As January ushers in hectic schedules and colder days, cozying up with a steamy bowl of soup becomes the perfect welcome home.

National Soup Month in January is just another reason to kickstart the New Year with flavorful, hearty soups.

Soup has taken countless shapes since first recorded in 20,000 B.C., with cultures around the world adapting over 250 varieties today. A simple dish with endless possibilities, soup only requires broth and vegetables, fish, meat or grains of choice.

Try savoring flavors from around the world with wholesome, homegrown ingredients—like incorporating locally grown sweet potatoes into this creamy, Caribbean-inspired Calypso Beef Soup. Sweet potatoes are in season through February in Virginia, where 184 farms harvested sweet potatoes on 204 acres in 2022, according to the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture.

If you’re short on time and energy, this simple mushroom soup is quick to prepare and easy to enjoy—boasting a velvety broth with earthy tones to delight mushroom lovers.

Calypso Beef Soup

1½ pounds ground beef (93% or leaner)
1 cup peeled, diced sweet potato
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups water or beef broth
15.5-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed, drained
13.5 ounces light unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add ground beef; cook for 8-10 minutes, breaking into 3/4″ crumbles and stirring occasionally.

Remove the beef from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Pour off drippings from the pan; add sweet potato, onion, pepper and curry powder. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onion and pepper are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour; cook and stir for 1 minute.

Return the beef to the skillet. Stir in water or broth, black-eyed peas and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Stir in spinach and thyme, and cook for 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Season with salt and black pepper, as desired.

—Recipe courtesy of Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.

Easy Mushroom Soup

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, chopped
4 ounces white button mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
sliced sautéed mushrooms for garnish (optional)
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot; cook for 1 minute, or until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms, and cook for about 3 minutes until they are tender and browned. Transfer all the contents of the pot to a bowl.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pot. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour and whisk it quickly into a paste. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the stock a little at a time, whisking out the clumps between each addition.

Increase the heat back to medium-high, and allow the soup to simmer for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms back to the pot and cook for 2 more minutes. The stock will slightly thicken to be somewhat creamy.

Let the soup cook for another 3-4 minutes, and season with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with mushrooms and parsley, if desired.

—Recipe adapted from The Mushroom Council.