Soup/Stew

When you use a fairly expensive, rich, and well-marbled fish like wild salmon, you want to make sure you don’t clutter it with too many spices or overcook it. Coconut milk maintains that velvety mouthfeel of the fish and provides a stunning backdrop to its orange-pink vibrancy. I serve the salmon with those plump pearls of Israeli couscous that play on your senses with their caviarlike texture.

Rich with nutty tahini, savory miso, and plenty ginger and garlic, this comforting vegetarian soup is just what the doctor ordered for a chilly weeknight.

This one-pot meal is herby, sweet, and garlicky all at once. To add more green, throw in a handful of arugula or spinach at the end; for more garlic, pair it with garlic toast.

Loaded potato soup served up with shredded cheese, chives, and bacon is very much a representation of my fused German, Scandinavian, British, and Irish family ancestry. I wanted to make this a new family tradition, with a Japanese spin utilizing purple potatoes, that I could enjoy tummy ache–free. Blending antioxidant-rich purple sweet potatoes with coconut milk makes this soup creamy, rich, and tasty without adding tons of extra fat, sugar, or heavy cream. The roasted salty mushrooms are a perfect replacement for bacon—drizzled with some olive oil, this combination makes for one satisfying soup.

Chickpeas are the basis for this savory Italian stew, which gets an extra kick from a spoonful of intensely flavored pesto at serving time.

Depending on your pho philosophy, you can go super simple or ornate with the tabletop pho garnishes.

Don’t just reserve black-eyed peas for New Year’s luck. The combination of sweet, smoky and hot and the freshness of the greens is delicious any time of the year.

You’ll never miss the beans with this “stick to your ribs,” paleo, grass-fed ground beef–and–sausage version of the hearty Southwestern stew.

Get the richly flavored comforting broth of traditional pho in half the time when you use your Instant Pot.

You get great flavors in this Cajun dish from the spices. Be sure to smash some of the cooked beans to thicken up your stew. Serve over brown rice, quinoa or sorghum for a change of pace.

The essential ingredients for this Portuguese-inspired Indian dish are wine, vinegar, and garlic. Additions of mustard seeds, cumin, turmeric, and chiles make it specifically colonial Goan.

On January 1—the country's independence day—Haitians prepare soup joumou, a rich pumpkin soup with an even richer history.

Pleasantly bitter escarole adds balance to a rich vegetarian stew brightened with feta cheese and green Castelvetrano olives.

In this hearty, velvety stew, chicken slowly braises in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and a touch of enriching cocoa powder.

A warming stew of quick-cooking lentils, pearled couscous, and canned chickpeas topped with tangy lime yogurt, crunchy sliced almonds, and fresh herbs.