Items18The creator’s order
  1. 1RibollitaRibollitaThe name means reboiled, and that is the whole trick: a Tuscan pot of cannellini beans, cavolo nero and vegetables is cooked, layered with stale bread and heated again the next day until the bread melts into something nearly thick enough to cut. Beans and bread together make it far more filling…0
  2. 2MinestroneMinestroneMinestrone has no single recipe, which is exactly why it works as a weeknight dinner: whatever vegetables are in season go in, along with beans and a handful of small pasta or rice to give it weight. The version worth making is the thick one, where the beans break down a little and the spoon stands…0
  3. 3Pasta e fagioliPasta e fagioliPasta and beans, nothing more complicated than that, and it is one of the cheapest full meals on this list. Mashing part of the beans into the broth turns it creamy without any cream, and short pasta cooked in the pot finishes it off as something closer to a loose pasta dish than a soup. Pick it…0
  4. 4Pea soupPea soupSplit pea soup with a ham hock Dried split peas need no soaking and collapse on their own into a thick, smooth soup, so this is the easiest pot here to leave on a low heat while doing something else. A smoked ham hock gives the meat and the flavour at once: pull the meat off the bone and stir it…0
  5. 5Lentil soupLentil soupBrown or green lentil soup with sausage and greens Brown or green lentils hold their shape, so this version eats like a meal rather than a purée: lentils, onion, carrot and celery, a few slices of smoked sausage, and a big handful of spinach or chard stirred in at the end. Lentils need no soaking,…0
  6. 6Scotch brothScotch brothPearl barley is the reason Scotch broth belongs here. Simmered with lamb or mutton, dried peas, carrot, swede and leek, the barley swells and turns the broth silky and substantial, so a bowl eats like a full plate of meat and two veg. Neck or shoulder on the bone is cheap and gives the best…0
  7. 7Clam chowderClam chowderNew England clam chowder The creamy, milk-based chowder, built on salt pork or bacon, potatoes and plenty of clams, is the version that counts as dinner. Potatoes give it bulk and the pork gives it a smoky backbone, so a big bowl with oyster crackers needs nothing after it. Tinned clams and their…0
  8. 8Wild rice soupWild rice soupChicken and wild rice soup Minnesota adopted wild rice as its official state grain in 1977, and this creamy soup is one of the best ways to eat it. The grains stay chewy and nutty rather than going soft, which gives every spoonful some bite, and shredded chicken makes it a full meal. Wild rice…0
  9. 9Tortilla soupTortilla soupChicken tortilla soup A tomato and chile broth is only the start; the meal is in the toppings. Shredded chicken, fried tortilla strips, avocado, cheese and a squeeze of lime turn a fairly light base into a full dinner, and each person builds their own bowl. That makes it a good pick for a…0
  10. 10PozolePozoleBig, chewy kernels of hominy are what set pozole apart: they swell in the broth and fill you up in a way plain sweetcorn never could. Pork is the traditional meat, and the soup comes in three colours, red with dried chiles, green with tomatillos and pepitas, or white with neither. The garnish is…0