21 Tasty Topping Ideas to Take Your Soup from Ordinary to Otherworldly (2024)

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21 Tasty Topping Ideas to Take Your Soup from Ordinary to Otherworldly? ›

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

A good swirl of yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche will make any soup look more mesmerizing and appetizing, and add a contrasting tangy flavor. We like yogurt on top of coconut lentil soup and simple squash soup to keep them from being just a big spoonful of pureed veg.

Add fresh herbs and spices

If you find your favorite canned soup is lacking a little fresh something, try adding some fresh herbs and spices. All it takes is a little chopping, grinding, or just shifting through your spice cabinet to find the right flavor fit.

"If your broth is lacking in savory richness, try adding roasted onion, tomato paste, mushrooms, seaweed, soy sauce, or miso. These ingredients add umami flavor and depth to broth," she says. The choice of ingredient depends on the recipe, though.

Underseasoning. Many cooks wait until the end of cooking to taste and season their soup. But adding salt and other spices early in the cooking process allows their flavors to blend into the entire soup—and adding salt to veggies right away actually pulls out more flavor from them.

The longer the stock cooks, the more flavorful your soup will be.

What is the secret ingredient to the secret soup? ›

The secret ingredient is... nothing! Despite that revelation, this so-called secret-soup is one of the most hotly requested dishes in the Babish Culinary Universe.

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

Cayenne – For a deeper spice and heat. Cayenne can be used along with or in place of black or white pepper. Smoked Paprika – A great spice for adding an earthy, smoky flavor without a lot of heat to your soups and stews. Cinnamon – Yes, cinnamon.

For a deeply flavorful chicken soup, get some boneless, skinless chicken thighs, season them, brown them in a skillet, then finish them in a 375 F oven. You can refrigerate them until you're ready to make the soup, then simply dice them up and add them to the soup at the very end.