the nostalgia of the canned classic—minus the mush.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • French Onion Soup (Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée)

    Overhead view of two bowls of french onion soup in small bowls on a striped blue background

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    You know her, you love her—she is Mother. This French onion soup delivers maximum caramelized-onion depth and a molten, crouton-topped cheese cap that makes every bowl feel iconic. If you want the definitive version, this is it.

  • Beef Barley Soup

    A white porcelain bowl holding beef barley soup. There's a metal spoon in the bowl and the bowl is palced on a green cloth. There is also part of a baguette in the top right corner of the image.

    Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

    This deeply savory soup is packed with tender beef, plump barley, and perfectly cooked vegetables. As Daniel points out, beef barley soup is essentially a looser beef stew, which means the same principles apply: slow cooking, careful searing, and smart layering of flavor. The result is a rich, comforting bowl that tastes like it simmered all day.

  • Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup)

    A spoonful of Italian wedding soup featuring meat greens and small pasta in a broth

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    Meet the true Italian wedding soup, minestra maritata, a soulful Neapolitan blend of meltingly tender greens and richly flavored meats. It’s worlds apart from the Italian American version, but the “marriage” of broth, greens, and meat rings just as true. And yes—Daniel’s at it again. His soups are absolutely running this month’s leaderboard.

  • Zuppa Toscana

    Overhead view of Zuppa Toscana

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    After tasting Olive Garden’s cult-favorite Zuppa Toscana, Daniel set out to make the version it could be: richer, more flavorful, and more cohesive. Here, sausage infuses the broth, potatoes melt into creamy softness, and kale brings balance. The result is a Tuscan-by-way-of-America soup that’s satisfying and miles better than the inspiration.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below

  • Thick and Creamy Tomato Soup

    Overhead view of two bowls of tomato soup with shredded greens on top

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze. Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer

    This version of the beloved Nordstrom tomato basil soup gets its luxurious texture from carrot purée and only a small splash of cream. It’s thick, hearty, and deeply comforting without feeling heavy.

  • Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

    Bowl Chicken and Wild Rice soup on a terrazo surface, with napkin, spoon, sparkling water and second bowl

    Serious Eats / Morgan Hunt Glaze

    Homemade stock, tender chicken thighs, and nutty wild rice simmer together in this deeply comforting take on chicken soup.

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