Cheap and cozy one-pot soups because the holidays wore us out

If you’re the holiday cruise director in your life (i.e., the one who does the bulk of the planning, shopping and cooking), I hope you’re still in your pajamas as you read this, sipping something warm and delightful IN A QUIET HOUSE (emphasis my own, and very much intended). It’s a beautiful thing you did, making magic, and I hope you got more than a robe.

Anyway, I’m tired. So I present to you five cheap, one-pot soups and stews because, at this point in December, 1. We’re broke, 2. We’re exhausted, and 3. We’re cold. Most of these double and triple like a dream, so you can make a double batch and freeze one as an investment in your future happiness come February when the weather’s dreary, you (or the kids) are down with the flu, and you haven’t had time to make it to the store.

1. Ham and Bean Soup

Hearty and comforting, this soup is a great way to use the ham hock or any leftover ham from a holiday meal. However, you don’t need a special occasion to make it. Both ham hocks and cooked ham are available year-round. The pork, combined with vegetables and herbs, make for a rich and flavorful stock. (For extra flavor, feel free to sub in chicken broth for the water.) Slowly simmering the dried beans adds body and creaminess that isn’t quite the same with canned beans.

By Naz Deravian

Yield: 6 servings

Total time: 2 hours, plus soaking

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large celery stalks, diced

2 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled, diced

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

1 pound dry navy or great Northern beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked overnight (see Tip)

4 thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves, fresh or dry

1 ham hock or smoked ham shank (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds)

12 ounces (about 2 cups) cooked ham, shredded or diced into 1/2-inch cubes

Lemon, for serving

Preparation:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium. Add the celery, half of the carrots, onion and garlic. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. Drain and rinse the beans, then add to the pot along with the thyme, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the ham hock and cover with 7 cups of water. Stir, partially covered, increasing the heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. (Add more water, if necessary, to keep the beans covered.) Taste for seasoning as the soup simmers and add more salt and pepper as needed; be mindful that the cooked ham, added later, is salty.

3. Discard the ham hock, bay leaves and thyme sprigs; transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and process until creamy; return to the pot. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender.) Add the cubed ham and remaining carrots, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve with extra pepper and a squeeze of lemon, if you like. The soup will thicken substantially over time, so thin out with water and adjust seasoning when reheating.

Tip:

Place the beans in a medium bowl and cover with 3 inches of cold or room temperature water. Soak for at least 6 hours and up to 12 hours.

2. Gochujang Potato Stew

Plush baby potatoes braised in an aromatic gochujang broth form the heart of this satisfying, vegetable-packed stew. The spice-timid can lower the amount of gochujang, the Korean red-pepper paste, and heat seekers should feel free to add more to taste at the end. Canned white beans and dark-green Tuscan kale (also called lacinato or dinosaur kale), stewed with soy sauce and honey, create a deeply savory flavor that is reminiscent of South Korean gochujang jjigae, a camping favorite starring pantry staples, and dakdori tang, a gochujang-based chicken and potato stew.

By Eric Kim

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil

1 large red onion, coarsely chopped

Salt and black pepper

5 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons gochujang, plus more to taste

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon honey or dark brown sugar

1 pound baby gold or fingerling potatoes, large ones halved

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini or butter beans, rinsed

1 large bunch Tuscan kale, stems and leaves chopped (6 packed cups)

Cooked white rice, for serving

Sour cream and chopped flat-leaf parsley (both optional), for serving

Preparation:

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high. Melt the butter and add the onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and gochujang, and stir until heated through and fragrant, just a few seconds.

2. Stir in the vegetable broth, soy sauce, honey, potatoes and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle boil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, then add the kale. (It will seem like a lot at first but will wilt down considerably.) Tamping down the kale, continue gently boiling the covered stew, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the broth is thickened to your liking, 10 to 20 minutes. Taste the broth and add more salt, pepper and gochujang as desired.

3. Serve the stew alongside white rice and, for coolness against the heat, top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley, if using.

3. Chicken Noodle Soup

With carrots, celery, egg noodles and specks of green herbs, this homemade chicken noodle soup is classic and comforting, but instead of boiling a whole bird for hours, this quick and easy recipe calls for stock and cooked chicken, so it’s doable on a weeknight. Because the majority of the soup is the chicken stock, use one that’s sippable on its own, whether store-bought or homemade. Without noodles, the soup can be made and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months; add the noodles when reheating the soup. For chicken noodle soup using raw, bone-in chicken, try this recipe.

By Ali Slagle

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

Salt and black pepper

8 cups chicken stock

2 bay leaves or thyme sprigs (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or dill, stems reserved, plus more for garnish

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

6 ounces dried noodles, such as egg noodles or short pasta

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (from 1 rotisserie chicken)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Add the chicken stock, bay leaves and herb stems and bring to a boil over high. Add the carrots, celery and noodles and cook, uncovered, over medium-high until the pasta is al dente according to package directions, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken and simmer just until warmed, 1 to 2 minutes. Pluck out the bay leaves and herb stems, stir in the chopped parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. T’chicha (Barley and Tomato Soup)

This simple soup, which comes from the Amazigh, or Berber, community of North Africa, perfectly demonstrates how just a few ingredients can create a wholesome and comforting meal. Pearl barley has a distinctive taste and texture that, once cooked, naturally thickens soups and gives them a creamy consistency. The sweetness of the paprika and tomatoes against the boldness of the thyme and pearl barley give this soup its special flavor and appeal. The dried thyme is added at the end of the cooking process to preserve its aromas. Feel free to customize your t’chicha by adding your choice of chopped vegetables such as eggplant or zucchini and proteins such as cooked chicken or beef.

By Nargisse Benkabbou

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, more to serve

1 large yellow onion, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups pearl barley

1/2 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or 2 medium tomatoes, cored and diced into 1/2-inch pieces)

2 garlic cloves, grated

2 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste

5 cups vegetable stock (or water)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Fresh thyme for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium-low. Add the onion, cover the pan, and cook stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.

2. Add the pearl barley, canned tomatoes, garlic, sweet paprika, salt and stock. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 45 minutes or until the barley is fully cooked. At this stage of the cooking process, you might need to add more water progressively to the pot to achieve a soup consistency.

3. Stir in the dried thyme, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary. Serve immediately with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a couple of fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

5. Provençal Fish Stew

This dish turns the proportion of fish to vegetables on its head — more vegetables, less fish. There's enough shrimp and squid to let you know you're eating a fish stew, but enough chickpeas and spinach to let you know it is something different. A puttanescalike seasoning of garlic, olives, capers, anchovies and tomato paste flavors the braise.

By Mark Bittman

Yield: 4 servings

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup niçoise or oil-cured olives, pitted and chopped

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

2 or 3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound spinach

2 cups fish or vegetable stock, or water

Pinch red chile flakes (optional)

8 ounces squid, roughly chopped

8 ounces shrimp, roughly chopped

Preparation:

1. Drain chickpeas. If you used dried, reserve cooking liquid; if they are canned, discard the liquid and rinse the chickpeas. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add breadcrumbs, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re crisp and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet; increase heat to medium-high. When oil is hot, add garlic, olives, capers and anchovies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, a minute or two. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until it darkens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Start adding spinach a handful at a time; keep stirring until all the spinach fits in the pan and starts to release its water; sprinkle with a little more pepper, then add the stock, chickpeas and red chile flakes if you’re using them. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently but steadily, then stir in the squid and the shrimp. Cook until the seafood is just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide among bowls, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and serve.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.