When it's cold outside -- or when you're feeling a little under the weather -- reach for a bowl of warm, delicious soup. From mixed mushroom soup to a roasted sweet potato soup to a light lemongrass soup, there are plenty of bowlfuls to take you from fall through spring.

Steaming broccoli florets helps them maintain their nutrients; adding them to soup with olive oil, pine nuts, and garlic cloves makes a complete hearty meal.

Sweet potato and almond butter give this soup a creamy, decadent texture.

Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, creators of the seasonal recipe series "Canal House Cooking," developed this side dish in order to showcase a beautiful hollowed-out pumpkin.

Pureed cauliflower florets and low-sodium chicken broth serve as the base for this creamy soup recipe, while roasted cauliflower leaves are used as a garnish.

Craving pizza? You can whip up this tomato soup with crunchy cheese-topped croutons before the delivery guy can even get to your door. 

Douse disease-causing free radicals and repair and strengthen immune cells with the cascade of antioxidant- and nutrient-rich ingredients in this immunity-boosting winter soup.

If you have your fishmonger shuck oysters for you, be sure to ask for the liquor (the liquid that escapes during shucking); it adds a lot of flavor to this hearty stew.

For the most flavor and juiciness, we cooked the chicken on the bone for this rich, warming stew.

Nearly a meal in itself, a bowl of white-cheddar corn chowder has surprising creaminess and heft, despite being low in fat. Ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne add a dash of spiciness.

When it comes to healing foods, mushrooms receive high marks. Oyster and shiitake may lower cholesterol, stimulate the immune system, and prevent cancer, while cremini offer selenium and a host of B vitamins.

This simple recipe transforms leafy greens into a silky textured, vibrant puree.

Spelt is an ancient whole grain native to southern Europe. It's packed with fiber and naturally higher in protein than wheat. For a more intense flavor, use a mild smoked paprika instead of a sweet one. Topping off the soup with parsley adds an earthy tone and aids in digestion.

For this recipe, use a crisp, fiber-packed apple like Lady Apple, Cortland, or Gala. The roasted sweet potatoes are loaded with beta-carotene.

This soup makes a satisfying meal at any time of year -- and the poached eggs are a valuable source of meatless protein.

Serve this soup with garlic bread and vegetables for a simple, healthy dinner.

This hearty soup makes a nice weekday lunch. Heat it in the morning and bring it to work in a thermos. By choosing a pasta made from whole wheat instead of semolina, you add more fiber to your meal.

This hearty soup makes a nice weekday lunch. Heat it in the morning and bring it to work in a thermos. By choosing a pasta made from whole wheat instead of semolina, you add more fiber to your meal.

Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to give this soup a more robust flavor.

This recipe has been adapted from Dr. Andrew Weil's book "The Healthy Kitchen" (Knopf, 2005).

This recipe goes well with brown rice.

As a meal or an appetizer, this recipe pairs green with protein. Vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Often used in Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian cooking, lemongrass adds a fresh, clean, citrus note. Rich in citral (the main ingredient in lemon peel), the stalk helps aid digestion, as does the ginger.

This soup makes great use of leftover turkey. If you've already frozen the carcass, there's no need to thaw it out before using it in this recipe.

Low in calories and saturated fat, shrimp contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, tryptophan (an amino acid that helps produce mood-stabilizing serotonin), and vitamin D, which may help provide protection from osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and many autoimmune diseases.

In spinach-filled polenta soup, olive oil is both a key ingredient and a garnish.

An Asian-inspired chicken soup features a delicate mushroom broth laced with fresh ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and black peppercorns.

Make this Chinese take-out favorite at home. 

In a hearty soup, parsley dumplings speckle the broth with bits of green.

For a vegetarian version of this soup, substitute Homemade Vegetable Stock for the chicken stock.