• ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

  This is the book I go to when I want to make the best version of a soup, or learn an interesting new one. These aren't quick recipes, and often the ingredient list is long, but they always turn out very impressively. Crescent's stories that go with the recipes are fun, too. Though this isn't a vegetarian cookbook, most of the recipes are vegetarian or can easily be made so. There is a chapter each on chicken and fish soups, and I haven't tried to make those meat-free yet, but I plan to. I've also never tried any of the bread recipes, because I'm not often very successful with baking, but maybe I'll try those, too!

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Basic mirepoix

  • averythingcooks on March 28, 2026

    Always happy to tuck recipes like this away in my freezer portioned for future dinner preps. This is the classic ratio & they add a quick ratio tip (the full recipe : 4-6 cups of stock). My only issue is that I prefer a longer cook time than given here, so I just carried on until I was happy with it :)

• Classic basil pesto

  • averythingcooks on March 01, 2026

    Very nice...I followed her suggestions re: using walnuts, a little extra garlic + a 50:50 mix of parm & pecorino romano. I'm happy to have this stashed in my freezer in 1 tbsp portions.

• Chicken soup with forest mushrooms

  • SalsaSister on May 28, 2026

    Added celery and carrot for a mirepoix and cubed chicken. Did it in crock pot 5 hours. Wonderful !!

• Artichoke soup avgolemono

  • peaceoutdesign on March 02, 2018

    added chicken and maxed out the egg yolks.

• Winter borscht à la Vielle Russe

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    My husband gets so sad when I make a borscht other than this one that's simpler and faster. I like it with lots and lots of black pepper.

• Gazpacho rosa

  • eve_kloepper on August 19, 2012

    make this in a blender, not a food processor.

• Broccoli and potato curry soup primo

  • susan g on July 26, 2017

    Very thick, very tasty. I preferred the parts side by side rather than stacked. Used a sweet potato for one of the potatoes, no raisins,celery or parsnip; added chopped tomato and avocado to the yogurt.

  • Lmaru on March 30, 2026

    Some of my all-time favorite soup recipes are in this cookbook, which I've been cooking from for 25+ years. This was the first time for this one, though. I thought it was pretty tasty, but it took *two hours* to cook, mostly chopping. Next time I would leave out the carrots and celery from the sauté that goes in at the end. They didn't add much.

• Hangover soup

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    Very indulgent soup with an enormous amount of garlic, plus cheese, eggs, bread AND pasta, and avocado. I would probably lose the eggs if I made it again today - I made it August 21, 2006.

• French-style The Soup

  • paisleymonsoon on September 18, 2023

    I liked the base soup, but the French version was so disgusting and gamey tasting that I threw it out after a couple of bites. The whole huge pot, wasted. If I could give it negative stars I would. I've mainly had horrible luck with this cookbook beyond the "the soup" base recipe.

• Hillbilly many-bean soup

  • chawkins on January 06, 2017

    Used the IP to cook the soaked beans with a ham bone and 6 cups of water in the Soup setting and the beans were well cooked. Added the rest of the ingredients and cooked on Saute till vegetables were soft. Forgot to add the spice mix even though I had a stash made up from the last time I made this soup, it was still delicious, nice and thick, perfect for a snowy wintry day.

  • hillsboroks on February 07, 2019

    The spice and herb blend really add great flavor to this soup. I simmered the beans that I had soaked overnight with a very meaty ham hock for about 2 1/2 hours in a mixture of water and leftover chicken stock. Don't be afraid to season the soup well with salt and pepper. I kept adding both and tasting as I went and was surprised at the amount I ended up using but it was delicious.

• Cuban black bean soup

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    Not as complicated as some of these other soups, but still deep flavor and good texture. Loved it and JD gave it a "top ten." The only thing I did differently was to add a little smoked paprika, and I used a poblano instead of a bell pepper. Looking forward to the leftovers. I garnished it with avocado and raw white onion and served a side of jicama with lime and salt.

• Black-eyed pea soup with Arkansalsa and crème fraîche

  • sayeater on December 31, 2021

    I made this for New Years Day 2021, it was fantastic and full of flavor! Crescent's recipes rarely let me down and this was a keeper. Make sure to do the topping, it really makes the soup into something special!

• Chick-pea soup Mamusia

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    This recipe has some surprising combinations of ingredients, but it was rich and satisfying and healthy. Made it 4/4/07.

