Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

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

The key to great corn flavor in this simple chowder is making a quick corn stock from the cobs of the fresh, peak-season sweet corn and using it as the base for the soup.

With cucumbers, tomatoes, browned tofu and a punchy dressing, this recipe’s combination of hot, cold, juicy and snappy makes for a refreshing lunch or light dinner Inspired by Chinese smashed cucumber salads, many of which include dried chiles or chile oil, this recipe’s piquant and spicy dressing uses chile crisp as well as lemon juice, raw garlic and soy sauce The only cooking that’s required is searing the tofu, which helps it drink up more of the dressing

One of Chile’s most popular street foods, Completos feature hot dogs tucked into a fresh, sturdy bun then generously topped with sauerkraut, diced tomatoes, mashed avocado, mayonnaise, and more.

Beloved in Arizona, these hot dogs are wrapped in crispy bacon and loaded with pinto beans, onions, a jalapeño salsa, and juicy tomatoes.

Juicy grilled shrimp tossed with an herby mayo and piled into toasted, buttered buns.

This collection of coleslaw recipes includes a creamy classic version as well as the vinegary and red varieties commonly served with barbecue in the Carolinas. A Tex-Mex jalapeño slaw brings the heat, and two slaws inspired by Asian cuisine add variety to the bunch.

In this twist on the classic Caesar salad, a garlicky, savory vinaigrette is paired with crisp leaf lettuce, salty Parmesan cheese, and a medley of sweet roasted vegetables that’s perfect for a light summer dinner.

Top your salads and soups with these croutons—or keep them in a bowl and eat them like popcorn.

All the components of a BLT paired with briny anchovies, salty-sweet Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lots of black pepper reach imperial levels of flavor.

For an utterly summery first course, consider this shaved zucchini salad The idea is very thinly sliced, very fresh zucchini or other summer squash, lightly dressed with salt, lime juice and olive oil, with lots of basil and mint and crumbly creamy feta on top It’s extremely refreshing and takes no time to make

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

On a hot day, a sip of this Thai iced tea—which gets its creaminess from evaporated milk and sweetness from condensed milk—feels like a luxury.

Harness the crowd-pleasing power of dumplings in this hearty yet light main course salad The base is simple and summery: Ripe tomatoes are lightly touched with salt, garlic and basil, providing a perfectly fragrant canvas for pan-fried potsticker dumplings Salting intensifies the tanginess and fruitiness of tomatoes, while also coaxing out some of the juice, which becomes a light sauce for the dumplings

This tender chicken salad (coated in a tangy pesto dressing and with sun-dried tomatoes woven throughout) is perfect for sandwiches or simply on its own.

This cold fruit soup is made with fresh beets and sweet cherries—which are in season at the same time during peak summer—sour cream or yogurt, star anise, and cinnamon. It's a bit sweet but leans more to the savory side. It's gorgeous, deliciously refreshing, and works well as light amuse bouche.

A braai is South Africa’s beloved open, wood-fired equivalent to an American barbecue and these grilled cheese sandwiches are an integral component Mrs Ball’s, an iconic South African dried-fruit chutney, lends sweet tang, though sweet fruit chutney such as Major Grey’s or even apricot jam can be used in a pinch

This pasta salad is loaded with two pounds of zucchini, roasted until golden and caramelized, then tossed in a tangy garlic-tahini dressing Roasted sunflower seeds bring crunch and nuttiness (Pepitas, slivered almonds or chopped walnuts are other great options.) Golden raisins add unexpected pops of sweetness that round out the tart lemon

Ranging from silken and creamy to firm and chewy, tofu comes in many forms and is prized around the world for its versatility In this recipe, which is adapted from the “Superiority Burger Cookbook” (W.W Norton & Company, 2018) by chef Brooks Headley, extra-firm tofu is pressed, marinated, breaded and fried, to make the “tofu-fried tofu” sandwich at Superiority Burger, his popular vegetarian restaurant in New York City

Fill store-bought brioche buns with jammy, caramelized onions and melted Gruyère, for satisfying little sandwiches that make a perfect soup companion or a cozy, comforting meal Caramelizing the onions takes some time but very little effort, and coaxing out the ingredient’s sweet side is well worth it The butter used to caramelize the onions adds flavor, and the extra-virgin olive oil allows the onions to tolerate higher heat without burning

A portrait of the five boroughs between two slices of bread.

Tangy and salty and colorful, the scuttlebutt sandwich vibrates with flavor: hard-boiled egg, pickled beets and carrots, olives, capers, herbs and feta mingle on pillowy focaccia “The word ‘scuttlebutt’ is sort of like what’s the gossip, what’s the story, what’s the deal or the chitchat, you know, the chatter,” said its co-creator Caroline Fidanza, who devised the sandwich at her Brooklyn restaurant Saltie in 2009 with the chef Rebecca Collerton Inspired by Ms

Green beans, feta and dill are old friends, but using dill pickles instead of dill contributes acid, crunch and verve to the classic combination For maximum flavor, use pickles that are brined with fresh dill or dill seeds, and chill the salad for at least 30 minutes for refreshing, snappy bites Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days to dole out alongside roast chicken or hot dogs, or on top of salad greens or grain bowls.

With just a few technical tricks, this thick and flavorful chana masala comes together in an impossibly short time.

With crisp noodles and vegetables coated in a tangy dressing, this salad is reminiscent of the ubiquitous Chinese chicken salad, which isn’t actually Chinese in origin Stripped of the chicken and given a more accurate name, this vegan take is a fresh salad with lots of textures and no active cooking Fridge stalwarts carrot and celery combine with robust cabbage to provide heart and heft, while store-bought crispy fried noodles (sometimes sold as chow mein noodles) bring mouth-watering crunch

While diner-style Greek salads made with chopped romaine, crumbled feta and often grilled chicken have become ubiquitous in American restaurants, a traditional Greek salad, or horiatiki salata, is a simpler affair An assembled salad of large-diced vegetables with Kalamata olives and sometimes capers, this salad has no greens at all, and the feta is served sliced on top of the salad rather than crumbled and tossed into it A traditional Greek salad dressing usually consists of olive oil and red wine vinegar; this recipe adds garlic and oregano

This colorful, meal-of-a-salad from Lidey Heuck’s cookbook, “Cooking in Real Life” (S&S/Simon Element, 2024), is inspired by two dishes: classic Greek salad (also known as horiatiki) and fattoush, the Lebanese salad of vegetables and pieces of fried pita The ingredient list may look long at first, but each ingredient contributes to the harmony of the salad: bell pepper and cucumbers for crunch; shallot, olives and capers for a bit of tang; chopped tomatoes for sweetness Pan-fried halloumi adds richness and heft, but you can skip the searing process and instead opt for a 6-ounce block of feta, if desired

Crunchy cucumbers and creamy avocados are the stars of this simple five-ingredient salad Peeling the cucumbers in alternating stripes helps them soak up seasonings while maintaining their shape After being cut into bite-size pieces, they are combined with salt to draw out moisture, concentrating their flavor

A study in contrasts, this textured salad tops mild, gentle zucchini with a bold, invigorating mix of fried capers and toasted bread crumbs First, you’ll soak diced zucchini in a tangy lemon-mustard dressing While the zucchini soaks up flavor, you prepare the toppings, sautéeing capers, garlic and bread crumbs until crispy and crunchy

Tricolor quinoa combines the tenderness of white quinoa with the pop of the red and black grains All soak up a Dijon-sherry vinaigrette in this blend of chewy tangy cranberries, crunchy salty almonds, creamy avocado and refreshing parsley This salad —tasty warm, at room temperature or cold — is a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken