A broth-heavy chicken soup may be great when you have a cold, but a chicken soup with hearty pieces of meat, large noodles, and lots of vegetables is better as a main course. If meat-based soups are off the menu, opt for something like a hearty vegetable stew or a pureed soup thickened by cream or veggies like potatoes. Hot soups are usually considered more hearty and main course-worthy than chilled soups, but who says you can’t serve a great gazpacho or another tasty chilled soup for an outdoor dinner on a warm summer’s evening?[2] X Research source
Making a big batch of soup doesn’t take much more time and effort than making a small one, and many types of soup freeze well if you end up with ample leftovers.
You can pair up specific appetizers with your soup, or just aim to offer a range of appetizers to be sure that everyone has options they like.
Try pairing acidic wines with saltier soups, sweeter wines with spicy soups, and beer with chili or tortilla soup. [6] X Research source Alternatively, this may be a good time to dig out your punch bowl and try your hand at a homemade punch.
If you prefer to dish out the soup individually before bringing it to the table, you can still use the same setup. Make sure to ladle out the soup at the last minute so it stays hot (or cold, if it’s a chilled soup) for your guests. Don’t forget to put out soup spoons!
If you don’t have a soup tureen, bring the soup to the table in your best-looking pot, casserole, or bowl.
For another casual—but very tasty—option, serve your soup in bread bowls.
Of course, since you already worked hard making a delicious soup for dinner, it’s okay to buy a great dessert from your local bakery instead.
Aim to make 3 soups for a typical soup dinner buffet, and definitely not more than 4. Otherwise, you’ll end up doing far more prep work than is necessary. If you’re making chilled soups, put them in the refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours and pull them out right before serving them.
For the third soup, use a slow cooker set to its high setting for 1-2 hours to heat up the soup, then set it to its low or warming setting. [13] X Research source Make sure a hot soup is at least 165 °F (74 °C) before serving it to your guests. Keep it at or above this temperature, and most especially above 140 °F (60 °C), throughout the meal. [14] X Research source
Don’t leave chilled soups out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, unless you maintain them at a temperature below 40 °F (4 °C). [16] X Research source
Resort to using disposable bowls and spoons if you don’t have enough for everyone, or ask your guests to bring along a few of their own favorite soup bowls and spoons.
If you have to use bowls for guests who will be standing, put out small plates that they can use to rest the bowl on while holding the plate.
An organized soup buffet setup might flow in the following order: bowls; soups; soup toppings; spoons; napkins; small plates; breads and remaining appetizers; drinks. As an alternative to (or alongside) sliced breads, put out cubes of cornbread or big homemade croutons.
If you want to be extra creative, create tags with your soup recipes on them and tie them around the necks of the glass takeout jars. Put them in small paper bags with handles for the finishing touch!
Make 1 soup to serve along with other appetizers, or make multiple soups as the primary appetizer options. You might connect the flavors to the season, for example, by making carrot, squash, or pumpkin-flavored soups in fall, or chilled and blended soups that emphasize fresh veggie flavors in the summer.
Aim for a serving size of around 2 fl oz (59 ml) per shooter. If your kids have a tea set, the little mugs may be the right size and add a cute touch!
Depending on the soup, you might add a single crouton, roasted pumpkin seeds, a watermelon cube, etc. , as the garnish.
If you want to take your soup dinner party to the max, make 3 soups to serve as shooters. Let your guests try each and decide which one (or 2, or 3) they’d like to have as their main course.
