A memorable, slurpable, celebratory meal to serve your favorite people, without the heavy lifting.
Jump to RecipeThen a car, then a bus, and then a snowcat before I reach my destination – a lodge high in the Canadian Rockies where, if I want a turkey I’ll have to make it for myself (and my 68 other lodge mates!) I’ll be cooking for the Sister Summit in Revelstoke, Canada over Thanksgiving and while I’m sorry to miss out on the festivities with my favorite people, I can’t wait to get home to them and to cook up a storm – all of us together. It is *highly* unlikely that I’ll go through the trouble and be full of roasting/frying/touching a turkey after spending 10 days cooking for a very big crowd. But making this Dumpling Soup for Everyone feels like a shoo-in.
Maybe you’re hunting for a way to get out of turkey duty, but still need a delicious, festive, and fun way to feed your crowd. This quicker-and-easier-than-you-think, highly slurpable soup is a crowd-pleaser and a great recipe to have in your back pocket with all the gatherings in the weeks ahead. No one said that holiday meals must entail slaving over the stove – sit around the table + make simple, flavorful little dumplings instead!
I am the kind of person who finds a small cooking project therapeutic, but if you are not this person, I highly recommend recruiting your friends, aunts, cousins, and kiddos to help you make this on fun and fast. Wrapping dumplings takes just a tiny bit of practice – and while the learning curve is a little steep, it’s a really fun ride.
What we do: I make a big batch of dumpling filling (baked pumpkin chunks, tofu, pork, beef, a combo of the two – all are amazing) and then bust out a couple of packets of dumpling wrappers. We all sit around the table, filling and folding dumplings until we’re out of filling, out of wrappers, or need a drink. Then we toss them in a frying pan and serve them up with all the fixings. Everyone gets to make their own dream bowl of dumpling soup. It’s…the best.
I use soup dumpling wrappers that pick up at our local Asian grocery store. You can likely find the same kind of wrapper in your grocery store’s refrigerated section, or an international grocery store. They are sometimes called “gyoza wrappers,” or “potsticker wrappers.” They are typically very very very inexpensive, so buy a few packets so that you needn’t worry about hunting them down the next time you want to make this soup! Wonton wrappers also work, and maybe the best choice if you’re looking for a gluten-free option.
Ok, ok – so dumplings aren’t ALL you’ll need to pull this off but dumplings are the most impressive part of this meal. But don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients or components here. Everything comes together very easily; you’re going to warm broth, stir together a 3-ingredient sauce, chop vegetables, and get your hands a little bit dirty – the idea being that you have some help from your favorite people for this last part! With just a couple of extra hands, you’ll be eating in an hour or less, start to finish. Voila! For the veggies, I love shaved carrots, diced celery, thinly sliced radishes or turnips, tender baby spinach or bok choi leaves, and sauteéd mushrooms, personally. Here are a few more ideas:
As you’re about to gather from the highly flexible recipe below, this is an opportunity to make this meal your own. My only request (and the only non-negotiable) is that you incorporate all Six Flavors into your meal. As you recall, macros really mean NOTHING. I mean, nothing. The way that our bodies acknowledge, assimilate, and animate with the nourishment we provide is through these flavors. Use them! You’ll find that your meal is beyond satisfying and your guests will rave at just how happy their bellies are as a result.
That's ok, just sign up or log in to see this recipe.