Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

Basically a vegetable-studded potato salad with mayonnaise, Russian salad is hugely popular all over the world for family gatherings and festive events It’s a beloved, traditional party dish riffed on almost everywhere but my own home: I’d only ever seen pasty, congealed versions I would never wish to eat until I tried this one from Vladimir Ocokoljic, served at his Serbian restaurant Kafana in New York City While not quite as demanding as his aunt back in Belgrade, who used to slice even the peas in half, Mr

Many cucumber salads are dressed with some combination of salt, acidity (such as vinegar or lemon juice) and something tangy and creamy (Sour cream is commonly used in Germany, Scandinavia and the Midwest; buttermilk in the South; and yogurt in the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia and South Asia.) This recipe skips the first step of salting by instead substituting pickles — cucumbers fermented in salt and vinegar — in place of raw cucumbers They’re still crunchy, but also pack a fierce punch

This recipe is your invitation to the pasta and pickle party Dill pickles work double time here: The brine is added to the creamy dressing to bring acidity, while a generous amount of pickles are used in the salad, bringing crunch and saltiness The sourness of the pickles and the punch of the quick-pickled shallots really cut through the heaviness that is often found in creamy, mayonnaise-laden pasta salads

This humble, bright yellow soup hails from Stone Town, Zanzibar, and is a popular street food known as Zanzibari Mix or Urojo It’s affordable, filling, and reflective of the island's cross-cultural history Traditionally served with various accompaniments like lentil fritters, cassava chips, chutneys, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs for protein, this dish has become synonymous with the island

The velvety combination of beans and coconut milk is found in a number of African and Caribbean dishes, like Nigerian frejon and Haitian sos pwa nwa In this recipe, black beans are simmered in coconut milk with a healthy dose of fresh ginger, then finished with lime juice The result is a light vegan main or side dish

Convenient and tender rotisserie chicken, sautéed scallions and garlic, vinegar-soaked currants and a couple big handfuls of peppery arugula make up this simple yet very flavorful sandwich Inspired by the wood-oven-roasted chicken and bread salad from Zuni Café in San Francisco, this is a take on that famed dish in sandwich form Parmesan and toasted nuts add texture, depth and a hit of umami

Cooked ham lends a surprising amount of flavor to this simple, hearty soup Easy to put together using leftover ham or a ham steak, this recipe is perfect for a weeknight or a busy weekend The ham, joined by soft chunks of potato as well as soup all-stars carrot, onion and celery, is bathed in a creamy broth thickened with a quick roux made from flour and butter

From Japan’s katsu sando to Mexico’s pambazo, these are 80 of the most iconic sandwiches from around the globe.

This vibrant green pasta salad gets its color from a combination of spinach and basil, but you can swap the spinach for arugula for a more peppery finish (Some of us need a little bite in our lives!) The miso in the sauce does a lot of the heavy lifting, imparting a salty, almost Parmesan-like quality

The epitome of comfort food, traditional Irish stew has only a few ingredients: mutton, onions and potatoes In southern Ireland carrots are added, and some cooks venture so far as to add turnips These days, young lamb often replaces mutton for a more delicate version

The beauty of a soup like this — other than its bone-warming properties — is that you don’t need a recipe You can pretty much simmer together any combination of vegetables with a little water or broth, purée it, top it with good olive oil and salt, and end up with something good to eat The addition of miso paste and crushed coriander to the broth, and fresh lemon and cilantro at the end, zips things up without negating the comfort factor.

Creamy and comforting, this cauliflower soup happens to be vegan, and takes its silky texture from being simmered and thickened with roasted cashews The nuttiness of the cauliflower and the cashews is balanced by the addition of a tart apple The preferred thickness of creamed soups varies, so if the soup feels too thick, just adjust it to your ideal level of creaminess, adding more stock or water — and an additional sprinkle of salt — as needed.

In the canon of iconic Iranian stews, khoresh gheymeh holds a top spot alongside classics like ghormeh sabzi A seemingly humble dish of gently spiced meat and split peas, khoresh gheymeh can be served as a cozy home-cooked meal or a celebratory dish; in big batches as a means of giving alms to those in need; or during religious ceremonies “Gheymeh” refers to the size of the meat, which should be cut into small pieces

This creamy, cozy chicken stew is fast enough for a weeknight meal yet satisfying enough for a long Sunday dinner Boneless chicken thighs are used instead of  breasts, as they stay juicier longer Simmering them in the stew along with sweet paprika, chicken stock and a touch of apple cider vinegar adds surprising depth of flavor alongside dried herbs and plenty of vegetables for dimension and texture

