Why You Should Consider Adding A Pinch Of Sugar To Your Soup

Few dishes are as satisfying as a warm bowl of soup, but landing the right balance of hearty, comforting, and spice can prove to be a bit of a challenge. From rustic to inventive and simple to complex, the different types of soup recipes you can make at home are practically endless. And while most aspiring cooks know to add salt and some kind of fat to the recipe to create depth and build texture, fewer think of stirring sugar into the pot simmering on the stove.

Yet sometimes sugar is exactly what your recipe requires, insists Leaf, and the right amount of sweetness can enhance a soup's flavor to deliver the most satisfying, comforting bowls you've ever ladled. To add sweetness without sugar, try coconut, vanilla, or date, suggests Clean Eating Magazine, but for many soup recipes, sugar can help turn up the flavor volume of the original recipe.

Particularly for soups made with tomato bases, a pinch or two of sugar can help round out any flavors that taste a bit too sour or bitter recommends Le Cordon Bleu. Of course, as with any recipe, it can be helpful to taste and adjust as you go, so your soup doesn't end up too sweet to serve.

In case you do get a bit overzealous with adding the sugar, don't worry, assures Livestrong. Soups that have been oversweetened can be remedied by adding a dash of lemon juice, vinegar, salt, or simply by tossing more ingredients into the pot or increasing the volume of the simmering batch.

To get started with basic soups, try our delicious roasted tomato soup recipe, or consider making our vegan version. Served either as a side or for a main, these recipes rarely result in leftovers in need of storage.