Cozy up with easy 3-ingredient soups

Try Mark Bittman's wonton, shrimp and tomato, and beef and barley soups

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updated 9:40 a.m. ET Nov. 13, 2008

Many soups are little more than a couple of ingredients combined with water or stock, says New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, who is the author of "How to Cook Everything." Here, he offers three options for making nutritious meals that are hearty and flavorful. These super-easy recipes — wonton soup, shrimp and tomato soup, and beef and barley soup — are each made with a minimum of three ingredients.

Wonton soup

Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups any stock

• 12 to 24 wontons or gyoza

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or scallion

Optional add-ins

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste

• 1 cup sliced carrot

• 2 cups sliced tender spinach, cabbage, or bok choy

• 1 cup sliced fresh or dried (and reconstituted) shiitake mushroom caps

Recipe continues below ↓

DIRECTIONS

Bring the 4 cups of stock to boil. Cook wontons or gyoza in stock, and add optional ingredients as desired (examples: soy sauce to taste, sliced carrot, sliced tender spinach, cabbage, or bok choy; or sliced fresh or dried and reconstituted shiitake mushroom caps).

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Shrimp and tomato soup

Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups any stock

• 1/2 pound large (21–30) shrimp, peeled

• 2 cups chopped tomato (canned are fine)

Optional add-ins

• Fish sauce

• Freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

• Garlic croutons (or cooked vermicelli noodles or rice)

DIRECTIONS

Bring the 4 cups of stock to boil. Add shrimp, chopped tomatoes and optional ingredients as desired. (Examples: Fish sauce and freshly squeezed lime juice to taste; or chopped fresh basil and garlic croutons, cooked vermicelli noodles or rice).

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES

Beef and barley soup

Mark Bittman

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups beef or veal stock

• 2 cups or more cooked barley

• 2 cups or more shredded or diced cooked beef

Optional add-ins:

• 1 cup chopped tomato

• 1 cup diced potato, carrot, or parsnip

• Worcestershire sauce or 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

DIRECTIONS

Add barley and cooked beef to 4 cups beef or veal stock. Add optional ingredients as desired (examples: chopped tomato, diced potato, carrot, or parsnip; Worcestershire sauce or 1 tablespoon chopped garlic).

MANAGE YOUR RECIPES

More Mark Bittman at The New York Times

Best-selling cookbook author Mark Bittman is the creator and author of the popular New York Times weekly column "The Minimalist," and one of the country's best-known and most widely admired food writers. His flagship book, "How to Cook Everything" (John Wiley and Sons, 1998), is currently in its 14th printing and has, in its various formats, sold more than a million copies.

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Cozy up with easy 3-ingredient soups

Try Mark Bittman's wonton, shrimp and tomato, and beef and barley soups