12 Reasons to Make Soup at Home

If you are a soup-making novice or soup is something that you only make occasionally, then there are plenty of reasons to make soup at home. Each of the benefits will apply to different people depending on their circumstances, but almost everyone can benefit from making homemade soups for at least one reason.

12 Reasons to Make Soup at Home

1. Budget-Friendly

One of the main benefits of making homemade soup is that it is a low-cost meal. Most soups use cheap ingredients, so there is a minimal cost to make a meal that is flavoursome and filling. Many soups contain lots of vegetables and pulses, both of which are low-cost ingredients. Even soups that contain meat or fish need only small quantities and many recipes use the cheapest cuts. Buying ingredients in bulk and cooking soup in batches can cut the cost further. Making your own soups at home makes it possible to eat healthily on a budget.

2. Easy for Cooking Novices

Another major benefit of soup making is that it is a good introduction to cooking for novices in the kitchen. If your repertoire of culinary skills is limited, making soups is a good place to start learning some of the basics without worrying about making a mistake. In most instances, creating soups involves simple techniques, such as peeling, chopping, frying, simmering, boiling, and blending. It is even easier to make soup if you use a slow cooker or a soup maker.

3. Diverse Flavour and Texture Options

Often, people associate soup with a thick puree of vegetables in a bowl. However, that is not necessarily the case. There are thin broths, chunky soups, and soups with a medium consistency. You can blend the ingredients to your preferred consistency or leave them whole in the stock. You can combine almost any vegetables to create a soup, and you can add meats or seafood. Almost every soup you make will have a different flavour, and you can alter the flavour to suit your tastes by adding herbs, spices, condiments, and other ingredients.

4. Contributing to a Healthy and Balanced Diet

The contribution that soups can make to a healthy and balanced diet is another of the reasons to make soup at home. By using a wide range of ingredients in your soup-making, you will include a good variety of vitamins and minerals. These each contributes to your nutrition and health in a different way.

5. Make in Advance- One of the Top Reasons to Make Soup

If you have a busy schedule and like to have meals made in advance, then a bowl of soup is one of the simplest options. It is something that you can make in large batches and then store until you need a quick meal. You can store in the refrigerator if you plan to eat the soup the same day or the next day, or you can store in the freezer if you do not plan to eat the soup straight away.

6. A Time-Saving Option

The preparation for soup is often simply a case of chopping the ingredients. Once the ingredients are in the pan or soup maker, then you can leave them to cook with no effort on your part. This leaves you free to get on with other tasks.

7. Hidden Vegetables: Reasons to Make Soup for Children

Many parents have children who are fussy eaters. They may have trouble getting their children to eat some or all vegetables. This is because of the look, the flavour, or the texture of the vegetables. Making soup using several vegetables is a great way of getting children to eat vegetables, which is important so they can get all the nutrients they need.

8. Adaptable for International Flavours

Soup is a meal that is universally eaten across the globe. Each country has its own soup specialities. It is possible to add an international twist to almost any soup with the addition of herbs and spices or by interchanging ingredients.

9. Reasons to Make Soup: Ideal for Special Diets

If you are following any type of special diet, then homemade soups are a simple way of controlling the ingredients you consume. You only need to include the ingredients that are safe or acceptable for you to eat. Likewise, if you are cooking for someone who is following a special diet for either health or ethical reasons, then any type of vegetable-based soup is usually a safe bet. Just some of the special diets include the following:

• Vegetarian– A vast array of soup recipes are vegetarian, and you can create your own soup recipes by combining your favourite vegetables with some additional flavourings.
• Vegan– Many soup recipes are vegan, and you can adapt vegetarian recipes by excluding any dairy products when making the soup.
• Gluten-free– People who suffer from a health condition that means they must follow a gluten-free diet will find many soup options that do not contain ingredients containing gluten. Similarly, those who have simply chosen to follow a gluten-free diet for their own preferences can enjoy a wide range of soups.
• Dairy-free– An increasing number of people suffer from a milk allergy or milk intolerance. Plenty of soups are completely dairy-free.
• Diabetic– Those who suffer from type 1 or type 2 diabetes must carefully monitor their diets to ensure they regulate the amount of sugar they eat to maintain stable blood sugar and insulin levels. Soups are an easy meal to make that you can adapt so you are using ingredients that are beneficial to your health while avoiding those that are potentially harmful.
• Kosher– It is simple to adapt any soup to include Kosher ingredients if this is part of your religious beliefs.
• Allergies– If you suffer from an allergy, then a homemade soup will not include any ingredients that will trigger a reaction. A canned, frozen, or pre-packaged soup may contain traces of an allergen from other food products prepared in the same area.

10. Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance

Making soups is something that you should consider if you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. It is simple to make soups that contain a range of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and fish. Most soups are low-calorie and low-fat options if you avoid ones that include lots of butter or cream in the ingredients. By making your own soups rather than buying them, you can take full control of the calories and fat content.

11. Healthier Than Most Store Alternatives

If you read the ingredients of store-bought soups, the list may surprise you. It is possible that you will find they are high in salt and contain E numbers, such as preservatives and stabilizers. When you make soups yourself at home, you are likely to use less salt and you will include only natural ingredients in your cooking.  

12. Greater Control of Ingredients

When you make soup yourself at home, you have full control of the ingredients included in the soup. This means that you are more likely to enjoy the soup, and you can avoid including any ingredients you do not enjoy, that you have an allergy to, or that is unhealthy. For example, canned vegetable soup may contain vegetables that you do not like, high levels of salt, and preservatives. Homemade soup will not contain preservatives, you can control the salt levels, and you can only include your favourite ingredients. You can also make the most of seasonal vegetables.

Reasons to Make Soup at Home: The Final Verdict

This article shows that there are many reasons to start making soup at home. It is a quick, simple, and budget-friendly meal to make that is achievable for even those with limited kitchen skills. You can adapt this meal to suit your own tastes and control the ingredients you include. This is particularly good if you have specific dietary requirements or you are taking care of your health.