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Southern Soups and Stews That Warm the Bones
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items When the weather turns cold, I want a pot of something good on the stove. These are some of my favorite Southern soups and stews, from Lowcountry she crab and Pee Dee catfish stew to collards, butter beans, and a big pot of Brunswick stew. A few are ...
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Sections
4
Stews and Gumbo
Creamy Soups and Chowders
Brothy and Vegetable Soups
Beans and Peas
Stews and Gumbo
Thick, hearty, stick-to-your-ribs stews. These are the ones you make on a Sunday and eat on all week.
I like a hearty stew in the winter, it warms the bones. This is my go-to when it turns cold. Let it simmer low and slow in the Dutch oven and the whole house smells like Sunday.
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
If you grew up in the Carolinas or Georgia, you've probably had Brunswick stew next to a plate of barbecue. This one uses both mustard sauce and vinegar sauce, so it tastes like home. Serve it with cornbread and you've got supper.
Brunswick Stew
Are you a catfish fan like me? This one comes straight out of the Pee Dee, from a Florence chef's granddaddy's recipe. Ladle it over rice and pass the saltines.
Classic Catfish Stew
Sometimes you want a little Louisiana in your bowl. This gumbo starts with a slow roux, so plan on standing at the stove a while. It's worth every minute.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
This is the plain, creamy chicken stew they used to serve at church suppers and fall fundraisers. Nothing fancy, just chicken, milk, and butter. Crumble in some saltines and add a dash of hot sauce.
Southern Style Chicken Stew
Creamy Soups and Chowders
Rich and comforting, with a little taste of the coast. Pass the crackers.
If you've been to Pawleys, you know she crab soup is the real thing down here. I made this at home and it was every bit as good as the restaurant bowl. A splash of sherry on top and you're done.
Pawleys Island She Crab Soup
Nothing says Sunday supper like a pot of chicken and dumplings. This is the one I make when somebody needs a little comfort. It sticks to your ribs on a cold night.
Southern-Style Chicken and Dumplings
Think Frogmore stew in a bowl, with shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes. It's an easy one-pot supper for a crowd. They say leftovers are even better the next day.
Lowcountry Chowder
This one is lighter, with rice, corn, and shrimp, and it's ready in about 40 minutes. Good for a weeknight when you want something cozy but not heavy. A little Old Bay makes it taste like the coast.
Low Country Shrimp Chowder
Peanut soup sounds odd until you try it. It's an old Southern classic, smooth and rich, and this version even has okra on top. Give it a chance, you might surprise yourself.
Virginia Peanut Soup
Brothy and Vegetable Soups
Lighter bowls full of okra, tomatoes, and greens. This is garden cooking at its best.
Hey, I made this soup and it was delicious. Beef, vegetables, and a good tomato broth, the old-fashioned way. Make a big pot, because it's even better the second day.
Old Fashioned Beef Vegetable Soup
Are you a tomato lover like me who can make tomatoes a meal? This is Charleston okra soup from Martha Lou's Kitchen, the soul food place. Okra, tomatoes, and a little bacon in one pot.
Charleston Okra Soup
This is a garden-in-a-bowl soup with okra, tomatoes, butter beans, and fresh corn. She says don't leave out the okra, it's what makes it sing, and I believe her. You can even can it for winter.
Granny's Garden Vegetable Soup
Collards and rice are on the plate together anyway, so why not put them in one pot? The broth is built on pot likker, which is the best part of a mess of greens. A splash of vinegar at the end brightens it right up.
Collard Greens and Rice Soup
Smoked turkey, black-eyed peas, and collards together in one bowl. It's New Year's luck you can eat any time of year. Serve it with buttery cornbread.
Collard Green Soup
Beans and Peas
Humble, cheap, and so good. Beans and a ham hock have fed Southern families for generations.
Put it in the slow cooker in the morning and supper's ready when you are. Country ham and beans is about as Southern as it gets. Don't forget the cornbread.
Slow Cooker Country Ham and Beans
Black-eyed peas for luck and collards for money, all in one pot. This turns Hoppin' John into a soup with rice served on the side. Perfect for New Year's Day, or any day you need a little luck.
Hoppin' John Soup with Collards
Julia grew up in South Carolina, and you can tell. Butter beans simmered low with a ham hock until they turn thick and creamy. Some call them lima beans, but down here they're butter beans.
Southern Butter Beans
Ready in 30 minutes with a ham steak and white beans. A little brown sugar makes it taste like it cooked all day. Even better as leftovers.
Southern Ham and Bean Soup
Pinto beans and a ham hock, slow simmered until they're silky and the pot likker is rich. Up in the mountains this was supper nearly every winter night. Serve it with cornbread, chow chow, and fried potatoes.
Appalachian Soup Beans