It’s split pea or ham and potato for me.
In my mind, soup is just a technique that’s really about the stock. This is just me suggesting that you all should adopt traditional French cooking technique.
For me, it’s saving old chicken scraps and certain veggies and then cooking them until they are mush in water. Grocery store rotisserie chicken skin, bones, and juice; carrots, onions, celery, garlic. Anything getting past it’s prime. No brassicas though. I’ll throw a t bone in there, but while really good beef broth is amazing, good beef bones cost as much as real beef.
Clam juice or shrimp/crab/lobster shells sauteed in butter with water (or the aforementioned stock…) Is also awesome.
Once you’ve got that, just put anything in it. That’s good soup.
Make sure that you put the correct amount of salt in it. If there’s no salt, stock tastes terrible.
I make a pretty simple potato and kale soup that’s a favorite in my house. It’s not a recipe per se with set quantities, I just wing it.
I start in a large pot with diced carrot, onion, and celery sautéed for a few minutes, then add spice at the end to bloom: rosemary, thyme, black pepper at a minimum. Sometimes I add some garlic powder and/or paprika for a touch of daring. Next add beans, usually 1 or 2 cans of cannellini beans. Then add chicken broth, homemade if possible. About 2 quarts of broth (or 2 liters if you use a sensible measurement system). Sometimes add another 2 of water to expand the amount. Salt to taste, cover, and bring to a simmer.
After at least 30 minutes add 3-4 potatoes diced into bite-sized pieces. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. At this point, I usually scoop out a few ladles-full and blend it smooth, then add back in to thicken the soup. Add some chopped fresh kale to wilt in the broth for a few minutes, then serve.
It’s warm and hearty, can be vegan if desired by using vegetable broth, and can be ready in about an hour.
end note: If you want to use the whole kale leaf including the rib, dice the rib and add it to the carrot/onion/celery sautee. Keep in mind if you do this and also do the blending step, your broth will be greenish. Still tastes good though and you get more fiber.