Soup is one of the quintessential comfort foods, the sort of thing that can warm your core and cheer you up when all else fails. It's also easy to prepare, even if cooking isn't your forte — you can pretty much toss diced ingredients in a pot at various intervals, heat, simmer, and mix or blend thoroughly. Making your own soup may sound intimidating to those who don't cook often, but it's an easy way to whip up hearty food from staple ingredients once you get the hang of it.

In survival situations, soups can transform otherwise bland or stale ingredients into a smooth and rich meal, especially when the right spices are applied. While fresh ingredients from the garden or grocery store are ideal, soup also does a great job of utilizing frozen, canned, or dry shelf-stable ingredients.

Soups are a great way to use up the dry beans and lentils you've stockpiled.

The following infographic from PoundsToPocket.co.uk outlines recipes for nine simple soups, most of which use 7 ingredients or less. Onions and garlic are common to most recipes, so these items can be grown in your garden or even regrown from kitchen scraps if a grocery store isn't available. Most proteins and vegetables can be frozen or preserved at room temperature for long-term storage, while most spices should keep almost indefinitely. It's also easy to substitute or omit ingredients if they're not in your pantry — that's the beauty of soups.

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If you're patient and willing to experiment with flavors, simple soups like these can add variety to your survival diet. They'll provide welcome relief from freeze-dried food or MREs, and can use up leftovers from other meals, too.

Written by Patrick McCarthy