Onion

With the help of a food processor, this tasty, no-cook soup will be ready to eat in minutes. Serve with stone-ground tortilla chips or warmed flour tortillas.

This cheerfully colored soup can be the centerpiece of a summer meal, served with crusty bread or sandwiches and a bountiful salad.

This cold soup is as appealing to look at as it is to eat. Serve with fresh bread and follow with a pasta salad for a light summer meal. Use really lush, ripe (even overripe is fine) tomatoes for best results.

A soup that looks and tastes garden-fresh, this is a good one to serve all summer long.

This garden-fresh medley is a good choice when you want a summery soup that is slightly warm rather than chilled.

This Asian-style soup is a treat for mushroom aficionados. Scallion Pancakes (page 157) are a good accompaniment. This is a perfect introduction to a simple meal of stir-fried vegetables with tofu.

This summery version of the classic stew makes use of summer’s lush tomatoes and fresh herbs. Serve with slices of fresh whole-grain baguette or olive bread.

As in many Asian-style soups, this ingredient list may look long, but it’s a snap to prepare. Adding any of the optional ingredients gives this soup a deeper and more authentic flavor.

Cashew butter makes an offbeat, rich-tasting soup base. This luscious soup is good hot or at room temperature.

This light soup of lettuce, cucumber, and fresh spring peas was quite common in nineteenth-century America. Potage maigre translates loosely as “fast day” soup, traditionally made for Lent. Versions of it appear in old Creole cookbooks.

You’ll love making and serving this earthy medley of colors, textures, and flavors on a rainy spring evening.

Nutty-tasting Japanese soba (buckwheat noodles) add an offbeat touch to this soup. Look for them in natural food stores or Asian groceries.

This Asian soup is brimming with invigorating flavors and textures. I love it as a change of pace in the winter from thick soups and stews. It’s still every bit as warming. Despite the length of the ingredient list, this is a quick soup—you’ll be eating in about half an hour.

For a hearty combination, serve with Hearty Bean Bread (page 146), or for a lighter accompaniment, serve with Bruschetta (page 159).

This long-simmering, yet easy winter soup is a natural choice as a hearty main dish. Make Whole Wheat Vegetable Muffins (page 149) while it’s cooking.

Here’s another soothing, mild soup for cold weather. This is delicious with Garlic Croutons (page 159).

The sweetness of baby carrots and a pretty, pale-orange color make this an uplifting dish for a chilly winter day.

Here’s a favorite nursery food converted into a mild, high-protein soup.

This easy, robust soup, contributed by Marti Hall, has several elements of a certain style of traditional African soups—chilies, sweet potato, and a creamy peanut base. The grain of choice in an African soup like this would likely be millet, but here, quinoa, the nutritious South American super grain, makes for a delightful fusion.

The classic Middle Eastern team of chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste) is combined in a tasty, offbeat soup. Serve with fresh whole wheat pita bread. Middle Eastern bulgur salad (tabbouleh) and a steamed green vegetable round this meal out nicely.