With our kids home from school for weeks, while many of us are also trying to juggle work at home too, now’s a great time to bookmark this list of 10 quick, 5-ingredient soups to make for lunch or dinner. With healthy, easy-to-find ingredients you probably already have stocked up on in your fridge and pantry, it’s also a much cheaper way to feed a family at the end of a stressful day than grabbing takeout again.
Plus soup = the ultimate comfort food. And if there is ever a time I could use a little extra comfort, it is now.
Another thing I love about these soup recipes? Feel free to tinker with them to fit your own family’s tastes or to use up ingredients you have on hand, especially as we’re trying to avoid the supermarket as much as possible.
Photos at top: The Pinning Mama’s Lemon Chicken Soup and The Spruce Eats’ Easy Crockpot Meatball Soup
5-Ingredient Soups: Black Bean Soup
I make this hearty, vegan 5-Ingredient Black Bean Soup from Gimme Some Oven a couple of times a month, often served with simple cheese quesadillas on the side. One tip: Buy low-salt black beans since the cans’ contents go right into the soup without rinsing. Leave out the cilantro if you dislike the taste, try a spicy or smoky salsa to change up the flavor, or mix up the types of beans if that’s what you have on hand. You can even puree the whole thing if you prefer a smooth soup.
5-Ingredient Soups: White Chicken Chili
This 5-ingredient White Chicken Chili is another winner from Gimme Some Oven which uses up leftover chicken from another meal, or makes good use of those handy rotisserie chickens you can grab at the supermarket. Love the ideas for optional toppings though the soup looks yummy on its own.
5-Ingredient Soups: Crockpot Meatball Soup
I keep a bag of frozen meatballs in my freezer for a quick spaghetti dinner, though I will now be adding this Easy 5-Ingredient Crockpot Meatball Soup from The Spruce Eats to our dinner rotation. Just start the recipe early in the day and let the crockpot work its magic. I’d also try this using vegetarian “meatballs” and veggie stock for a Meatless Monday meal.
Related: 6 family-friendly meatball variations for dinner: Make on weekends, devour all month.
5-Ingredient Soups: Easy Beef Stew
A bag of frozen stew vegetables keeps this Easy Beef Stew from McCormick under five ingredients and keeps chopping to a minimum. For those who follow a gluten-free diet, McCormick sells a Gluten-free Beef Stew Seasoning Mix that you can use along with your favorite flour replacement to make this meal safe for your family.
5-Ingredient Soups: Broccoli Cheese Soup
If you’re eating low-carb and/or gluten free, this vegetarian Broccoli Cheese Soup from Wholesome Yum will fill you up with only five ingredients and under 30 minutes of your time. This basic recipe will appeal to younger kids who don’t like a ton of competing flavors, though there are loads of ideas for add-in ingredients and spices too.
5-Ingredient Soups: Posole
Other than browning the pork chunks thoroughly for the best flavor, this 5-Ingredient Posole recipe from Oxmoor House on My Recipes is just about dumping ingredients into the same pot with the meat. Serve with warm tortillas for a traditional Mexican meal.
Related: 7 healthy soup recipes to warm you up when the temperature hits “too cold to say out loud.”
5-Ingredient Soups: Sausage-Barley Soup
Also by Oxmoor House for My Recipes, their 5 Ingredient Sausage Barley Soup has loads of flavor and texture with the chewy barley, fried sausage, and soft baby spinach. One tip from the comments? Puree the tomatoes along with the peppers if you think your kids would like a non-chunky base.
5-Ingredient Soups: Potato Soup
I Heart Vegetable’s recipe for their 5-Ingredient Potato Soup looks so warm and filling on a cold night, plus its vegetarian and gluten-free too! There are tips for making this dairy-free, as well as way to sneak in some cauliflower for extra nutrition. They’ll never know if you don’t tell.
5-Ingredient Soups: Thai-Curry Butternut Squash Soup
This 5-Ingredient Thai Curry Butternut Squash Soup from Kitchen Treaty only sounds complicated but actually looks super easy to make, especially if your supermarket sells pre-cut butternut squash cubes as mine does. This soup cooks all day in your slow cooker until its soft enough to blend with an immersion blender, and then gets a couple more ingredients added to make it richer and more flavorful.
5-Ingredient Soups: Lemon Chicken Soup
Canned soup and a store-bought rotisserie chicken come to the rescue to create this delicious 5-Ingredient Lemon Chicken Soup from The Pinning Mama. Creamy and satisfying, I love how the lemon lifts up the flavor to hint of spring.
