10 Incredible Vegetarian Soups To Try This Spring

The coming of spring brings with it a morass of cliché. It is a time of rebirth, a new beginning, a celebration of life, and a cavalcade of seemingly endless moments of love and romance. Yet, historically, spring was as much a celebration of food as anything else. The end of winter brought with it hope for the coming harvest; it chased away thoughts of depleted stores and replaced them with green shoots of plenty. Such traditions live on.

Spring soups wallow in the rituals of the past. They are light, fragrant, and populated with seasonal treats conspicuously absent during the long winter months. True, in the modern, globalized age, markets provide year-round access to just about anything a consumer could ask for, but cyclic cravings remain hard-wired into the human condition. We can, after all, have pumpkin spice whenever we want it; the autumnal restriction is a device of our own making. Still, spring soup offerings operate along the same lines as any other broth, bisque, or potage. Most begin with a mirepoix – a holy trinity of vegetables consisting of diced onions, carrots, and celery at a fixed ratio of 2-to-1-to-1 sautéed in butter. In some cases, notably in Spanish cuisine but also popular in Italy, Latin America, and parts of southern Europe, diced bell pepper is thrown into the mix, creating something known as a sofrito.

Regardless, vegetarian spring soups rely usually on simplicity of flavor. As easy to prepare as they are bright and airy, they make for perfect lunches or excellent starter courses. Here are 10 of the best of them.

Few soups are as quintessentially vernal as those that take stock of nature's bounty itself. Wild garlic is one of those plants that are hard to miss. By March, their green shoots blossom with starry white flowers and fill the air with the unmistakable scent of the most pungent of alums. The leaves are edible, as are the bulbs growing beneath them, but they should not be foraged by anyone who does not know what they are doing. Wild garlic is a European transplant, and it is generally found in the eastern half of the United States and along the West Coast. Still, its popularity of late means that you can find it in prodigious quantities at local farmer's markets and specialist greengrocers. Nettles appear a little earlier than wild garlic — in late winter — and stick around until fall. Famous for their ability to sting would-be foragers, you shouldn't harvest them yourself unless you have the requisite expertise to do so. When properly prepared, they are safe to eat and are reminiscent of spinach but with a peppery bite.

Combining the two ingredients into a fresh, zingy soup could not be any more straightforward. The soup begins with a traditional mirepoix to which you add roughly chopped and thoroughly washed nettles and wild garlic, along with stock and seasoning. Bring to a simmer for a couple of minutes and then blend. You can enhance the flavor profile with the addition of some fresh thyme thrown in with the diced vegetables as they sauté; just remember to remove the woody stems before blending. A swirl of heavy cream added just before serving is recommended but is optional.

Hailing from the Indian subcontinent, mulligatawny has a rich and varied history inextricably intertwined with the days of the British Raj. Originally known as pepper water, the soup was adapted to the tastes of the occupying British elite. It eventually found its way back to the U.K. in a modified form, and during the early 19th century, became a popular dish served in well-to-do, fashionable households.

At its core, mulligatawny is a deliciously creamy, curried soup, and unusual for this list due to its relatively complex construction. Still, there are ways of cutting corners while still producing something spectacular. To start with, there is the spice mix to prepare: a blend of cumin, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper. Traditionally, these would be toasted and then ground down, but there is no shame in using a pre-packaged curry mix whatsoever. The soup is sometimes thickened with flour, although other recipes encourage the use of ground nuts such as almonds or cashews.

The mirepoix base replaces celery with chili pepper; a jalapeño is fine, but if you prefer things spicy, you can use something more robust. Minced garlic and ginger are added to the sautéing vegetables once they have softened along with diced apple, tomatoes, coconut milk, thickener, and stock. Season to taste, throw in some chopped cilantro at the last minute, and garnish with cashews and a drizzle of cream. The result is a sweet, fragrant soup rich in flavor and nuance, depending on how free you are with the chilies, and packs a considerable punch.

There exists in the culinary world items that complement each other so magnificently that they are sometimes referred to as best friends. Peaches and cream, roasted nuts and dark chocolate, tomato and basil, and unsurprisingly, mushroom and tarragon. Tarragon is an aromatic herb that often finds use as a way to add tang and piquancy to fish dishes, stews, omelets and sauces. It has what Ina Garten describes as an anise flavor but one that lacks the depth to overpower the other ingredients in any given dish. The subtle smack it adds means that it is sometimes used as a last-minute substitute for basil. Still, there are times when it absolutely serves as the star of the show.

