Best Winter Soups In Minnesota
It's not often that we associate a restaurant with the soup on its menu. Nevertheless, the following five Minnesota establishments offer winter soup worth mentioning. You can also make a soup at home worth remembering with recipes from a previously published article, Soup Recipes To Warm You Up.
Pinto Bean, Spinach and Preserved Tomato Soup
Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market
289 E 5th St
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 699-3536
www.heartlandrestaurant.com
"This is an early winter soup recipe that employs spinach that we get from our greenhouse growers," says Chef Lenny Russo. "We rely on our greenhouse and hydroponic growers for fresh greens as we head out of our short Minnesota growing season. It also utilizes some of our local storage crop of onions, garlic and dried beans as well as preserved tomatoes from our Heartland larder." The recipe is one of many in soon-to-be-published book, "Heartland: Farm Forward Dishes from the Great Midwest." This hearty but healthy winter potage is made with low-sodium chicken broth. Lenny adds, "If this soup looks more than vaguely Italian to you, just remember that the author's name ends in a vowel." Heartland's menu changes nightly, so it is wise to call ahead if you are looking for this favorite soup.
Muffuletta's 1977 Beer Cheese Soup
Muffuletta Café
2260 Como Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
(651) 644-9116
www.muffuletta.com
After shoveling snow or skating outdoors, there could be nothing more satisfying than a hot, thick and cheesy bowl of Muffuletta's popular soup. Taste the tang of hops from the beer made even more flavorful with a topping of fresh-popped corn. This steamy satisfier is one of the more popular items on Muffuletta's menu. For those who have really worked up an appetite, try the spicy New Orleans-style Muffuletta sandwich. Lesser appetites can settle for the mini Muffuletta.
Wild Rice Soup
Lunds & Byerly's Kitchen
250 Superior Boulevard
Wayzata, MN 55391
(952) 476-1122
www.lundsandbyerlys.com
Lunds and Byerly's has a wonderful Wild Rice soup that every retail site serves hot or sells frozen. It is rich and delicious – perfect for a cold winter day in Minnesota. Culinary specialists blend hearty wild rice in a rich chicken broth and half-and-half milk enhanced with delicious minced ham, carrots and slivered almonds. This savory soup is garnished with a snippet of parsley or chives. Sampling soup at the new and unique 17,000-square-foot Lunds & Byerly's Kitchen is a special treat because the facility offers so many nourishing options to accompany this delicious soup.
Chicken Tortilla Chowder
Eddington's Soup and Salad
5125 Edina Industrial Blvd.
Edina, MN 55439
(952) 896-1148
www.banderson26.wix.com
After a cold and miserable Minnesota day, nothing beats breadsticks and hot chowder. Ten huge pots of savory soup selections await the blue-knuckled patron coming in from the cold. Recipes developed by the Eddington sisters more than 30 years ago have propelled popularity to the extent that Eddington's is now located in seven metro area neighborhoods.
Borscht Soup
Kramarczuk's Sausage Company
215 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 379-3018
www.kramarczuks.com
Served with a side of sour cream, the borscht is enough to warm your innards. Round out the feast with polish sausage on a bun, kielbasa, goulash or a plate of varenyky, which is what Ukrainians call pierogies. For those who are really hungry, try a cabbage roll that rivals most large burritos in size. Imagine biting into a moist cabbage leaf wrapped around savory beef and rice. There are plenty of drink choices to go with such a hearty meal. German beer, Polish Zywiec beer or Kramarczuk's flavorful root beer are all good choices to complement this hearty winter meal.
Related: WCCO Viewers' Choice For MN's Best Wild Rice Soup
Robin Johnson was born in Annandale, Minn. and graduated from Richfield High School and then the University of Minnesota where he studied Political Science, Business and Industrial Relations. A writer for Examiner.com, he also consults with a variety of organizations and individuals helping them develop and grow. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
