Look To Your Snack Drawer For An Easy Soup Upgrade

Though the craving for a warm bowl of soup tends to kick in when the weather gets cold, soups are a year-round favorite. As a never-ending appetizer at Olive Garden or a casual lunch selection at Panera Bread, there's truly no bad time for soup. When it comes to hand-making a pot of soup, people are always getting creative with additions and substitutions, such as jazzing up cream of mushroom soup with a splash of white wine. If you're looking for an easy soup upgrade that can add a delicious burst of flavor, try throwing a few pieces of popcorn on top as a garnish.

It's already pretty common to crumble crackers or croutons into a bowl of soup, so topping with popcorn isn't too far-fetched. Popcorn can add a delightful balance to the bowl — a small, crispy, salty compliment to whatever soup you decide to top it with. The pieces of popcorn will only stay crisp for so long before they absorb the liquid from the soup, but whether slightly soggy or perfectly firm, it's a straightforward way to use that leftover bag of popcorn in the pantry. It'll work better with thicker soups like one of the many wonderful chowders compared to more watery soups like chicken noodle, but the fun part is that you can experiment with different flavors of popcorn! A bag of precooked Smartfood Popcorn or the AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn kernels from the microwave can add a flavorful crunch to every bite of your soup.

This soup upgrade is far from a new idea, with one Reddit user claiming that popcorn on soup is popular in Ecuador, saying that "you would never be served soup without popcorn" in the Latin American country. There are many recipes out there for Popcorn Soup, which not only use popcorn as a garnish but tailor the entire soup recipe to compliment the popcorn itself. Buttered Popcorn Soup was once a popular dish served at Disney Cruise Lines' Animator's Palate restaurant, adding the signature Disney popcorn on top of a heavy, buttery broth. From classic takes to crazy combinations, there are plenty of popcorn-garnished soup recipes that you can try at home.

Besides actual Popcorn Soup, a popular soup to garnish with popcorn is a beer cheese soup, where the creamy, rich texture of the broth contrasts perfectly with the light, crunchy bite of the popcorn. You can also try tossing popcorn onto a baked potato soup, letting the slight saltiness of the popcorn enhance all those savory flavors in the broth. To compliment a classic cheeseburger soup, try it with some cheddar-flavored popcorn to make that cheesy richness shine. To add a little spice to a bowl of tomato basil soup, use some Popcornopolis Takis-Flavored popcorn and amp up that delicious heat. No matter the soup, a sprinkle of popcorn is the perfect way to pop some fun and flavor into your next bowl.