Soups on Bruce loves to cook

Thai-inspired noodle soup

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A coconut curry noodle soup built on quick-marinated pork (a shortcut to [[Velveting (pork)|velveting]]), lemongrass, and whatever vegetables are on hand. Brown the pork fast and leave it underdone, so it finishes in the soup and stays tender.

Lazy tomato soup

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A warm bowl of soup on a fall day is a wondrous thing. This is a classic fridge magnet recipe that I use to clean up old veg.

Mechanic

This is a one-pot pasta: the pasta cooks directly in the soup, with starch as the only thickener. Reduce the cooking liquid down to just what the soup needs. The released starch turns it smooth and velvety without any flour or cream.

Butternut squash soup

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a warm, filling soup that pairs nicely with garlic or cheese bread, or grilled cheese.

Mechanic

Roasting the squash and vegetables first concentrates their sugars and develops colour before anything goes in the pot. Straining the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve at the end gives a silky texture you can’t get any other way. Loosen with stock until it pours easily. It’s not a pie filling.

Minestrone

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a classic, comforting soup, perfect for late summer or fall.

Mechanic

The vegetarian base replaces pancetta with deeply browned mushrooms, toasted bread, and smoked paprika. The bread is the surprising part: it toasts in the oil, adding a savoury nuttiness that disappears into the soup. Don’t skip it.

Creamy roasted red pepper soup

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We had half a kilo of baby red peppers left over after a social event, so I tried a simple roasted red pepper soup. This is roughly based on Chef John’s take, but with the ingredients that I tend to have on hand.

Dairy-free tomato soup

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

White beans are an Old World secret for making thick, hearty soups. Blended, they add a creamy texture and some protein without muddying the flavour.

Ingredients

1 can (796 ml / 28 oz) whole tomatoes, with their liquid
2 cups vegetable broth
½ cup cooked white beans, rinsed and drained
- baby lima, cannellini, great northern, etc.
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp miso (or light soy sauce)
1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp vegan butter (optional)
a few basil leaves, torn (optional)

Method

In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion with the salt in the olive oil until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until it starts to stick.

Farmer soup

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a work-in-progress recipe to replicate Farmer Soup (from the ABC Country Restaurants). This needs to use farmer sausage from Rempel Meats in Abbotsford, or a large hand-made, smoked farmer sausage.

French onion soup

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a simplified version of the classic French-cut, slowly caramelized onion soup. It blends methods from Serious Eats, Chef John, Andrew Rea, Joshua Weissman, and others.

Mechanic

The flavour comes from the fond: onions cooked low and slow for an hour or more until deeply browned, with the brown layer scraped off the bottom of the pot again and again before it burns. Traditionally the soup uses a homemade veal or beef stock, but it also works well with a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]].

Nine bean soup mix

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A ham-hock bean soup built on a mix of nine dried beans.

I found this recipe in our old recipe book with the following: All proceeds to charitable projects CHAPTER BF, PEO SISTERHOOD, ABBOTSFORD, BC.

Potato, leek, and mushroom soup

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

For the 2021 Christmas season, we made a variety of soups. This one was one of them, and it combines two of our favourite soups into one: potato-leek, and mushroom-cream. It’s based roughly on Serious Eats’ and Chef John’s take on the dish.

Winter noodle soup, with kale and fennel

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a hearty and herbal noodle soup. For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken and stock with large white beans and a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock|veg stock]].

Chicken

1 whole chicken, or 1 large (560 g, 20 oz) can of white beans
salt and pepper

Spatchcock the chicken: cut out the spine and remove the wings with shears, and save them for stock. Season the bird with salt and pepper and rest it in the fridge for 45 minutes.

Dal tadka

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a warming, filling, vegetarian delight.

Mechanic

Red lentils cook fast and dissolve into a creamy base. The ratio matters: 1 cup lentils to 4–5 cups water. Less water (1:4) gives a thicker dal you can heap on rice; more (1:5) gives something looser.

Mushroom soup

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A great bowl of soup, and our replacement for classic canned mushroom soup.

Mechanic

Two methods for different results. Velouté: a roux-thickened cream soup, rich and smooth. Potage: a blended potato-thickened version finished with cashew cream, dairy-free and lighter but equally silky. The mushroom base is the same for both.

Coconut lentils

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A comforting, lovely lentil stew. Or is it curry?

Mechanic

1 part lentils to 3 parts liquid (coconut milk + broth combined) produces a thick, spoonable consistency. Red lentils break down fully; green or brown lentils hold their shape for a chunkier result, but need 35–45 minutes and a splash more broth. Freezes well and reheats without losing texture.

Tomato soup

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of tomato soup? Pair with simple grilled cheese!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
800 ml tinned whole tomatoes (2 × 400 ml tins)
250 ml chicken or vegetable broth (1 cup)
60 ml cream (¼ cup)
salt and black pepper

Method

Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.