There are a thousand ways to prepare mushrooms, many mistakes to avoid when using them, and their earthy aroma and signature bursts of umami lend themselves well to soups. When combined with tarragon, said soups find themselves taken to the next level. There's no need for a mirepoix here. Instead, begin with a base of sautéed shallots and garlic. Add sliced mushrooms — a mix of wild mushrooms works best — then pour in stock, season, and bring to a simmer. Once the mushrooms are cooked through, blitz in a blender, return to the pan, add chopped tarragon and a dash of heavy cream, and bring back up to heat. Serve with a sprig of tarragon for garnish and some warm, crusty bread.

There are a few truths in this world that are hard to dispute, and the fact that French dishes have fancy names that often disguise intrinsic simplicity is one of them. A potage is a thick, creamy soup generally made from vegetables, although it sometimes refers to stews or porridge. Crécy-la-Chapelle is a town situated not too far from Paris in a region that is well known for producing superb carrots. Potage Crécy, then, is a simple thickened carrot soup. As you'd expect from a French dish, the recipe is all about technique.

Melt a generous amount of butter on low heat and add sliced carrots, sliced onions, and a single sprig of thyme. Throw in some salt and sugar — the latter helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the carrots — and stir until everything is coated in the butter. Avoid any coloration here; the onions need to stay pale and translucent. To achieve this, keep the temperature low and put the lid on your pan; allow everything to steam in its own juices for a short while.

Remove the thyme and add water, not stock. One of the joys of this dish is that it is a celebration of the subtle beauty of carrots, and as such, care needs to be taken to bring them to the forefront of the flavor profile you are creating. Diced potato goes in next, and then get everything back up to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart. Blend, swirl in some crème fraîche, and serve with rosemary-scented croutons.

Pumpkin is one of those vegetable that finds itself married to a specific season. Most closely associated with fall, it's nevertheless something that can be enjoyed year-round, although during spring, alternatives abound. Indeed, squash, particularly butternut squash, which has a similar if not sweeter flavor to pumpkin, works well as a spring substitute.

Still, where a simple roasted pumpkin soup feels appropriate to winter months, with the coming of spring, thoughts turn to more aromatic dishes that celebrate the onset of longer days. And there are few things as fragrant as a traditional comfort food with a twist of Thai inspiration.

The soup begins life as any other dish using gourds might, with a preheated oven, a wrestle with the tough skin of the vegetable, and a roast that continues until the flesh of the vegetable is golden brown. The traditional mirepoix is replaced with a mixture of sliced onion, grated ginger, and bashed lemongrass sautéed in oil until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Next comes the red curry paste, coconut milk, roast pumpkin, and stock, leading to an inevitable simmer and eventual tour of the inside of a blender. Season with salt and a squeeze of lime, and serve with fresh cilantro or Thai basil. For a spicier take on the whole dish, you can add some chopped red chilies during the sauté stage, but if doing so, adding a little sugar can help balance the heat.

There is a certain opacity when it comes to soup nomenclature. The traditional bisque began life as a creamy dish made with shellfish, but these days it refers to any number of soups thickened with rice or via a process of straining. A consommé requires clarification, a chowder is noticeably thick, and there are times when you have to fix a too-thin gumbo in order to confidently label it a stew.

Things are clearer when it comes to any soup describing itself as a tagine. A tagine is a traditional North African cooking vessel noted for its flat base and conical lid. A tagine soup, then, is a reference to one of two things: most plainly, it is any soup cooked in said vessel. However, given that it is possible to prepare a tagine dish without using the traditional earthenware oven, it can also refer to soups and stews of North African origin.

A chickpea tagine begins with a sofrito but adds a spicy Moroccan twist to the proceedings. Said spices can be bought pre-packaged under the name Ras el Hanout or toasted and ground at home. For the latter, you'll need cumin, paprika, turmeric, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Throw in some minced ginger and garlic, coat everything in the spices, and add diced eggplant or squash, bay, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, and stock. Cook on a low heat, season, and serve with chopped parsley and a dash of lemon. Add cayenne for a spicier experience, and coconut sugar or diced dates are sometimes used to sweeten things up.