• Minestrone

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    This symphony of a soup is quite a bit of work - soak the beans, stud an onion with cloves, buzz up garlic with some of the bean, put together a quick pesto... I've made it several times with all but one or another of the components, depending on what I have on hand, and it's always yummy, but it's really impressive with all the pieces working together.

• Greek lentil and spinach soup with lemon

  • Liz_Young on June 14, 2022

    This soup is famous - there was a man who made it every week to take to work for years and years. You can find the story on Crescent's website. I've made it, and it is very good.

  • ParsleySue on November 09, 2023

    I made this in October 2021 because of that Washington Post story about the nurse who ate it for every lunch for 17 years, too! It's really good and hearty. Here's the WaPo article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/voraciously/wp/2020/03/08/this-lentil-soup-is-so-good-one-nurse-has-eaten-it-for-lunch-every-workday-for-17-years/

• Sandy's great lentil soup with greens and garlic

  • Liz_Young on May 11, 2023

    Fried onions really made a difference in how good this was. Probably won't make again - too many other recipes to try.

• Lentil dal

  • paisleymonsoon on September 18, 2023

    We love lentils and Indian food, but this was bland and bitter. Added garlic, tomatoes, cream, and cilantro, but still not great.

• Bean and barley soup Bourguignon

  • ParsleySue on October 10, 2018

    Lots of beans, tomatoes, red wine...and peanut butter! Rich and interesting and delicious.

  • SalsaSister on October 24, 2021

    Wouldn’t make this again. Maybe I was expecting a typical vegetable soup, but I thought the wine was overpowering.

• Spanish-style split pea soup (Potage de guisantes Barcelona)

  • dgiles on November 12, 2023

    This is fantastic. Made 1/2 recipe. Used tomato passata instead of tomatoes. Forgot to add the spinach, but I don't think it needs it. I'll add it next time.

• Gumbo Zeb base

  • moreace01 on October 12, 2010

    This is my go-to Gumbo recipe. It's quite a bit of work, but so worth it!

• Blushing cream of cauliflower soup

  • Nancith on March 14, 2017

    A very nice soup that requires quite a bit of preparation: lots of chopping, steaming, sautéing. But the end result is worth it. I'm not quite sure why the initial step of lightly steaming the cauliflower is necessary when it ends up simmering & pureed--maybe it keeps the cauliflower taste from overwhelming the soup? I kept half the sautéed veggies aside rather than making a completely pureed soup, which made a nice contrast of textures.

  • Liz_Young on June 14, 2022

    I thought this was bland. Unusual for Crescent's recipes.

• New world corn chowder

  • Nancith on January 14, 2015

    Made the variation with chicken for the meat-eaters in the family, except I used almond milk instead of regular; & the original recipe for myself, except that I used almond milk & no cream, & threw in some baby spinach. Both were creamy, & rich, spicy, but not too much, although my son added hot sauce to his. Definitely a winner.

• Curried apple and sweet potato soup

  • gillsil on October 20, 2025

    I really wanted to like this soup as I love the book and I was excited that I had almost all I needed to make it including some apples and sweet potatoes that needed using up. However, the flavour just doesn’t work for me and the soup doesn’t taste of either apple or sweet potato. The beer / curry combination is unpleasant and as I don’t have any frozen apple concentrate I had to use maple syrup to sweeten it. Not likely to make again but I think it would be better with 1/2 the curry powder and leaving the raisins whole rather than blending them.

• Frannie's fast, fabulous buttermilk bread

  • averythingcooks on March 19, 2026

    I'm not sure how fast this was (3 rise times..1.5 hours & 2 x 45-60 minute sessions with a 10 minute "dough rest" tucked in) but I have 2 more specific comments. We love the soft texture & the tang of the buttermilk in this loaf BUT I hated cleaning out EVERY nook & cranny of my food processor (way more annoying / time consuming than cleaning a bowl/dough hook. Good thing I had all that rising time to work at it :)

• Deedy's Gram's graham muffins

  • ashallen on August 27, 2019

    This recipe makes very moist, spongy, dark-tasting little breads - dried currants are a great addition (don't pre-soak currants since bread's already so moist). I've made this both as muffins and small (3.75x7.5-inch) loaves - the latter especially requires careful checking to make sure the bread's fully baked.