3 Soup Recipes That Are Just Like Salads, as Shared by Chefs and Authors

Warm soups meet cool salads in these innovative recipes, proving that your bowl can be both hearty and healthful.

We’re deep in soup season, and while many soups are already nutritious, some bring salad-level wholesomeness to the table. Registered dietitian Meagan Curtell (@nutrition_by_meagan) has even turned this idea into a TikTok sensation with her series "soups that are basically salads." Here are three standout recipes, as shared by chefs who know their way around both flavor and nourishment.

1. Chef Hiranth Jayasinghe’s Vegan Lentil Soup

Chef Hiranth Jayasinghe, from New York City’s Plant Junkie, delivers a creamy, curry-infused vegan option packed with vegetables like butternut squash, carrots, and celery. Featuring lentils and coconut milk, this soup is as comforting as it is nutritious. The recipe’s bright garnish of cilantro and optional vegan yogurt makes it Instagram-ready, too.

Ingredients:

• Vegetables: onion, carrots, celery, butternut squash, potatoes
• Spices: turmeric, curry powder, red pepper flakes
• Essentials: coconut milk, vegetable stock, lentils, lime juice

Steps:

1. Saute aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil.
2. Add the veggies and spices, simmer with stock and coconut milk, and voilà—a hearty bowl of goodness is ready in under 40 minutes.

2. Pati Jinich’s Plant-Based Green Pozole

Pati Jinich reinvents the traditional pozole by swapping out meat for zucchini, mushrooms, and chayote. The dish’s vibrant green color comes from poblano chiles and tomatillos, blended with toasted pumpkin seeds for a rich, nutty base. This soup is so velvety and flavorful, it might just make you forget the meat ever existed.

Ingredients:

• Base: tomatillos, poblano chiles, pumpkin seeds
• Veggies: zucchini, chayote, mushrooms, hominy
• Garnishes: radishes, lime wedges, chopped cilantro

Steps:

1. Toast pumpkin seeds for depth of flavor.
2. Create a green puree with tomatillos and chiles, then simmer with broth and hominy for a thick, satisfying soup.

3. Joseph Hawke’s Black Bean and Spinach Soup

Chef Joseph Hawke’s recipe, featured in his upcoming cookbook "The Man Cave Cooking Guide," is like a winter version of your summer salad. This soup combines black beans, spinach, and bell peppers with a hit of cumin and cayenne for warmth. Served over brown rice and topped with sour cream or yogurt, it’s a balanced meal in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• Proteins: black beans
• Veggies: spinach, bell peppers, tomato
• Spices: cumin, cayenne, paprika
• Base: chicken or vegetable broth

Steps:

1. Saute cumin and onion, then add garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
2. Add the broth and black beans, simmer to thicken, and serve over brown rice.

Whether you’re craving curry, spice, or a hint of green, these soups are salad-inspired and soul-warming. Who says healthy can’t be indulgent?