22 Mediterranean Diet Soups for Winter By Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Alexa Wimberly Camryn Wimberly is EatingWell's Editorial Fellow. As a food and mental health blogger, Camryn explores how food and cooking can help improve mental health and also be an avenue to connect with one's culture and heritage. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on January 26, 2025 Close Credit: Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley It’s official: you have to make a big pot of these warming soups to help combat the cold winter weather! These delicious soup recipes are chock-full of hearty winter produce, making them a great option for using veggies like sweet potatoes, kale, cabbage and carrots. They also align with the Mediterranean diet, since they’re packed with nourishing ingredients like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. Try options like our Garlicky Cabbage Soup or our Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup for a nutrient-dense bowl of hot soup you’ll love. Love any of these recipes? Tap "Save" to add them to MyRecipes, your new, free recipe box for EatingWell. 01 of 22 Garlicky Cabbage Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This garlicky cabbage soup is pure comfort in a bowl. Warm, hearty and nourishing, it’s rich with the aromatic flavor of garlic and tender-sweet cabbage. Packed with veggies and a savory broth, this soup is perfect as a light meal on its own or as a starter. View Recipe Save 02 of 22 Marry Me Chickpea Soup with Kale Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This creamy chickpea soup was inspired by Marry Me Chicken, a dish that features chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. We gave this dish a plant-based spin by swapping out the chicken for chickpeas and kale to create a cozy, warming meal perfect for cooler weather. View Recipe Save 03 of 22 Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell This veggie-packed soup is easy to prepare, ideal for those busy nights when you want a delicious, homemade dinner without spending hours in the kitchen. Just pair it with some crusty bread and a side salad, and you’ve got a warm, comforting dinner the whole family will love! View Recipe Save 04 of 22 French Onion Cabbage Soup Photographer: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood, Food Stylist: Sally McKay This French onion cabbage soup is a creative twist on the classic, bringing a new level of comfort to this warming soup. This version swaps out some of the onion for caramelized cabbage. The savory broth, infused with sweet onions and topped with cheesy croutons, remains just as satisfying, but with a veggie-packed twist. View Recipe Save 05 of 22 Roasted Vegetable Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman This roasted vegetable soup uses a diverse and delicious array of vegetables, supporting gut health with prebiotic ingredients like sweet potato, leeks and chickpeas, plus you get a probiotic boost from white miso. View Recipe Save 06 of 22 White Bean Soup with Pasta Jacob Fox We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this white bean soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad. View Recipe Save 07 of 22 Chicken & Kale Soup Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless This easy chicken and kale soup will keep you warm on a cold and rainy day or any day that calls for a simple, hearty soup. For convenience, you can make this soup with frozen kale without the need to thaw it beforehand. View Recipe Save 08 of 22 One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan Antonis Achilleos This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it. View Recipe Save 09 of 22 Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster If you love spinach and artichokes, this is the perfect soup for you. The creamy base is packed with veggies and shredded chicken, which soaks up the broth while adding a boost of protein. Frozen artichoke hearts have less sodium than canned, but canned can be used in their place. Just be sure to give them a good rinse before adding them to the slow cooker. View Recipe Save 10 of 22 Curried Chickpea Stew Who says a meatless meal isn’t filling? Packed with fiber-rich vegetables and chickpeas, this fragrant stew satisfies. View Recipe Save 11 of 22 Red Pea Soup Jason Donnelly In this installment of Diaspora Dining, Jessica B. Harris’ series on foods of the African diaspora, the author and historian shares her recipe for a soup starring kidney beans. Called red peas in Jamaica, this ingredient connects this Jamaican soup with Africa’s Caribbean diaspora. View Recipe Save 12 of 22 Italian Wedding Soup Jen Causey Forget the marble-size meatballs you find in many versions of this Italian Wedding Soup. In this easy recipe, they’re full-size, full-flavored and plenty filling. View Recipe Save 13 of 22 20-Minute White Bean Soup Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This fiber-rich soup is an easy, healthy dinner when you’re pressed for time. This brothy soup is finished with a bit of heavy cream for body and richness. For a thicker soup, mash ½ cup of the beans and stir into the soup right before adding the cream. Frozen sweet potatoes and collard greens keep the prep to a minimum, but if you have a little extra time on your hands, fresh veggies work just as well. Serve with crusty bread for dunking. View Recipe Save 14 of 22 Lemony Lentil & Cauliflower Cup Soup Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Shell Royster This bright lemony soup gets its boost of fiber and earthy, nutty flavor from ingredients like lentils and bulgur. Bulgur adds heartiness and a nice chewy texture, but you can swap it out for another cooked grain like brown rice or quinoa. Plus, the broth gets gentle heat from harissa paste. If you don’t wish to travel with vegetable broth or don’t have access to a microwave, you can use reduced-sodium bouillon instead and just add hot water. View Recipe Save 15 of 22 Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless With a focus on vegetables, fiber-rich legumes and healthy fats, this slow-cooker stew fits the bill for those following the Mediterranean diet. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale. A drizzle of olive oil to finish pulls together the flavors of this easy vegan crock pot stew. View Recipe Save 16 of 22 Slow-Cooker Lentil, Carrot & Potato Soup Pureeing some of the lentil-vegetable mixture, and then combining it with the remaining vegetables and lentils, gives the soup a texture that satisfies those who love a creamy soup and those who prefer it chunky. Serve this slow-cooker lentil soup with crackers. View Recipe Save 17 of 22 Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup The only things better than healthy dinner ideas are easy healthy dinner ideas. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken thighs is the key to making rich soup without adding broth. View Recipe Save 18 of 22 Hearty Chickpea & Spinach Stew This satisfying stew comes together in a snap. Mashed chickpeas add body to the broth, and tomato paste adds a savory note without adding too much sodium to this healthy recipe for weight loss. View Recipe Save 19 of 22 Moroccan-Inspired Chicken & Sweet Potato Soup This soup gets bold Moroccan flavor from sweet potatoes, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and a touch of fiery harissa. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. View Recipe Save 20 of 22 Lemony Lentil Soup with Collards You don’t need broth for this lentil soup—it’s rich thanks to the browned bits in the bottom of the pan that meld into the soup, packing it with flavor. Ground coriander, from the seed of the cilantro plant, has a floral, citrusy flavor that dovetails nicely with the lemon. View Recipe Save 21 of 22 Kale, Wild Rice & Chicken Stew Chicken thighs get perfectly tender in just a few hours in the slow cooker. Plus, cooking everything together low and slow infuses all the flavors together for complexity in every bite. View Recipe Save 22 of 22 One-Pot Chicken & Rice Soup Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley This chicken and rice soup is the epitome of cozy vibes in a bowl, with dried tarragon stealing the show. Dried tarragon has a more muted flavor than fresh, providing a mellow flavor that complements the other ingredients beautifully. Instant brown rice is a massive timesaver. To cut down even further on prep time, look for pre-chopped mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) in the produce aisle where prepped vegetables are sold. View Recipe Save Explore more: Healthy Recipes Lifestyle Diets Mediterranean Diet Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit