Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

This chilled soup couldn’t be easier to make, packing a lot of flavor into a quick dish of just a few ingredients. Fresh, green and somewhat tart, it’s quite refreshing on a warm day.

This chickpea salad, adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025), mirrors the humble ingredients but standout flavors of harira, a North African soup that is steeped in tradition. Like the hearty tomato and legume soup it derives from, this salad is made from simple ingredients but achieves great depth of flavor by roasting the onions, celery and tomatoes with spices.

Canned chickpeas and tuna are at the core of this hearty salad that is perfect for when you need a low-effort yet delicious lunch. This pantry-friendly salad also features refreshing cucumber paired with aromatic dill and ground za’atar, and is rounded out with bright notes of lemon and briny Kalamata olives.

This no-cook, main-dish slaw is all about texture and toppings. The cabbage and shredded chicken is only the beginning.

With turkey, melty Swiss, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and a buttery glaze, these turkey Reuben-inspired sliders are an instant crowd-pleaser. So much so, you’ll probably want to double the recipe.

Crunchy cucumbers and creamy avocados are the stars of this simple five-ingredient salad Peeling the cucumbers in alternating stripes helps them soak up seasonings while maintaining their shape After being cut into bite-size pieces, they are combined with salt to draw out moisture, concentrating their flavor

This no-fuss, one-pot recipe is inspired by avgolemono soup, a traditional Greek rice soup that is prized for its silky texture and bright flavor, thanks to egg yolks and an invigorating dose of lemon This soup achieves similar results while replacing the rice with store-bought gnocchi for a heartier take and a texture boost The approach is simple: Simmer rotisserie chicken with stock, lemon zest and gnocchi, then thicken the soup with egg yolks and lemon juice

Is there such a thing as a comfort salad? These recipes say yes.

This classic recipe is adapted from “Tastes Like Cuba,” by Eduardo Machado and Michael Domitrovich The secret is the homemade sofrito, but bottled will do in a pinch.

A soothing bowl of broth and wheat vermicelli is popular among many cuisines, and often the go-to soup at the first signs of a cold or ailment Available at many grocery stores and at Middle Eastern and Latin markets, the vermicelli noodles are packaged already broken or sold in nests which you can break by hand (Note: These are not rice vermicelli noodles.) The finely chopped vegetables and chicken, along with a bit of tomato paste and turmeric, make for a satisfying and savory broth

Chewy potato dumplings and tender spinach take this spicy tomato soup to the next level. For its base, canned crushed tomatoes get infused with fresh basil, garlic and spices, and sweetened with frizzled onions.

Cozy as it may be, to call this vegetarian recipe a chowder may be a bit of a stretch. There is no dairy, corn or seafood in its ingredient list.

This is the bean soup for when you need something cozy and fast. Inspired by sopa Tarasca, a bean, tomato and chile soup from the Purépecha people of Michoacán in western Mexico, this version uses canned pinto beans and chipotles in adobo for convenience that doesn’t sacrifice flavor.

How to make the viral 2024 Olympic chocolate muffins at home.

Vindaloo, a popular Indian curry layered with heady spices, vinegar and aromatics, is the inspiration behind this vibrant beef chili. Dried chiles and whole spices are lightly toasted then puréed with garlic, ginger and vinegar to create a vindaloo paste that’s both spicy and tangy.

A great chili should be richly spiced, with layers of deep, savory flavor Here, that big flavor comes from the usual contenders, but also from the unexpected additions of unsweetened cocoa, soy sauce and Worcestershire, which provide complexity This recipe makes a thick, comforting chili that can be prepared in a slow cooker or in a Dutch oven on the stovetop

And most of them are ready in under an hour.

