Mother Nature finally looked at a calendar, and it's finally feeling like fall in the Midwest folks. What better way to welcome the “-ber” months than with a proper kickoff to soup season! We just hosted our annual staff soup cookoff to celebrate autumn, and here is our yearly post with ALL of the recipes from that delicious day at Village Home Stores.
The Village Soup Cookoff day is undefeated as the best smelling day our showroom sees all year long. This year eight staff members participated with an entry, and most of our staff were able to participate in the voting for this year's winner. One vote is allowed from each Village staff member, and the tasting/voting period takes quite a bit because that's a lot of soups to test and re-test (and return again just to make sure).
What's there to win? Well, bragging rights of course! Plus, the winner of the Village soup cookoff gets their name added among all past winners on a plaque in the Village breakroom we call the “Golden Ladle.” We also point to their winning recipe first in this recipe recap, and the winner is...
2026 Soup Cookoff Winner Is Angela!
This year Angela won with her creamy mushroom sausage soup and homemade croutons. What a well-deserved win too! She made this soup completely from scratch (even the croutons and mushroom stock), and you can too! Seriously, it is easier than you think. Here is her recipe plus the other seven entries for our 2026 staff soup cookoff.
Angela's Award-Winning Creamy Mushroom Sausage Soup
Ingredients:
- 16 oz of fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced thin (reserve stems for stock)
- 4 cloves garlic, fine chopped or sliced thin
- 1-2 shallots, minced
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup flour
- 3-4 cups mushroom stock (see directions)
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ to 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ tube cooked Italian sausage
- Croutons (garnish)
Optional: serve topped with croutons (see below for homemade crouton recipe) and Italian sausage.
Directions:
Prepare the stock: To a large stockpot add 3-4 cups water (about 2/3 the size of you would like your batch of soup to be). To the water add the clean mushroom stems as you prep your mushrooms. Add some chopped carrots, a bit of onion and some sort of herb available to you (thyme works great). Salt the broth and simmer while you prepare the rest of your items. Strain before or as you are adding to your soup.
Slice your mushrooms thin, mince your shallot, and finely chop or slice your garlic. Prep your croutons and Italian sausage (optional) and set aside. In your large soup pot heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and sauté for 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add your flour and stir everything to coat well. Add your wine slowly while stirring to pan to deglaze. Add your mushroom stock. Stir and let cook until bottom of pan is fully deglazed. Add cream, fresh thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer until service.
Garlic and Pepper Torn Homemade Croutons:
Ingredients:
- ½ loaf of sourdough bread
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt to taste
- Ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Tear apart sourdough into small rustic chunks. Add them all to a large bowl and drizzle over your olive oil and garlic. Season thoroughly with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Massage and toss until bread is well coated. Bake on a lined baking sheet at 400 for 15 minutes.
Rachele's Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces Italian sausage
- 2 sticks celery, chopped finely
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 package uncooked potato gnocchi
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook your sausage in a Dutch oven/large soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Leave excess fat in pan. Add the onion and celery and garlic to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat for about one minute. Slowly add chicken broth and stir until the flour has been incorporated. Add the canned tomatoes, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pot. Add cooked sausage back into pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Once it's boiling, add the gnocchi and cream. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the gnocchi isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot. If needed, add another splash of chicken broth and/or cream to thin the soup out a bit more. Stir in the spinach and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Optional: serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Monica's Easy Gluten Free Crockpot Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1 can (gluten free) cream of chicken soup
- 8 ounce package shredded cheddar cheese
- 4.5 ounce bacon bits
- 32 ounce package frozen cubed potatoes
- 8 oz cream cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a crock pot, mix chicken broth and cream of chicken soup. Add potatoes, half cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. With an hour left, cut cream cheese into small pieces and add to soup. Stir occasionally in the last hour to chop up the cream cheese. 10 minutes before serving, add the rest of the cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
Elizabeth's Crockpot Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of Campbell's Thai curry sauce (yellow curry and coconut)
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 3-4 cups water (use empty cans to measure)
- ½ cup rough chopped carrots
- ½ cup rough chopped celery
- 1 shallot, fine chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- Salt + pepper (to taste)
- 2 cups dry pasta noodles of your choice
- 2 cups shredded chicken breast (I used frozen roasted shredded chicken)
Directions:
Wash and prepare your veggies. Sauté your carrots, celery, shallot, and garlic in butter until cooked and fragrant. Salt and pepper to taste. Add to crockpot and add cans of Thai curry sauce, coconut milk, and water. Used each empty can to fill with water and measure. Add frozen or fresh shredded roasted chicken breast. Stir and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low all day. Add dry noodles 45 minutes before serving.
