Here are 7 soup, chili recipes from Louisville restaurants to try this winter

Brrr, it’s cold, Louisville. And it seems like the winter weather is here to stay.

If you’re looking for something to warm you up, here are seven soup and chili recipes, including butternut squash soup, corn chowder, and white chicken chili, from the Courier Journal’s extensive archive.

Stay warm!

Butternut Squash Soup

Courtesy of Garage Bar, 700 E. Market St. Serves 6 to 8

• 7 pounds butternut squash (1 big one or 2 small), peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

In a pot, combine onion, garlic, salt, and oil. Sauté on low heat until the veggies start to turn translucent (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add water, butternut squash, thyme, crushed red pepper, bay leaf, and more water. Bring to a simmer. Let it cook on low for about 30 minutes until the squash is super soft.

Remove thyme and bay leaf. Add honey and apple cider vinegar. Purée it all with a stick blender or a regular blender.

Serve topped with your favorite fresh herbs and a splash of cream.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Courtesy of the now closed SET at Theatre Square. Makes 12 8-ounce portions

• 2 stalks celery, large diced
• 2 carrots, cut into coin shapes
• 2 and 1/2 ounces chicken base
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, steamed, cooled, and shredded
• 3/4 tablespoon dried thyme
• 3/4 tablespoon dried rosemary

Steam the celery and carrots. In a large pot, add chicken base, water, chicken, celery, and carrots. In another pot, cook the noodles until al dente. Shock them in an ice bath. Add the noodles, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper to the pot. Cook on low heat for half an hour, stirring often.

Coconut Curry Soup

Courtesy of the now closed Lilly’s Bistro. Serves 6 to 8

• 3 14-ounce cans coconut milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 1 tablespoon diced red pepper

Simmer the first five ingredients together for 15 minutes. Add the fish sauce. In a bowl, mix crab, avocado, lime juice, mint, cilantro, and red pepper. Top the soup with this mixture.

This soup can be served hot or cold.

Mary’s Fresh Corn Chowder

Courtesy of the now closed Atlantic No. 5. Serves 8 to 10

A cup of Corn Chowder from Atlantic No. 5, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2018, in Louisville, KY.

• 4 to 6 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream

Shuck and de-cob the corn. Place the corn in a zip lock bag or bowl and refrigerate. Put the cobs in a soup pot, cover with water, and heat over medium. Chop the onions and refrigerate them. Add the onion peelings and ends to the pot with the corn cobs, along with carrot and celery. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes. Cool and strain the liquid to make vegetable broth.

In the same pot, sauté the chopped onions in butter until soft. Add the potatoes, season, and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir in corn and cream, heat gently, and adjust seasoning to taste.

Schimpff’s Confectionery Chili

Courtesy of Schimpff’s Confectionery, 347 Spring St., Jeffersonville, Ind. A party-size recipe for 55 1-cup servings

• 5 16-ounce cans Busch’s Best Mild Chili Beans
• 2 15-ounce cans Hunt’s tomato sauce
• 2 cups Bloemer’s chili powder
• 4 ounces Bloemer’s chili base
• 1 pound spaghetti noodles
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Chop the onion and process it until it’s finely chopped. In a large skillet, brown the hamburger with the onion. Drain and return to the pan with all other ingredients except the spaghetti. Add a gallon of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, boil the spaghetti in another pot, drain, and add to the chili. Let it simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

Tuscan Chicken Soup with White Beans and Pasta

Courtesy of The Cafe, 731 Brent St. Makes 10 servings

Tuscan chicken soup with white beans and pasta at The Cafe in Louisville’s Paristown neighborhood.

• 4 15-ounce cans Great Northern white beans
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 pound diced cooked chicken breasts
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Cook ditalini pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside. Rinse the beans. In a large pot, combine chicken stock, beans, garlic, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer while you prepare the rest.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and sauté onions and celery until tender. Add tomatoes and parsley, mix well, then add to the stock pot. Add chicken and herbs, simmer for 1-2 hours, then stir in the cooked pasta before serving.

White Chicken Chili

Courtesy of Varanese, 2106 Frankfort Ave. Serves 12 to 16.

White chicken chili at Varanese.

• 2 and 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and diced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder

In a large pot, heat oil, garlic, onions, celery, and peppers until soft. Add chicken stock and beans, simmer until beans are tender. Stir in the chicken, cream, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Make a roux with butter and flour, whisk until the chili thickens to your liking.

Serve with cornbread if you want!

Reach features editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: soup, chili recipes from Louisville restaurants to try this winter