Sweet, savory, and full of flavor, this easy weeknight noodle soup takes a cue from the warmly comforting northern Thai dish khao soi, with a curry-spiced coconut broth and toppings that offer crunch and contrast First, the butternut squash is simmered in the fragrant broth until very tender Then the squash is mashed, becoming one with the coconut milk before stock and sweet and savory seasonings are added (to keep the soup vegetarian, use soy sauce instead of fish sauce)

This recipe for a delicious raw beet dip comes from Botanica, a vegetable-focused restaurant in Los Angeles run by Emily Fiffer and Heather Sperling The recipe is easy — throw everything into the blender raw — though it requires a little time for the blades to break down the beets with walnuts, olive oil and a few other aromatics Fiffer and Sperling cleverly adapted the dip from muhammara, the Middle Eastern spread made from red peppers

Crunchy and tart like salad-e Shirazi yet sturdy enough to sit out for a couple hours, this salad dresses snappy raw zucchini and salty feta simply, with vinegar and oil But while summery salads can be ephemeral, this one has staying power because its seasonings — a za’atar-like combination of dried mint, sesame seeds and dried chile — bloom in the olive oil for a rich undercurrent of flavor Serve this dish as a side or build it into a whole meal by adding cooked grains, beans or another protein.

This recipe is adapted from the one that a Louisiana firefighter named Jeremy Chauvin entered into a national cook-off run by Hormel Foods in 2017, and that took home the prize for America’s Best Firehouse Chili It is not really a chili in the Texas sense of the word There is a roux at its base — it’s more like a chili gumbo, a bayou take on the original red

With minimal prep and a quick cook time, this shrimp stew feels elegant for such an easy weeknight meal You can also take the dish in a number of directions: Substitute the shrimp with an equal amount of flaky white fish or even seared scallops, or stretch the dish into a meal for six by stirring in some butter and serving over cooked spaghetti or rigatoni A good glug of your best olive oil would also be welcome.

Each bite of beef nilaga’s melt-in-your-mouth meat, buttery bits of bone marrow and tendon, and unctuous vegetable-laden beef broth is a symphony of textures and flavors. Here, Philippine-born chef Yana Gilbuena shares her recipe for the Filipino beef soup.

Flavored with apple, sausage and mustard, this slightly creamy lentil soup strikes a nice balance between delicate and hearty Small green lentils, or French lentils or lentils du Puy, are khaki-colored legumes that have a peppery flavor and keep their shape when cooked instead, which gives this soup an appealing texture You can also use black lentils or easier-to-find brown lentils, but keep in mind that brown lentils will fall apart as they cook, creating a thicker stew

Red lentils are a beautiful color orange when dry, but they become a rather drab yellow when they cook This can be disappointing, until you taste the lentils.

If you’re feeling a bit worn down, one bowl of this hearty lentil soup will bring you back to life — or at least fool you into thinking so The broth is simply (and deeply) flavored with charred onions and six garlic cloves, plus and a generous pinch of turmeric that stains the soup gold As they cook down, the lentils melt into the broth, making it thick and rich

Bright with lemon and herbs, and packed with hearty greens, this highly adaptable soup can be either light and brothy or thick and stewlike, depending on your preference Smashing some of the beans to release their starch will give you a thicker soup that’s almost worthy of a fork To keep it on the brothy side, add a little more liquid and leave the beans intact

If your favorite Greek foods are the lively vegetable dishes, this meal-in-a-bowl stew is for you A simple mix of lemon, garlic and lots of herbs enliven the potatoes and spinach and using ground meat ensures a lot of flavor in very little time Ground turkey or pork would be just as good, if you prefer

These delicious recipes are sure to keep you warm as the temperatures drop.

Some might be suspicious of the rolled oats called for in this recipe, but used in place of breadcrumbs, they help create a light and tender chicken meatball A half-cup more is simmered in the broth, which thickens it and provides a pleasant texture The meatballs, made with ground chicken, feta and fresh dill, swim in a lemony, spinach-filled broth that’s comforting and light, perfect for lunch or dinner

Learn to make comforting, aromatic pho at home in a fraction of the time, and about the safety of using raw cuts of meat in the soup. Try it!

Derived from the Arabic word “harir,” harira translates into “silk,” which describes the consistency of the soup. This version features both lentils and chickpeas, and is finished with a drizzle of beaten egg.

In the bustling streets of Morocco, you’ll often find vendors selling tayb o’hari, a traditional Moroccan street food of warm chickpeas served in paper cones and topped with fragrant cumin, sweet paprika and chile powder This recipe is like a salad version of the beloved dish, with pre-cooked chicken added for heartiness, fresh tomatoes and olives for crunch, and a spicy green harissa dressing for brightness Serve either warm or at room temperature with good bread.