Of course, I’ll be making a rousing pot of Hoppin’ John soup to kick off 2026, but I thought I’d share these super “instant” soups that can be made in a pinch. So delicious, nobody will suspect they took only a few minutes to prepare!
For the last few years, I’ve thrown a small cocktail party at my mother’s house in New Hampshire on Christmas Eve and greeted guests with a soupçon of hot soup in antique teacups. It’s a wonderful idea to help friends shake off the cold and slip into something so comforting.
But after toiling over the hors d’oeuvres (such as quiche and this fabulous fruit-nutty cheese spread), I like to keep the soup preparation thing quick. So here are two shortcut soups I serve on these particular occasions, and I’ve also included variations of them below made from scratch, should you care to linger a little longer in the kitchen.
SHORTCUT: Simmer a box of Pacific Foods or the Imagine brand of Butternut Squash Soup with a few slivers of orange rind, a bushy sprig of rosemary, and a good pinch of salt. Heat until nicely fragrant, remove rind and rosemary, and serve.
LINGER LONGER: Silky Carrot Soup
SHORTCUT: Any kind of ready-made or canned potato or potato/leek soup will do for Green Vichyssoise. Cook spinach according to package, strain, and add to soup with some milk (as suggested on packaging), thyme threads, and salt. Simmer, remove thyme and serve right away in the winter months. Otherwise, chill for a mid-summer refresher.
LINGER LONGER: Vichyssoise
Do enjoy—and Happy New Year!
P.S. These oranges looked so pretty as I was preparing to pare off the rind.
