Soup has always been one of my favorite meals; however, I’m not overly fond of salt. This can make enjoying canned soups or restaurant soups more difficult. I wanted to feature “The Twelve Months of Soup,” in 2021 for people who love soup, but not the hidden sodium.

Soup pairs well with either a salad or a sandwich to make a hearty meal. I tried to also pair each soup with an appropriate month. Chicken noodle soup was a natural choice for the icy month of January which is in the middle of cold and flu season. To add a bit of sunshine to the meal, I paired it with a mandarin orange salad.

Valentine’s Day brings a touch of romance to the otherwise frigid month of February. I wanted a more elegant soup, so I chose Seafood Bisque paired with strawberry spinach salad with champagne vinaigrette dressing.

For March I wanted something for St. Patrick’s Day that wasn’t corned beef and cabbage, so I chose a potato and leek soup paired with a delicious beet salad.

Moving to April, I wanted something fun and colorful. I decided to make vegetarian vegetable soup and serve it with a vegetable panini. It was a colorful way to welcome the spring.

In May, I turned my turned my thoughts to Cinco de Mayo making a spicy black bean soup paired with Mexican Kale salad.

What would the month of June be without a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup? I paired it with a spicy chicken wrap to make a hearty meal.

For July, I wanted something colorful and packed with flavor. What could be better than Minestrone soup and a hoagie?

For August I wanted a change from the typical backyard barbeque menu, so I chose a broccoli cheddar soup and paired it with a light and refreshing quinoa salad.

September is back to school and often ushers in a few rainy days on its way to fall. For that, I wanted an ultimate comfort food from my childhood. Tomato Basil soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich was the perfect choice.

October brings the cooler weather and thoughts turn to football and hockey. It’s Chili weather, but I didn’t want to make your basic chili. I chose slow cooker black bean chili. You put all the ingredients into a slow cooker, stir and come back in about six hours to a hearty meal. I could have chosen corn bread – jalapeno cornbread would have been excellent, but I went for something less traditional, Pomegranate and Wild Rice salad.

November had to give a nod to the traditional Thanksgiving menu. I selected a butternut squash soup paired with a turkey sandwich. I posted a link for a variety of sandwich ideas to help you say a delicious goodbye to those turkey leftovers.

For the final soup of the year, I went with a personal favorite, Spit pea soup. It’s hearty, colorful, and pairs perfectly with ham sandwiches from those Christmas dinner leftovers.

I offered several Vegan options for recipes during the year. Many of the recipes I selected allow you to vary the ingredients depending on what you have in your kitchen. You can adjust the spices you use to suit your taste. To reduce sodium, I made my own vegetable broth from vegetable peels and end pieces I save in the freezer in freezer bags. It’s economical and reduces kitchen waste.

I enjoyed making these soups so much that I may consider making twelve different soups in an upcoming year. I hope you enjoy our next series which begins this month, “The Twelve Months of Vegetables.” It will be a slightly different format, but I predict it will be delicious!

The Twelve Months of Soup

January – Chicken Noodle Soup and Mandarin Orange Salad

February – Seafood Bisque and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing

March – Potato and Leek Soup and Beet Salad

April – Vegetarian Vegetable Soup with a Vegetable Panini

May – Black Bean Soup and Mexican Kale Salad

August – Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Quinoa Salad

September – Tomato Basil Soup with a grilled Cheese Sandwich

October – Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili and Pomegranate and Wild Rice Salad

November – Butternut Squash Soup with a turkey sandwich

December – Split Pea Soup with a Ham Sandwich