• scparks on April 14, 2012

  The Tomato Soup Florentine Style, page 134 adapted wonderfully to no salt added. Pretty looking soup as well as very flavorful. I am making my own chicken stock due to the need for VLS (very low sodium) and some recipes adapt better than others. Great soup salt or not salt.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Saint Basil soup

  • Gio on April 23, 2015

    St. Basil the Great of Caesarea in Cappadocia was born in 330BC. His feast day is 2 January.

• Chickpea soup à la Provençal

  • stockholm28 on November 07, 2016

    I had high hopes for this soup but it was just o.k. for me. I made half a recipe. Leeks are sauteed in a fair amount of olive oil and then chickpeas (soaked overnight), spinach, garlic, herbs (bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram), salt, pepper, and water are added and the soup is simmered for over an hour. You puree the soup and top with butter (I skipped the butter) and croutons. The pureed soup is a rather thick and unappealing pea green color. I think I would have preferred this without blending, leaving the chickpeas whole. I used fresh herbs and wondered if he meant dried; the recipe doesn't specify but the notes in the front of the book indicate that they grow their own herbs so I assumed fresh. I found the soup a bit bland and lacking depth. I think it would have been better with a good stock.

• Mushroom soup à la Marie-Louise

  • IowanCorn on January 30, 2026

    This soup made a really good lunch. I did cut back on the butter by two tablespoons as I thought eight tablespoons of oil would be too much. Six was still too much as there was a layer of oil on the top of the soup, so if I made it again, I would cut back to four. That being said, the mushrooms really shined in this soup, with the carrots and celery being good supporting players.

• Artichoke and potato soup

  • Nancith on March 30, 2018

    This was quite tasty & luscious for such a simple soup. I had to substitute dry vermouth for dry white wine, but only had a 1/4 of what I should, so I added white grape juice & more lemon juice than called for to cut the sweetness of the juice. It worked well, although next time, I'll be prepared with enough wine. Used cilantro for garnish since that's all that was in the frig, which actually worked well.

  • IowanCorn on February 09, 2026

    A very filling soup, it made a very nice lunch. You do need to pick the wine carefully as that ended up being one of the major flavors in the soup. I used a parsley wine that I had made a few years ago, and the soup ended up pleasantly sour. A different wine would change the soup completely.

• Brussels sprout soup

  • Nancith on January 04, 2018

    Quite a nice soup with surprisingly rich flavor from very few ingredients. I made the pureed version, but did not add milk, nor did I bother with the French bread & egg. Maybe next time. The only unfortunate thing is the unappealing lingering smell of cooked Brussels hours later!

• Cauliflower velouté (Velouté à la Dubarry)

  • clcorbi on January 28, 2022

    Like all recipes from this cookbook, this is super austere as written so I definitely added some olive oil to start and sautéed down the onion. I added the vermouth to the soup at the same time as the water and brought it to a boil with the vegetables - the way the recipe is written, you don't add the vermouth till the end, and just "gently warm" the soup with it which seemed to me like it would result in alcoholic soup. Anyway, with those adjustments, this was delicious and perfect for a very cold day! I added in a little extra sour cream when serving as a garnish.

• Black-eyed pea soup

  • pistachiopeas on March 08, 2015

    One of my favorite soups.

• Spicy English parsnip soup

  • Lepa on November 19, 2018

    This is a nice, simple soup that really highlights the delightful flavor of parsnips!

  • fbcd on October 05, 2023

    Quite good, but not very spicy, so I added a bit of crispy chili oil.

• Turnip soup (Potage de navets)

  • offenbach on June 25, 2024

    How can a pot of boiled turnips, onions, rice, milk and cream be so delicious? But it just is. Perfect meal with nice hearty wheat bread.

• French lentil soup

  • pistachiopeas on October 13, 2015

    A bit plain but satisfying.

• Quick black bean Mexican soup

  • Gio on January 29, 2016

    Pg. 27. A great winter soup with loads of flavor. I swapped out a few ingredients but IMO that did not subtract from its distinctive flavor. I used black-eyed peas, and chicken broth instead of bouillon and water. Included with the onion and garlic were diced carrot and celery. The jalapeno included the ribs and seeds. We loved the soup and will certainly make it again.

  • clcorbi on November 18, 2016

    We loved this! I ended up making lots of small changes---I only used one can of black beans, subbing the other for a handful of green lentils I needed to use up. I reluctantly added the liquid from the can of beans, as per the instructions. I substituted some chopped butternut squash for one of the potatoes, and used pickled jalapeños rather than fresh. I used half a tablespoon of cumin and half a tablespoon of coriander, rather than a full tablespoon of cumin. I sautéed a handful of chopped cilantro stems in with the onion, garlic and jalapeños. I also used a mixture of chicken stock and water rather than a bouillon cube. This soup was extremely delicious, held up to all my alterations, and improved over the next few days. I'd be happy to have some of this in my freezer for later, but we ate it too quickly for that.

  • IowanCorn on April 18, 2026

    A tasty hearty soup, which made a good lunch. Only change I'd make next time would be to reduce the water amount as I would like it a bit more stuff on the spoon than broth.

• Country mushroom and sour cream soup

  • clcorbi on November 18, 2016

    Delicious, easy, and comforting. The sour cream does tend to separate a little but re-integrates just fine once heated. We used all broth rather than water/bouillon cube combo. I would definitely make this soup again.

  • IowanCorn on April 01, 2026

    Extremely good, the vegetables really pop in this soup. The sour cream does break when you first add it, but the further cooking does smooth things out. It's rich and flavorful.

• Butternut squash soup Portuguese style

  • Nancith on September 21, 2017

    A smooth, comforting, mellow flavored soup. Rather than use 2 butternut squash, a monster crookneck squash that needed to be used substituted for one of them. The garnish of fresh thyme leaves is a must as it adds a note of piquancy to the mildness.

  • CourtneyT on June 07, 2026

    I’ve made this twice now and it’s a decent soup. As written, it’s blander than we prefer but easily embellished.

• Three peppers soup

  • fbcd on September 25, 2022

    Very attractive and tasty soup. It looks elegant but the bread and egg make it a good light meal. I made it with homemade chicken stock.

• Cuban black bean soup

  • adrienneyoung on November 21, 2016

    Not a keeper. I probably used too much onion (my onions were large). But still: more sweet than savoury and none of the spicy deliciousness and depth of flavour that I associate with great Cuban.

• Brussels sprout cream potage

  • mamacrumbcake on November 30, 2020

    This is quite light and delicate tasting for a cream soup and it makes a lot—over three quarts. I didn’t have leeks so I used 2 onions. It was too much onion for my taste, so next time use leeks or one onion only. Even so, it was quite lovely. Would be nice with a small pat of butter at serving time. PS since it makes so much, in the future, I would not add milk till serving time; therefore I would be able to freeze some of the soup. Recipe says salt and pepper to taste—it needed 3.5 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

• Cabbage soup

  • Nancith on March 24, 2017

    Amazing how tasty this soup is with so few ingredients, merely using water & 1 bouillon cube for the stock. The lengthy cooking time (2 hours + 30 minutes to stand) helps create the flavor, I'm sure. Simple, but very nice w/ bread & cheese for a filling meal.

• Cream of broccoli soup

  • clcorbi on November 20, 2016

    Very good but I think next time I would use less heavy cream and add in an equivalent amount of cheese. I really think a sharp cheddar would have done a lot to cut through the heavy flavor of this soup. That being said, I'm sure the flavor will have improved by tomorrow. This is certainly good comfort food.

  • katiesue28 on November 21, 2023

    As with most of the recipes in this book, this recipe is a delicious jumping off point to make the soup your own. I sautéed the onions for about six minutes, added 4 cloves of sliced garlic and continued sautéing for two minutes. Then I followed the recipes cooking instructions. Added some nutmeg, garlic powder, herbs d’provence, and lemon juice at the end. Absolutely delicious.

• Irish brotchan soup

  • Nancith on May 28, 2021

    Excellent soup, redolent of parsnips with a hint of acid. This is quite easy to prepare with not all that many ingredients. Creamy and luscious without using cream! A little dab of yogurt as a finish (rather than the indicated sour cream) was a nice addition. Definitely will make again.

• Cold salmon chowder

  • fbcd on July 16, 2022

    Very tasty soup, with a true salmon flavour and color (helped by the red pepper). I poached frozen salmon fillets in the milk as it heated up, removing them as soon as they were barely done. However the pureed soup has a rather grainy texture that I find unappealing, so next time I will add the salmon flakes after the rest of the soup is pureed.

• Neapolitan zucchini soup

  • fbcd on July 28, 2022

    I found this to be very bland, and added some Magi seasoning to add some depth of flavour. I'm also not that fond of eggs swirled into soups like this, but that is a personal bias. I just find it unattractive.

• Broccoli soup

  • fbcd on July 29, 2022

    2022-07-29 Delicious! The bacon in this soup adds a lovely smokey undertone and the generous amount of oil adds a smooth mouth feel. I am not very fond of broccoli and this soup significantly tones down the flavour. A good way of getting the health benefits of broccoli for non-fans. It is going into regular rotation.

• Radish greens soup (Soupe Pelou)

  • sayeater on April 23, 2023

    My farm fresh radishes came with a gorgeous bunch of greens attached and I did not want to waste them. EYB to the rescue! This soup was a perfect use. I expected there to be more bite from the radish greens but it could have been passed off as a cream of spinach soup. Potato gives the base and texture with a bit of milk for creaminess. I used an immersion blender in pot and did not strain but other than that followed the simple recipe. My husband and son both enjoyed, don't skip the croutons!

• Wild rice soup

  • Elle.o on October 30, 2022

    light cream/milk

• Russian cream of string bean soup

  • Nancith on June 01, 2015

    Such a simple, soothing soup! We really liked this. It was perfect for a cool day, light, but delicately flavorful. It was our main course, but would be great for a first course soup. I used frozen green beans; fresh beans would probably give it a little "beanier" flavor.

