Whoops. You labored over your soup all evening but then got distracted for a second and dumped in too much chili powder or chili sauce. Luckily, you don't have to write off the entire pot of vegetables and all your hours of work as a waste.

Rich, thick split pea soup is a culinary masterpiece. Legumes such as peas are natural thickeners, and when you add potatoes to the mixture you should have a soup so thick that a spoon can almost stand up by itself in it.

For a comforting starter or simple meal on a cool day, try a bowl of pea soup. You can buy it ready-to-eat or condensed, or make your own using any kind of peas, such as green peas or split peas. Pea soup is loaded with nutrition such as calcium, potassium and vitamin A.

Bland chicken soup may be good for the body, but it’s hardly good for your taste buds. From simple to savory, there are as many methods for flavoring the soup as there are recipes for the soup. The key is to taste the soup as you go so you avoid over-seasoning the broth.

It's never too late to thicken chicken soup, and it usually works out better to thicken later than earlier because you can choose a thickener that fits best. For example, if you have a broth-based chicken soup with an acidic ingredient, you want arrowroot for its agreeability with food acids.

Known as much for easing cold symptoms as for soothing nearly every type of soul, chicken soup is an easy-to-assemble meal. You can make it with a low-fat chicken breast by cooking it in the broth first, then chopping it up and adding it back in cubes.

Soup is a versatile dish that can include virtually any type of ingredient in the meat, fish, vegetable or herb categories. Soup can be simple, gourmet, health-conscious, made up of leftovers or created fresh.

Although soup is a part of almost every culture, chicken soup has deep roots in Jewish tradition. An integral part of Passover meals and the basis for matzoh ball soup, chicken soup was often referred to as “Jewish penicillin” because it was the go-to dish for those feeling under the weather.

Homemade Chinese vegetable soup is low-fat and is rich in nutritious, high-fiber vegetables that make it a hearty choice for a healthy lunch or dinner. Chinese vegetable soup is especially beneficial if you're watching your weight. Make plenty of Chinese vegetable soup, as the flavors become even better with time.

Clear soup is sometimes part of a hospital diet, or it is used to help squelch your appetite when dieting. Understanding what a clear soup actually is helps you properly adhere to a clear liquid diet and avoid complications. Clear soups are often a base for more complex soups, stews and sauces.

You can consume soup broth alone, or as a flavoring for casseroles, vegetables and meats. Eating soup regularly can help you control how many calories you consume, because many types are low in calories and satisfying, according to a study published in the November 2007 edition of the journal “Appetite.

Canned chicken broth takes up a great deal of space on pantry shelves, while homemade broth takes a considerable amount of work. Bouillon cubes take up a fraction of the time and space, providing instant flavor for soups, stews and gravies at a moment’s notice.