Just Soup (& sandwiches & salads) / Solo Sopa

These salt-and-vinegar kale chips from “Tenderheart” by Hetty Lui McKinnon (Alfred A Knopf, 2023) feel decidedly snacky, but team them up with fried chickpeas, avocado and an optional frizzled egg and they become a delightfully textural meal To encourage maximum crunch for your chips, it is crucial to dry your kale well after washing, and give the chips ample time in the oven to crisp up, since they’re doused in vinegar for extra verve

Smashed, salted cucumbers form the base of cooling summer salads in many parts of Asia, whether dressed with rice vinegar and soy sauce or spicy Sichuan peppercorns, chiles and peanuts This version pairs smashed cucumbers with avocados for creaminess, along with briny shrimp steamed with sesame oil Served with rice or flatbread, it makes a light summer meal, but you can serve it on its own as an appetizer, to open for grilled or roasted meat or fish.

This sopa de aguacate is a fresh and simple creamy soup that can be eaten chilled or at room temperature for a quick meal The onion, garlic and cumin create a delicious base that pairs perfectly with the lime juice’s acidity Top off this sopa with chile de árbol oil and pepitas for a little hit of heat and a hint of nuttiness

Caldo de costilla, a popular pick-me-up, makes a simple and satisfying dinner that becomes blank canvas for leftovers, J. Kenji López-Alt writes.

Sweet, spicy, and acidic, this Maharashtrian-style gajarachi koshimbir features carrots tossed with lime juice, a spice-infused oil, cilantro, peanuts, and grated coconut for a crunchy and aromatic side salad.

Grilling the chicken, romaine lettuce, and croutons adds smoky char to make this grilled chicken Caesar better than ever.

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Use the power of fat to release flavor from the lemons, strawberries, and chiles for the brightest tasting lemonade you'll ever make.

The secret to the incredible flavor in this limeade is layers and layers of infusions: We infuse lime peel oils into sugar while simultaneously infusing spicy jalapeño into those oils. Then we infuse cooling cucumber into tart lime juice before blending it all for a refresher that both brings the heat and beats the heat.

This fruity, spicy, refreshing lemonade uses the natural oils in lemon peel as a solvent for the spicy capsaicin in hot red chiles to create a potent and flavorful spicy lemon syrup.

A mainstay of Nigerian cuisine, my groundnut (peanut) stew features chicken and chunks of beef simmered in a velvety, aromatic peanut sauce. Spoon it over rice, plantains, or sweet potatoes for a filling meal.

This salty-sweet sandwich featuring a tender, flavorful bone-in pork chop on a toasted, buttered pineapple bun is a classic in Macau, where it's won over the hearts and stomachs of locals and tourists alike.

Instead of mixing together a bunch of ingredients to make a just-okay veggie burger, smash portobello mushroom caps with a heavy skillet while cooking until they’re thin but dense with savoriness, then dress them with melted cheese, tuck them into a bun and top them with classic fixings Cooking mushrooms this way forces the water out of their spongy bodies, turning them into something meaty and satisfying Because they’re so thin, you’ll want to stack two mushrooms per bun

Most North Dakotan grandmas seem to agree that this beloved soup should be simple and comforting, with little more than good chicken broth and handmade (not frozen!) dumplings.

Crunchy, refreshing vegetables, crisp pita, and a tangy pomegranate dressing make this a satisfying salad you’ll want to eat every day.

This collection includes a variety of soups that take advantage of spring produce like ramps and asparagus.

For flavorful arroz rojo with the fluffiest grains, toast the rice before cooking it with an aromatic tomato purée and chicken stock.