  • fbcd on September 17, 2025

    This is a delicate soup suitable as a first course or served with a sandwich. As originally written, it is thin and very bland, even before adding the milk, so I have increased the beans, eliminated the milk, and added dill.

• Cream of corn soup

  • Nancith on September 21, 2016

    Very luscious & rich soup. Easy to make. Rather than blend raw onions in with the other ingredients as called for, I sauteed them in a little butter. Could stand a bit more marjoram than 1/4 tsp.

• Spinach soup

  • IowanCorn on January 15, 2026

    This soup is terrible. The idea is good, as this is the same ingredients as a classic spinach salad, but the amounts are seriously off. One bouillon cube for 7 cups of water is weak, and this needs a stronger stock. Instead of mixing the flour with milk, I would use an actual roux. Again, unless it's a garnish, one boiled egg doesn't do much. It needs less liquid or more solids. As is, it's insipid and inedible.

• Savoyard cream of potato soup (Soupe Savoyarde)

  • Nancith on September 08, 2017

    Simple, but very tasty. The big thing is the stock--use a flavorful one! I used good quality mock chicken bouillon cubes rather than real chicken broth, & half Gruyere, half Parmesan. Also did not put toasted bread in bowl as called for since we were already eating sandwiches! Good soup for a chilly evening.

• Southern-style vegetable soup

  • Bwolfe2 on January 08, 2017

    This is a great, hearty soup. I substituted dried heirloom yellow eyed beams for the potato and did not add the sugar. Because the beans were dried I added the broth from a quick pre-boil I did to start their hydration.

• Beet soup

  • fbcd on October 05, 2023

    Ok but not great. I like beets and love Polish borscht, but I found the earthiness of the beets to be very forward in this soup.

• French cream of lentil soup

  • fbcd on October 05, 2023

    Tasty, creamy, and comforting. I made a half recipe using brown lentils, and omitted the egg yolk. I only cooked it until the lentils and vegetables were cooked and soft, about 35 minutes, and used an immersion blender to puree. The soup might be smoother if I had cooked it the entire hour specified. The fried garlic garnish was a good touch.

• Portuguese kale soup

  • emiliang on October 29, 2016

    This was pretty good. Added some smoked sweet pepper and a little bit of chiles in adobo sauce to bring out the smokiness.

• Potato and cheese soup

  • clcorbi on November 18, 2016

    We really enjoyed this soup once we'd made some alterations to it, but as written, I feel it's a bit too austere. I would use broth next time rather than water, and I think a little splash of heavy cream wouldn't be amiss in place of some milk. We almost doubled the amount of cheese added, and used two different types (parmesan and a white cheddar). It could also have benefitted from a bit more onion. Overall, when I want cheese soup, I want it to be very rich, and this recipe required tweaks to get there.

• White bean soup

  • clcorbi on November 20, 2017

    Yet another good if very bare-bones soup from this book. Rather than bouillon cubes, I used 4c of chicken stock to 8c water. I also added several sprigs of thyme and let them simmer with the beans for the entire cook time. I had to simmer this for longer than an hour, but with dried beans I expect that. I probably wouldn't make this soup again since there are so many others I want to try, but it is healthy and tasty and made a lot of servings' worth.

• Broccoli rabe and bean soup

  • Lepa on December 31, 2018

    I love this soup. It is even better the second day. The broth is so tasty!

• Swiss chard and lentil soup

  • br22 on March 19, 2023

    This is exceptional as written. The flavor of the vegetables is forward, the roundness of the balsamic perfect. Cook 5 min after adding vinegar.

  • emiliang on February 27, 2024

    Simple and good, with wonderful depth of flavor, especially the next day.

• Saint Nicholas soup

  • Nancith on December 13, 2017

    This soup has a decent flavor, simple, not exotic, but pleasant. My main disappointment was that it pureed into a quite thin soup; would have been better with less liquid.

• Saint Lucy soup Sicilian style

  • TracyCrawford on December 27, 2013

    As called for this soup makes a lot! The recipe needs to be dramatically scaled. The soup is good, but somewhat bland. Essentially an unseasoned bean and wheat soup. Ingredients are in pounds not cups for beans and wheat berries.

• Galician chickpea and sausage soup (Caldo Gallego)

  • breakthroughc on October 22, 2023

    This was good, but not great. I don’t think I would make again. I did not put the potatoes in before cooking the chickpeas. I cooked the soup for 1 hour then added the potatoes and Swiss chard (instead of spinach). I also added a little red wine vinegar at the end. The creamy chickpeas are the best part of this soup, so I definitely would advise using canned chickpeas here.

• Acorn squash soup

  • ShieldmaidenofRohan on February 07, 2020

    The soup is very good but the recipe as written is a blank slate flavor wise. I added sage, thyme and Braggs Organic Sprinkle as well as a liberal amount of sea salt. I also made it in the instant pot.. Steam the squash whole for 5 minutes high pressure and it peels and chops easily. Add back to the pot with the first set of ingredients, cook Manual high 10 minutes, quick release, blend with a stick blender, add the rest of the ingredients and put on keep warm to simmer. Season as you will.