If you're using precooked meat, like rotisserie chicken, you can shred it or cut it into cubes and throw it directly in the pot a few minutes before the whole soup is done. That'll give it enough time to take on the flavors in the soup without overcooking it.
3. Gather up whatever veggies you have.
Keep in mind they definitely don't need to be fresh vegetables. Whenever I'm at the grocery store and I notice anything canned on sale, I stock up so I always have something to make soup with. In fact, a lot of different canned ingredients can be a huge boon for soup making, Gorin explains. In particular, she loves canned tomatoes because they're great for quick minestrones and tomato soups—you should add the whole can, juices and all, directly to your soups instead of draining them. And she's a fan of things like canned water chestnuts and baby carrots because they can add a nice crunch.
Frozen vegetables are another great option, especially when it comes to leafy greens like spinach. Fresh spinach is better reserved for things like salad where its crisp texture can be enjoyed, and not as much for things like soup where it's just going to be cooked down anyway. Frozen spinach is also a more economical option, as one small box of the stuff probably contains about three to four times as much as what's in a bag of fresh spinach. But your frozen veggie options aren't limited to leafy greens. Feel free to use literally whatever you have on hand.
4. Sauté most of your veggies and spices right in the pot.
Before you add any liquid to the pot, you should always sauté any tough veggies, like carrots. Delicate produce like spinach and Swiss chard can wait until the end. Not only will doing this ensure that all your veggies are fully cooked through, but it will also brown them a bit, which will give your soup more flavor in the end.
This rule goes for spices too. You should always try to cook them in oil, butter, or whichever fat source you prefer before adding any liquids, because doing this helps release their flavors.
5. Use an acidic ingredient to deglaze the pot.
After you've given your veggies time to sweat it out, add an acidic ingredient to deglaze the brown bits—these little fellas may look burnt, but they're actually packed with flavor. It's absolutely essential that you use an acidic ingredient in your soup because it will help balance all the other flavors. When I was a kid, I distinctly remembering noticing a difference between the soup that my mom would make with wine and the ones she would make without it. I noticed the difference mainly because I didn't like the one without the wine as much (sorry, Mom). I've never not used it since and it's made all the difference.
As for ingredients that fit into this category, opt for things like citrus juice, wine, beer, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or white or red wine vinegar. After you add it to your soup pot, let it cook for a few minutes until the alcohol burns off. If you're using vinegar, let it cook until its smell becomes smoother and less in-your-face acidic.
6. Add some carbs and protein to bulk things up.
Any bean that you have in your pantry is fair game, says Maxine Yeung, R.D., trained pastry chef and owner of the Wellness Whisk. Just be sure to rinse off canned beans before you use them so you don't accidentally oversalt your dish, she explains. The nice thing about beans is that they can be both a source of starch and protein, two aspects that Yeung says your soup should always include for a filling meal, not to mention they're extremely affordable, convenient, and versatile—you can build any kind of flavor profile that you like on top of beans, whether that's a French-style cassoulet, a stew with white beans and sausage, or a spicy chana masala (an Indian stew with chickpeas).
