Food 9 Elegant Fall Soups to Kick Off Your Thanksgiving Feast These soups are light, elegant, seasonal, and full of flavor; just the thing to kick off the meal of the year. By Staff Author Published on October 30, 2023 Photo: Con Poulos A bowl of soup might be the perfect first course for a Thanksgiving dinner, especially when you want to get the meal started and offer your guests something to eat while the main course rests. The key is to pick a soup that can be prepared in advance and then reheated and one that isn't too heavy — after all, you have a feast to eat. 01 of 09 Thai Red Curry Squash Soup © Con Poulos Boston chef Joanne Chang flavors this classic fall squash soup with curry paste, ginger, and coconut milk to keep it bright. Get the Recipe 02 of 09 Creamy Parsnip Soup with Pear and Walnuts Photo © Paul Costello Chef Marcus Samuelsson adds pear and walnuts to this rustic root vegetable soup for sophistication and crunch. He says that if you can't find sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes), simply use all parsnips instead. Get the Recipe 03 of 09 Roasted Root Vegetable Soup © Beatriz Da Costa Beets, turnips, and parsnips blend together for this vibrant, elegant soup. You can adjust the amount of each vegetable to suit your taste but keep the total quantity the same. Get the Recipe 04 of 09 Potato, Leek, and Broccoli Soup with Pancetta Crumbs © David Malosh Using a blender makes this one of the easiest soups to prepare. It has a fabulous topping of super-crispy sourdough and pancetta crumbs mixed with sage and rosemary. Get the Recipe 05 of 09 Porcini and Chestnut Soup © Jonny Valiant Chef Michael Tusk uses porcini in two forms in this velvety soup. He blends dried ones with chestnuts for a deep layer of earthy flavor and adds sautéed ones at the end as a topping. Get the Recipe 06 of 09 Curried Carrot and Apple Soup Con Poulos This velvety soup has a wonderful balance of sweetness, spice and tang. The secret ingredient: gingersnap cookies. Get the Recipe 07 of 09 Mushroom Velouté © Tina Rupp The secret to this elegant mushroom soup from chef Joël Robuchon is the crème fraîche that makes it creamy. The soup and sautéed mushrooms can be refrigerated separately overnight and reheated when you are ready to eat. Get the Recipe 08 of 09 Roasted Cauliflower Soup © Line Klein For this deeply satisfying soup, chefs Anna Trattles and Alice Quillet roast cauliflower with cumin seeds and curry powder to intensify the flavor, then simmer it with onion and water to make an unfussy, spice-inflected puree. Get the Recipe 09 of 09 Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Thyme © Emily Farris Everything's better with bacon — especially this creamy, thyme-infused pumpkin soup. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit