Cold winter nights and a brand new year call for a big warm bowl of soup! There are a variety of soups in Mexican cuisine, from classic comfort food to chilled soups. Almost too many to list here! These are some of my favorite Mexican soups to keep you warm this winter:

Lentejas Oaxaqueñas (Mexican Oaxacan Style Lentils)

A traditional Oaxacan Lenten dish that showcases the combination of spices and fruit that is typical of southern Mexico. This soup is aromatic, sweet, satisfying, and full of protein-rich lentils. The lentils are cooked in water, then seasoned with sautéed onion and garlic, plantains, pineapple, tomatoes, cloves, and allspice. Serve with fried slices of plantains and rice if desired.

Sopa de Fideo (Mexican Noodle Soup)

The ultimate comfort food, and every Mexican child’s favorite soup! Short angel-hair noodles are fried until golden brown, then simmered in an onion, garlic, and tomato puree. Once the noodles begin absorbing the puree, vegetable stock is added, and everything is simmered until the noodles are tender. You can add zucchini or your vegetable of choice. Serve with wedges of lime.

Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup)

Tortilla soup is one of the most well-known Mexican soups, and there are countless versions of it. In Mexico it is also known as sopa Azteca, and it is thought to have originated somewhere in central Mexico. In this vegan version, an aromatic tomato-pasilla broth is simmered with onion, garlic, and epazote. Then, sautéed tofu and swiss chard are added. Finally, it is topped off with avocado, fried tortilla strips, and lime.

Vegan Caldo Tlalpeño

Caldo tlalpeño is traditionally a chicken soup with chickpeas, rice, carrots, and zucchini. There’s a legend behind the dish: it is said that Mexican president Santa Ana was very hungover during his visit to Tlalpan, the largest borough of Mexico City. The cook gave him a chicken soup, and when the president asked what the name of the soup was, she said caldo tlalpeño. This vegan version of caldo tlalpeño simmers rice, carrots, zucchini, and potatoes in a cilantro-chipotle broth. You can top it off with avocado slices, and a splash of lime juice.

Poblano Cream Soup

A warm, spicy, and creamy soup for any season. The poblano peppers are roasted over an open flame then sautéed with onion, and garlic. In this vegan version, potatoes are added for creaminess instead of cream, as well as nutritional yeast for a touch of cheese flavor. It all simmers in a vegetable stock, then season, blend, and enjoy. You can garnish it with roasted poblano pepper strips and pomegranate.

Black Bean Soup with Masa Dumplings

Also known as sopa de frijoles con chochoyotes or sopa xonequi, it is thought to be a pre-Hispanic recipe. It is one of the traditional dishes of the state of Veracruz. The black beans are simmered with xonequi, a wild and aromatic heart-shaped tender leaf found in Veracruz. Small dumplings of masa known as chochoyotes garnish the soup. You can add chile chipotle or ancho to spice it up.

Check out these recipes for more delicious Mexican foods!