Why You Should Make a Pot of Soup Every Week, According to a Food Editor

Two summers ago, I started doing a little bit of meal prep on Sundays, spending about 30 minutes building a salad bar for my fridge (hat tip to David Burtka for the brilliant idea). My process goes a little like this: I wash a couple of heads of lettuce and tuck them into a sealable bag with paper towels to wick away moisture. I shred beets, carrots and radishes in my food processor. Finally, I make a homemade dressing or two (my fan-favorite recipe for Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette is frequently shaken up).

It's made assembling salads at lunchtime a cinch—and both my husband and I have dramatically increased our intake of vegetables. But when it starts snowing, we crave something warm. So when the seasons change, I swap my salad spinner for my favorite soup pot. And that, my friends, is when Soup Sunday became a thing at my house.

I'm sure we're not the first people to do this, but, boy, is it a good idea. I make a giant batch of soup almost every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes we eat it for dinner that night but sometimes we don't. Since I make such a big batch, there's always enough soup to eat for lunch for a few days. And on particularly busy nights, we might even have it for dinner. If there's a lot still in the fridge by Thursday or Friday, I'll tuck a jar or two in the freezer, which my future self is always grateful for.

And guess what? I make a lot of EatingWell recipes on Soup Sunday. I worked in the EatingWell Test Kitchen for more than a decade, so I've tried my fair share of soups, and even developed a lot of the recipes myself. What I like about our soup recipes is that they frequently lean heavily on vegetables, so it feels like a good swap for our summer salad habit. Plus many of the soups are bean-based, which means we're getting a dose of satisfying fiber midday—which helps keep us full.

Inevitably, whenever I ask my family which soup I should make, my daughter requests One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan. Even though it's on heavy rotation (I literally make this at least twice a month), we never seem to get sick of it. If I'm scrounging around for something to make, I'll cook up a pot of Adas bis-Silq (Lentil & Chard Soup). This recipe is from my great-aunt's cookbook, and it's made with just four ingredients that I usually have on hand. This weekend, I'm adding the ingredients for Aromatic Chicken & Rice Soup with Fried Garlic Oil to my shopping list. Our recipe tester said it was one of the best soups she's ever made. I can't wait to try it!

I understand that Soup Sunday isn't for everyone, but if you find yourself with a little bit of extra time over the weekend, try making a big pot of soup. I promise you won't regret it and you might even start your own tradition.