6 Hearty Soups to Keep You Warm This Winter

Combat the cold -- or re-fuel after skating at the ice rink -- with these six soups that batter the winter blues in to submission.
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When winter begins to blow icy Northern blasts and CNN strives to perfect their graphics for 'Polar Vortex 2015', I start craving hearty, fragrant soups to bring warmth, comfort and flavor in to the picture. Combat the cold - or re-fuel after skating at the ice rink - with these six soups that batter the winter blues in to submission. C'mon... It's snowing. Eat soup!

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Nothing says umami like pairing earthy, savory miso with the hearty and classic combination of beef broth and onions. Adding toasted bread topped with melted Gruyere is an homage to the original French Onion Soup recipe - and completes the triumvirate of ingredients-that-should-always-be-best-friends.
Total Cooking Time: 1 Hour
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Root vegetables just make sense this time of year. Whether it's the falling temperatures, or the leaves turning a brilliant orange and deep red - it is time to break out that box of sweaters and, more importantly, your immersion blender. This assertive, rustic and healthy parsnip soup calls for the use of Herbes de Provence (which you should have no trouble finding in your local grocery store) - and reminds me of being a little kid on Sunday in the kitchen with my grandmother.
Total Cooking Time: 40 Minutes
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Most Swiss chard winter soups call for bacon or sausage to add a smoky layer of flavor. And while I love that flavor profile, I don't feel like it all the time. This soup is a hearty punch of goodness, fortified and made substantial by the beans. It's so tasty and comforting on a winter's day, you might actually forget about the 50 yards of sidewalk you're supposed to be shoveling.
Total Cooking Time: 45 Minutes
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Ever have a "Chopped" moment? That's where you're at the grocery store and they just happen to be out of exactly what you need. What to do... This tasty and comforting potato celery soup was born of improvisation and using what was available. There were no leeks in the veggie section - and dinner was already running late. The use of celery instead, resulted in a creamy, savory winter soup that is now regularly on the dinner menu.
Total Cooking Time: 45 Minutes
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The classic. Big chunks of vegetables are simmered together to perfection and fortify you against the blizzard outside. Big bonus: it's good for you - and it tastes so much better than a spoonful of vitamin caplets! Feel no guilt when you fire up Netflix and devour bowl after bowl of this hearty tomato based soup with big hunks of vegetables.
Total Cooking Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
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While I'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes, I do want the health benefits they bring to the table. A tomato base and some heat from jalapeño peppers tones down the tuber's natural sweetness and really does the trick in rounding out the flavor profile, creating a taste explosion way more complex than the sum of its parts.
Total Cooking Time: 55 Minutes
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