These Winter Soups Will Warm You Up on a Chilly Day

Picture this: You've just finished work after a long, hard day. It's winter, so it's been dark outside for two hours already. It's cold, windy, and you want nothing more than to curl up on the couch under a blanket. But there's one problem: You have to make dinner. This is where soup comes in. Whether you make your favorite beef stew recipe or you experiment with a cream of mushroom, the options are virtually endless when it comes to delicious soup recipes. The best part of soup, though? It often requires very few pans and very little effort.

Whether you're in the mood for a hearty chowder or a lighter, veggie-packed soup, having some easy dinner recipes in your back pocket for those long, cold, winter nights is a great idea. Make sure you have a loaf of crusty bread in the freezer, too, so you can pull it out and toast up a slice or two to dip in the soup for the perfect, well-rounded meal. No matter how good of a cook you are, though, cooking soup is always easier with just a little preparation. So print out these 40 winter soup recipes and put the ingredients on your list for the next time you really don't feel like making a complicated dinner. Your future self will thank you.