Sancocho, a word often used as slang by Puerto Ricans to mean a big old mix of things, is a rustic stew eaten across the Caribbean and made with every imaginable combination of proteins and vegetables My father cooked his with beef, corn and noodles; my mom with chicken breasts, lean pork and sweet plantains; my grandmother with beef, pork on the bone and yautia As such, I’ve rarely used a recipe, so this one is based largely on observation, taste memory and what I like

Each new day presents a new opportunity to eat rice — and this recipe makes a case for rice salad. Tender jasmine rice steams with Dijon mustard-streaked salmon to create a strong foundation.

According to Punjabi lore, this heavily spiced chicken and chickpea dish was born during Emperor Shah Jahan’s imprisonment, when his cooks were challenged to create luxurious meals from humble chickpeas. Traditionally made with bone-in chicken, this streamlined version calls for boneless chicken thighs, browned then simmered with chickpeas in a complex tomato-onion base with ginger, garlic and green chiles.

This adaptable make-ahead salad is a great instant lunch or side dish It starts with raw broccoli florets and stems, thinly sliced into irregular shapes to create many textures As the broccoli sits with salt and vinegar, it softens and becomes slaw

Mushrooms and black beans are the perfect pairing for a hearty weeknight chili with a kick of heat from a fresh jalapeño Seared minced mushrooms add a depth of flavor that balances an easy homemade chili spice mix of mild chile, warm cinnamon and smoky chipotle If you’d like, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of the broth for 1 1/2 cups of Mexican lager.

There are a lot of things to love about this soup: It comes together in 20 minutes in just one pot with fewer than 10 ingredients But most importantly, minimal effort results in a velvety yet bright soup The cocoa powder accentuates the fudginess of the black beans, while the salsa verde adds surprising tartness

Refreshing and slawlike, this salad makes a versatile side dish for any gathering, especially one where a rich dish is the star It’s dressed with lime juice and jalapeño and left to sit, to infuse and soften the cabbage, then topped with sliced radishes and avocado, an ever-welcome and bright note.

This hearty one-pot stew makes the most out of kitchen staples thanks to some smart cooking strategies. Carrot, celery and onion are familiar vegetables for creating an aromatic base, but here, cutting them slightly larger gives them a more prominent presence and flavor in the stew.

For a green smoothie that’s neither too sweet nor reminiscent of gazpacho, make the “Stew” from Veggies Natural Juice Bar & Cafe in Brooklyn Fresh, spicy and sweet everyday staples like agave or honey, greens, ginger and banana harmonize thanks to one ingredient that brings them all together: vanilla extract, which enhances and balances flavors in baked goods and beyond The Stew was invented on Veggies’s opening day, when a customer named Stew asked for a drink using a few requested ingredients

The simplicity of this soup’s technique belies its depth of flavor, which is both vivid and complex The soup is made bright with lemon and fresh with cilantro, but the secret ingredient is tahini, which is layered into the soup to thicken it, and then drizzled generously on top in the form of a gently spiced sauce The result is a soup that’s both vegetal and creamy, tangy and rich

This fall salad radiates vibrancy and texture: crunchy red cabbage and almonds, crisp-sweet apple, tangy dried cranberries and a vinaigrette that’s zesty with orange and red pepper It would pair equally well with super rich pork chops and sausage or lean roast turkey Add chickpeas or salty cheese to turn it into a bright main dish.

Turns out, dan dan noodles work well as a salad, in this recipe adapted from my cookbook “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor” (Knopf, 2025), as the signature punchy sauce made with sesame paste and chile oil transforms nicely into an assertive dressing Curly and chewy ramen noodles cling perfectly to the sauce, but you could really use any noodle you like, including instant noodles, udon or thick rice noodles Adapt this salad throughout the year by adding seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach or green beans.

Bright with flavor, dynamic and crisp with a combination of roots and chicory, and fresh with major herb appeal, this is a hearty, friendly, anytime salad that will work well with any grocery or farmers’ market haul It can easily become a staple in your home: You can make it on Sunday and eat it throughout the week, its flavors changing as it marinates Because of this, it’s also a salad you can adjust as days go by, adding more lemon here and there, maybe some cheese to change up its flavors after a day or two