Simple soups are often the best soup, and few are easier to construct than a spicy bean one-pot. The flavor profile is distinctly Mesoamerican and includes fresh chilies, cilantro, bell pepper, and a trio of spices. Indeed, the dish is so straightforward that it can be prepared in a matter of minutes and takes very little time to cook. To start, simply sauté diced onions and bell pepper in butter or olive oil. When the onions are translucent, throw in some garlic, chopped green chilies, and diced bell pepper. While those ingredients sweat in the pan, add some ground cumin, chili powder, and oregano, stir, and then throw in diced tomatoes and a can of mixed beans, water, and all. 

Add stock and simmer for about 15 minutes. Towards the end, you can add some grated cheese (a sharp cheddar or aged gouda is nice), to create a heartier version of the dish, but this remains an optional indulgence. Serve with a squeeze of lime, a handful of chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips for dipping. Variations exist, including a richer broth created via a mirepoix or sofrito at the initial stage or one made from soaked-at-home beans. These will require a longer simmering time, but do add a certain freshness to the proceedings.

Gazpacho is a tomato-based soup made from raw vegetables and sometimes thickened with bread. Its Andalusian origins, give some clues as to why it is traditionally served cold; anyone who has spent a summer in Seville will appreciate the need for constant refreshment. Vichyssoise, on the other hand, has no such excuse. Legend has it that Louis XV of France was so terrified of being poisoned that the soup was stone cold by the time it had worked its way through layers of professional tasters. Apocryphal or not, today, the soup consists of sautéed onions and leek, potatoes, milk, chives, and cream with the added earthiness of one of those French cooking tips that take meals to the next level: a traditional bouquet garni.

The chilled asparagus vichyssoise version follows the exact same procedure with a base of leeks reduced in butter, followed by diced potatoes, the wild card of chopped asparagus, and a light stock brought to a gentle simmer. Once everything is tender all that is needed is for you to blend the mix. In a professional kitchen this would be done with a sieve and spatula in small batches with cream added off heat. While this method does produce an incredibly smooth texture, for the home cook, a quick blitz in the blender is no sin whatsoever. Just remember to remove the bouquet first. Regardless of the method used to achieve peak consistency, once the soup is seasoned to taste it needs chilling in the fridge for several hours before serving. Top with sesame seeds and a sprinkle of pomegranate for a little extra wow factor.  

Humans have been cultivating cucumber for millennia; it was listed as an important food in the ancient city of Ur, and Gilgamesh himself was said to be fond of them. In the wild, cucumbers are inedible, but cultivated cucumbers are packed with vitamins B, C, and K, along with useful minerals such as magnesium and potassium. The avocado's history is no less austere. First domesticated in tropical America prior to the coming of the conquistadores, by the beginning of the 20th century, horticultural advancements allowed for large-scale commercialization. Today, internet obsessions with avocado toast brush shoulders with ripening hacks, advice on how to pick the right avocado and endless lists of the 1,001 ways to get the best out of them.

Combining the two is a match made in heaven. The soup is best-served ice cold, so it's perfect for those warm spring days that sometimes pop up out of nowhere. It's also simplicity itself to pull off; it's a type of gazpacho, meaning you don't have to cook it. Begin by placing sliced cucumber and avocado into a blender and blitz with seasoning, fresh parsley and minced garlic. Chill and then serve with a dash of lemon and a sprig of dill. You can spice things up with a chopped jalapeño or make things a little more fragrant with some shredded cilantro. Failing that, swirling in some Greek yogurt, mint, and parsley freshens things up even further, as does a swirl of olive oil and a garnish of fennel leaves.

Spring soups make excellent starters; they can be refreshing and light, heartwarming and robust, fragrant, subtle, and at times even decadent. There are, however, times when you want the soup to serve as the main course itself, moments when you find yourself searching for something with a little more body. And for that, you're going to need some pasta.

A tortellini soup is similar to a basic tomato, herb, and vegetable soup in many ways. Both begin with a mirepoix and require chopped tomatoes and stock, but from that point on, things start to deviate a little. To begin with, your tortellini soup is going to need some specific herbs. A shop-bought mix of Italian seasoning will suffice, but for real depth of flavor, constructing a bouquet garni out of fresh oregano, thyme, rosemary, bay, and marjoram simply cannot be beaten.

A choice of vegetables thrown in at the simmering stage are available, but green beans are an excellent jumping-off point, as are any number of diced vegetables such as potatoes or squash. The star of the show, of course, is the tortellini. They can be cooked to al dente in the broth itself — which helps cut down on the post-meal cleanup — and served at once with a grating of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.