25+ Favorite Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes - Gluten-Free (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between soup stew and chili? ›

Though many people think of chili as its own category, it is technically just a type of stew, with origins in Tex-Mex cuisine. Chili isn't a soup mostly because it usually is more solid than it is liquid, with most chili recipes containing majority meat and/or vegetables that are simmered in a tomato sauce.

Soup Uses More Liquid

In soup, the liquid is the primary ingredient. Soup can be completely liquified or it can consist of other elements (like meat and vegetables) that are fully submerged in water, stock, or broth. Stew, meanwhile, is typically "chunkier." It contains just enough liquid to cover the main ingredients.

Another way to look at it: Soup is any combination of ingredients cooked in liquid. Stew is any dish that's prepared by stewing—that is, submerging the ingredients with just enough liquid to cook them through at a simmer in a covered pot for a long time.

The popular distinction between these two foods is how “liquidy” or how thick they are: a dish called soup typically has more liquid in it than a stew does. Stews are generally thicker than soups, being made up primarily of larger, solid chunks of ingredients.

Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump. After adding the slurry, bring the stew to boil. This will cook out the flour taste and allow the starch to swell.

While there isn't really a mathematical way of differentiating these two, the point at which a soup becomes a stew is determined by how long it is simmered and reduced. The thicker a soup becomes, the more likely it is to be reminiscent of a stew.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Pre-cooking the potatoes is not necessary for most stew recipes. When added raw, the potatoes will absorb the flavors from the stew, creating a rich and delicious taste. However, if you prefer your potatoes to be softer and creamier, you can parboil them for a few minutes before adding them to the stew.

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

The Ideal Stew Ratio: Two Parts Meat, One Part Vegetable

Most meat-based stews call for tough, inexpensive cuts of meat, while vegetarian recipes include the same onions, carrots, and celery typical of a beef stew. Two parts meat to one part vegetables is the perfect ratio for a meaty stew.

Can you overcook stew? ›

The flavor was there, all right, but the beef was totally destroyed (along with my mom's dreams of stew, and my ego). Turns out you definitely can overcook beef stew.

A potage is a category of thick soups, stews, or porridges, in some of which meat and vegetables are boiled together with water until they form a thick mush. Bisques are heavy cream soups traditionally prepared with shellfish, but can be made with any type of seafood or other base ingredients.

Is chili different from soup and stew? Kind of! Chili is considered a type of stew because of its low liquid content and is usually made with chilis or chili powder.

Goulash Soup has ground beef, roasted red peppers, cabbage and plenty of paprika, and this soup is delicious and low in carbs! PIN Goulash Soup to try it later! This Goulash Soup that has ground beef, roasted red peppers, and cabbage with two kinds of paprika is a favorite soup recipe I've been making for many years.

Chili is considered a type of stew because of its low liquid content and is usually made with chilis or chili powder.

Chili is often considered a type of stew, but with smaller chunks of food and less overall variety: They are usually made with beans, tomatoes, meat, and chili or chili powder.

Traditionally, chili combines ground or coarse-chopped beef (or other meat), dried red chili powder, onion, garlic, some liquid, and sometimes comino, oregano, beef suet, tomato, and masa (finely ground corn meal) to thicken. Texas-style chili has no beans. Southerners and Midwesterners generally add beans.

Ultimately, there are still plenty of mixed opinions on chili in the culinary world. Some chefs will tell you it's a soup, while some will argue that it's a stew. However, we've found that the dominant opinion is that chili, in all its spicy glory, is something else entirely.