Comforting Soup Recipes and Bread Recipes

A bit reminiscent of old-fashioned mushroom-barley soup, this vegetarian quinoa mushroom soup recipe gets a modern update with nutrient-packed quinoa. A mix of fresh mushrooms and dried porcini boosts the savory flavor. Serve with whole-wheat dinner rolls.

This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.

Puffy, chewy-crisp and fragrant with fresh herbs, this Parmesan focaccia goes well with soups, stews and, of course, Italian-style fare. Be sure to use only fresh herbs and avoid the temptation to stir them into the dough (sprinkle them over it); many herbs, including the ones called for here, inhibit yeast growth when they're combined in the dough. The dough bakes on the lowest rack in a very hot oven to simulate the hearth baking that is traditional for focaccia. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

The toasted spices in this creamy cauliflower soup recipe make this dish warm, rich and flavorful. You can deepen the color further by making it with a head of orange cauliflower, sometimes labeled “Cheddar.”

This creamy parsnip and apple soup recipe has amazing flavor from the combination of curry powder, coriander, cumin and ginger. Be sure to use fresh curry powder when making this soup. Not sure if yours is fresh? Open the jar: the aroma should meet your nose immediately. Serve with flatbread or whole-wheat rolls.

Not only is this seeded loaf high in fiber, but the blend of seeds and grains lends it a wonderfully nutty flavor, aroma and texture. A heavy container with a tight-fitting lid works best, as the steam trapped inside the pot helps crisp the crust of the boule. Keep in mind that in a very wide-bottomed pot the loaf will spread out and be fairly flat; in a taller, narrower one it will be thicker and have more height (but may take slightly longer to bake).

This southern-Indian-inspired vegetable dal recipe is rich and creamy thanks to light coconut milk and gets exotic flavor from spice-infused coconut oil. Serve with flatbread or naan.

Chorizo lends this Mediterranean-inspired spinach soup recipe a smoky paprika flavor, and since the chorizo is sautéed first, much of the fat is drained away. Be sure to buy dry-cured, salami-style Spanish chorizo, not soft, Mexican-style sausage by the same name.

Long, crispy, thin breadsticks like these grissini are laid right on the tablecloth at many Piedmontese restaurants.

This delicate oyster soup recipe sets the tone for celebration at any meal. We made this stew healthier by primarily using low-fat milk and increasing the amount of vegetables. Don't worry about shucking the oysters--most supermarket seafood departments carry shucked oysters. Serve with crusty bread to sop up all the delicious bits at the bottom of the bowl.

Here's a favorite Southwestern chicken soup recipe featuring the exquisite New Mexican green chile (but poblano peppers work well too). Traditional versions of this creamy green chile chicken soup recipe are made with heavy cream or half-and-half, but our recipe for this healthy chicken soup is made creamy with thickened low-fat milk.

The outside of this rustic-looking bread is crunchy and the inside is soft, with a smattering of small bits of corn grits and millet or sesame seeds. The loaf's mild corn flavor goes well with chowders, stews and Tex-Mex dishes. The bread calls for millet, but sesame seeds can be substituted with good results. A pot with a 9- to 10-inch diameter, such as a Dutch oven, will produce a nicely domed loaf, while a wider-bottomed pot will allow the dough to spread out and form a relatively flat loaf.

This healthy loaded baked potato soup recipe is inspired by the comforting flavor of fully loaded baked potatoes with bacon, Cheddar, sour cream and chives. To make a vegetarian version of this potato soup, omit the bacon and use “no-chicken” broth. Serve it with a green salad and crusty bread to clean up the bowl.

This creamy rye and butternut squash soup recipe is a healthier take on a traditional squash and rye bread soup from the Valle d'Aosta region of Italy, usually made rich with milk and cheese. This healthy butternut squash soup variation gets its richness from the creamy starches released by the bread and winter squash. If you like caraway, be sure to use rye bread with caraway seeds.

This whole-wheat loaf is excellent for sandwiches, toast or eating plain. It has a light, springy texture and a mellow, slightly sweet grain taste from cracked wheat. The crust is crisp when the bread is first baked, but gradually softens as it stands. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

Fresh dill, lemon, escarole and artichokes give this healthy slow-cooker lamb stew recipe a decidedly springtime flavor. Dried white beans are perfect in this healthy crock pot recipe, but you could also add frozen lima beans at the end.

This healthy slow-cooker pinto bean stew recipe is bursting with veggies--onion, bell pepper, celery and corn--and topped with crunchy bits of radish and chile- and lime-flecked cornbread dumplings. If you're pressed for time, skip the dumplings and serve this pinto bean stew straight out of the crock pot, topped with crushed tortilla chips and a sprinkling of Monterey Jack cheese. Make sure to soak your dried beans before using them in the slow cooker to ensure even cooking.

The flavor of this hearty, home-style multigrain bread is reminiscent of nice, “bran-y” bran muffins. It's great for toasting, making sandwiches or eating as is. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

This vegetable-packed minestrone soup recipe is inspired by a popular Weight Watchers vegetable soup recipe. It makes a big pot of soup, so keep some in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and freeze the rest in single-serve portions. That way you always have an easy, delicious vegetable soup to start your meal or to eat for lunch. Think of this vegetable minestrone recipe as a starting point for other healthy soup variations, too: toss in leftover chopped cooked chicken or whole-wheat pasta or brown rice to make it more satisfying.

Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.

Made with whole-grain cornmeal and white whole-wheat flour, this healthy cornbread recipe is quick enough for a weeknight and perfect to serve with chili or instead of dinner rolls. We like to make a few extra batches of the dry mix and store it in the freezer. To make a batch of cornbread, just measure out 2 cups of dry mix and combine with the liquid ingredients. If you don't want to pull out your food processor, you can skip pureeing the corn in Step 2 and instead whisk an 8-ounce can of creamed corn with the egg, milk, oil and sugar before combining with the dry ingredients.

This wonderful winter vegetable chowder recipe is rich, filling and great for a winter supper. It's full of potatoes, rutabaga and carrot, but other vegetables could be added, such as sautéed mushrooms or fennel, chopped tomatoes or cubes of roasted winter squash.

You don't need much beef in this homey mushroom-beef noodle soup recipe, since mushrooms and a little Worcestershire sauce give it plenty of savory flavor.

Fresh from the skillet, these flatbreads are perfumed with intense sweet caramelized onions. They're wonderful dipped into a little soup or to serve alongside a saucy curry. They're quite simple to make--to speed up the process use two skillets or a griddle so you can cook twice as many at once.

This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is Italian comfort food at its best, and this easy soup recipe lends itself to countless variations. Substitute spinach, chicory, chard or any other leafy green for the escarole or kale, and any leftover cooked (or canned) beans for the white beans in this healthy Italian wedding soup recipe.

Even people who think they don't like beets love this vibrantly colored, vegetable-packed borscht soup recipe, inspired by the legendary borscht soup served at New York's Russian Tea Room. Plenty of mushrooms, cabbage and carrots along with a judicious amount of beef make this healthy borscht recipe special.

Finding tasty, healthy, whole-grain dinner rolls in the supermarket or even at a local bakery can be a challenge. Here's a not-too-big dinner roll you can feel good about serving for the holidays or any special occasion.

In this healthy buttermilk biscuit recipe, sprouted whole-wheat flour lends the nutritional benefits of whole-wheat flour without the bitterness. If you can't find sprouted flour, white whole-wheat and all-purpose flour are good substitutes. Adapted with permission from Bread Revolution by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed Press, © 2014).