The warming, soothing and downright healing effects of dal are well known throughout South Asia and its diaspora This is an everyday dish for a good reason: It’s simple to make but tastes complex, and the flavor only deepens over time There are countless ways to make dal; this version requires just 10 minutes and five ingredients (not including salt), all serving important purposes: The lentils cook quickly, the turmeric lends an earthy wholesomeness and the rich chhonk, or tempering, made by sizzling spices with ghee, brings instant depth

What I have come to understand is that how food looks as you prepare it can make as much difference to the cook as it does, on the plate, to the person who gets to eat it When the skies are drab and life feels a little gray, I am absurdly cheered by the fresh brightness of a vibrantly orange dal, a red lentil stew spiced with turmeric, chili and ginger, and colored with sweet potatoes and tomatoes Just seeing that mixture in the pan lifts my spirits

Dal can be made with all kinds of lentils and cooking methods These vary not just from region to region, but also from day to day, mood to mood Some cooks like dal soupy, others chunky

In Iranian cuisine, rhubarb is often used in savory dishes rather than in sweet ones The hearty pinkish-red stalks, which cook down quickly and tenderize, provide just the right amount of tang to herb-based stews like khoresh rivas Typically, this bright and flavorful dish is prepared with red meat, but hearty butter beans star in this vegetarian version

This warming, nourishing soup, thickened with rice, is full of soft strands of green cabbage Parmesan is used here in two ways: The rinds are simmered in with the broth, and the cheese is grated and sprinkled on top, adding complexity and body If you like a kick, you can increase the red-pepper flakes, or leave them out entirely for a supremely gentle broth

This weeknight-fast soup — a common and comforting family meal in Mexico — is easy to prepare and uses ingredients typically stocked in the Mexican kitchen like beans, chorizo and fideo noodles Puréeing the beans with chicken stock, tomatoes, oregano and spices gives the soup a rich and hearty finish, while bits of broken pasta and spicy chorizo add bite Toasting the pasta adds a nutty depth to the flavor that, together with the fire-roasted tomatoes and stock, give the impression that this soup has simmered for hours, not 10 minutes.

With just a few pantry ingredients and the right technique, these soft and savory Kenyan flatbreads can be mixed, laminated, griddled, and ready for dinner in under an hour.

This chopped salad is fresh, festive and excessive in a celebratory way While most salads opt for the lightest layer of dressing to optimize the produce’s flavors, this one calls for the dressing to generously coat the crisp ingredients Inspired by Caesar salad, ranch dressing and the dinner-worthy salads popularized at chain restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, this salad is punchy and satisfying, thanks to rich ingredients, like avocado, Cotija and a mayonnaise-thickened dressing, plus those with bite, like radishes, corn kernels and tortilla chips

Jocón — whose name comes from jok’, meaning to grind or mash in Mayan K’iche’ — is a fresh chicken and tomatillo stew that is popular throughout Guatemala The stew stems from Maya culture but some of its ingredients today, like sesame seeds and chicken, were likely introduced by Spanish colonizers Some Maya groups also made theirs more spicy, or with red tomatoes rather than tomatillos, depending on in which part of the country they lived

If we’re being honest, a baked potato isn’t really about the potato It’s about the toppings: plush sour cream, butter, cheese, salty bacon, bright scallions This soup version doesn’t skimp on those extras: The potatoes simmer in milk with garlic and scallions until just tender, then they join sour cream and Cheddar in the pot before the toppings — including potato skins — are added

Plush baby potatoes braised in an aromatic gochujang broth form the heart of this satisfying, vegetable-packed stew The spice-timid can lower the amount of gochujang, the Korean red-pepper paste, and heat seekers should feel free to add more to taste at the end Canned white beans and dark-green Tuscan kale (also called lacinato or dinosaur kale), stewed with soy sauce and honey, create a deeply savory flavor that is reminiscent of South Korean gochujang jjigae, a camping favorite starring pantry staples, and dakdori tang, a gochujang-based chicken and potato stew.

These Ham and Cheese Sliders are one of the BEST you will ever try. The secret? The seasonings in the butter sauce! They transform boring ham and cheese into something magical!

The simplicity of this soup’s technique belies its depth of flavor, which is both vivid and complex The soup is made bright with lemon and fresh with cilantro, but the secret ingredient is tahini, which is layered into the soup to thicken it, and then drizzled generously on top in the form of a gently spiced sauce The result is a soup that’s both vegetal and creamy, tangy and rich