Optional: garnish with fresh Thai basil, cilantro, or parsley. Serve with roti, naan or other flatbread for dipping.
Alexis' Marry Me Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 cups of chicken broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 12 oz pasta
- 2 cups shredded and cooked chicken
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- ¾ cup half & half or heavy cream
- 1 4 oz. package of Boursin cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, (reserve some for topping)
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, then add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onion softens and the mixture becomes fragrant (about 3-4 minutes). Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for a minute or two so the flavors deepen and the tomato paste caramelizes slightly. Pour in the chicken broth and season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Allow the soup to come to a gentle boil so the flavors meld. Add the pasta directly into the boiling broth and cook until just al dente (pasta will continue to cook until service). Reduce the heat, then add the shredded chicken, chopped spinach, half & half, Boursin cheese, and a portion of the Parmesan. Stir until the cheeses melt and the soup becomes creamy.
Optional: top with reserved Parmesan cheese.
Natasha's Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and cubed
- 8 slices of cooked bacon
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 cups low fat milk
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp garlic salt, ½ tsp pepper
- 1 cup mild cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
Directions:
Scrub potatoes and pierce with a fork multiple times. Microwave 12-15 minutes, or until tender. Carefully half potatoes and let cool. Once cooled, remove the skins, and cut into cubes. Prepare bacon slices and set aside to cool. Reserve some of the bacon fat and set aside. In a large pot, melt butter over med-low heat. Add bacon fat, minced garlic and onion and cook until tender. Whisk in flour to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, half and half and slowly add chicken stock. Bring pot to a light simmer for about 5-7 minutes until it has thickened a bit. Stir in cheese, bacon, and sour cream. Remove from heat and add potatoes to the pot.
Optional: garnish with dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and fresh chives.
Marissa's Olive Garden “Dupe-a” Tuscana Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Italian ground sausage (mild or spicy)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4-5 yellow potatoes (cut into 1-inch sizes)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups kale, chopped
Directions:
In a large pot sauté Italian sausage until browned. Transfer cooked sausage to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pot, add butter and sauté onions over medium heat until cooked and translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add chicken broth, water, potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are tender. Stir in kale, and heavy cream. Add sausage. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Optional: serve topped with crusty bread, bacon bits and grated parmesan cheese.
Lexy's Spicy Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs mini Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 lb cooked bacon, cut or crumbled into small pieces (reserve some for topping)
- 2 Tbsp reserved bacon grease
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp chicken bullion
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, (plus more for topping)
Directions:
In a large Dutch oven or pot, cook your bacon over medium heat until it is crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Remove bacon grease leaving about 2 Tbsp left in the pot. Add butter and sauté the onion until soft and transparent. Add garlic and stir to combine. Add flour and stir 1-2 minutes to cook and coat. Slowly add heavy cream, milk, and broth in small batches while stirring. Season with salt and pepper plus cayenne pepper. Add the potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Boil about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the cheddar cheese and bacon (reserving some for toppings). Mash the potatoes with a masher utensil or wooden spoon in the pot.
Optional: serve topped with more cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. (Also recommended: sour cream and green onions for topping.)
Hungry for More Recipes?
We hereby declare it SOUP SEASON now that this annual recipe blog has been posted. Nothing beats being cozy with some comfort food in the fall. Village Home Stores aims to give you inspiration to improve everyday life at home. In this case, we want to pour you a bowl of inspiration.
Need more soup inspo? Check out last year's recipes here in a past post. And for even more staff-approved recipes from our past years, head here to our Pinterest page. We share easy recipes there plus past entries in our cookoffs and appetizer challenges.
Looking for this year's recipes? They're right here!
Is your cooktop or oven not ready for this holiday season? We can help with that. Head here to our website and have a look around at some of the appliance options you can grab for your own home. We offer competitive pricing and appliance delivery and installation from our own expert staff. Ready to “cook up” a deal on a new range, cooktop, or entire kitchen with Village? Just reach out! You can message us right here through our website or call us at (309) 944-1344 to start the process. You never need an appointment to come browse our appliance showroom at 105 S State in downtown Geneseo, Illinois. TIP: try and time your appointment on a staff cookoff day so you can make a plate.