Take your soup to the next level with 6 flavor-booster ingredients

Soups are built on layers of flavor. With any good recipe, ingredients get added along the way, up to the very end, when you can make final tweaks in seasoning to taste. One of the great things about a pot of soup — or stew — is that it’s pretty flexible and forgiving, even if you mess up. A little bit more or a little bit less of something is usually fine. Ditto substitutions for the meat, vegetable, broth, or starch of choice.

Soup’s built-in amenability to experiment means there are plenty of opportunities to add flavor boosters for an extra something. Here are a few of our favorite versatile ingredients to take your pot of soup or stew to the next level.

The first step of many soup recipes is to sauté a base of onions, carrots, and celery, or mirepoix, followed by garlic, which is cooked until aromatic, 30 seconds to one minute. Try adding a tablespoon or so of tomato paste with the garlic, stirring constantly until it’s darkened and fragrant. Tomato paste is a great way to add baseline umami, the sensation of a food’s savory depth that is often referred to as the fifth taste. Tomatoes are naturally high in glutamates, a family of chemicals primarily responsibly for creating umami.

The next time you finish a wedge of parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano), don’t toss the rind. Instead, stash it in the freezer until you can use it in your next batch of soup, stew, or even risotto. Like tomatoes, parmesan is a source of glutamates and therefore umami, not to mention pleasantly salty, funky, aged flavor. Add it to the pot when you pour in the broth and let it simmer in there while the soup finishes. Just be sure to fish it out before serving.

Miso is a wonderful source of — you guessed it — umami, similar to parmesan and other aged or fermented foods. Typically made of rice and soybeans, though some versions have other grains and beans, this paste contributes depth and briny punch. It is rather high in salt, so a little goes a long way. Add a dab toward the end of cooking, taste, and then stir in any more to taste. Remember, you can always add more but not take it away. No miso? A splash of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or even fish sauce can contribute similar complexity.

Herbs are one of the best ways to inject a boost of flavor with minimal effort, and soup is where dried herbs can really shine. Crumble them into the liquid once it goes into the pot, to start releasing their essence. Letting them simmer away will help extract even more. You can cook fresh herbs, too, but save some to stir into the soup at the end of cooking or use as a garnish to maximize their brightness and impact for a final pop of flavor.

As with herbs, lemon juice is an ideal option for contributing a lift of brightness. Just make sure you do it at the end so its flavor doesn’t cook out. Want to include the zest for even more citrus? Go for it. If you don’t have a fresh lemon hanging around, consider another source of acid. Sherry vinegar is my go-to. With either lemon or vinegar, discretion is the better part of valor. Stir in a bit at a time, tasting as you go, until the balance of flavors feels right.

Especially if you’re working with water or “meh” store-bought broth, supplementing with jarred concentrated ingredients can amp up the flavors. Better Than Bouillon is a reliable option. It comes in a variety of flavors, but for maximum versatility and better control over how your soup tastes, stick with a simple flavor, such as chicken, beef, or vegetables. These kinds of products can be high in sodium, so if that’s a concern, look for reduced-sodium options or adjust the salt in your recipe accordingly. To ensure the base gets evenly distributed, dissolve it in a small amount of the hot liquid from your soup, suggests Elizabeth Barbone at the Kitchn. Use a dab of demi-glace, a rich brown sauce, the same way, whether homemade or store-bought.