After a rather tepid December, some of us may have been lulled into a false sense of security about Chicago winters. Newer students might even have felt smug before they returned from winter break, thinking that the freezing winds they’d heard so much about were just a myth fabricated to keep people from moving to such a wonderful city. But oh, how wrong they were. With the combination of the new semester and the endless sub-10-degree weather reports, the walk to class has started to feel less like a brief two block jaunt, and more like a brave polar expedition.

But all hope need not be lost! We have the perfect thing to keep the chill from seeping into your bones: soup! These easy, breezy, and anti-freezing meals will have you warmed up in no time, just like that slightly unsettling Campbell’s soup commercial from the 90’s with the kid trapped inside a snowman.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 medium (3-4 lbs) butternut squash (you can also find pre-cut butternut squash in the frozen vegetable section)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
• 1 white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• a pinch each of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For stovetop:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the milk, salt, and pepper in a large pot. Stir to evenly distribute.
2. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and fall apart easily when mashed with a fork.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk.
4. Blend the soup either with an immersion blender, or in batches in a traditional blender. Puree until smooth, and add salt, pepper, and extra cayenne to taste.

For slow cooker:

1. Add all ingredients except for the milk, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to evenly distribute.
2. Cook for 6-8 hours on low, or 3-4 hours on high, until the vegetables are tender and fall apart easily when mashed with a fork. Stir in the milk.
3. Blend the soup either with an immersion blender, or in batches in a traditional blender. Puree until smooth, and add salt, pepper, and extra cayenne to taste.

Easy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into around 1/2 pieces
• 2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes packed in juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat until shimmering. Add garlic, onions, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add bread and tomatoes. Roughly mash tomatoes with a whisk or the back of a spoon.
2. Add chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Transfer half of soup to a blender. Blend soup, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high (be careful starting up, it can shoot out the top of the blender—open the vent and hold a kitchen towel over the lid to prevent blowout). With blender running on high, gradually trickle in half of remaining olive oil. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining half of soup and olive oil.