This guest post is from our favorite ladies, Natalie and Holly, over at The Modern Proper. Their mission is to reinvent proper for the modern homemaker, one delicious meal at a time. Check out more of their delicious recipes here. 
Guys, fall is here! Are you as excited as I am? In all honesty, I’m not one of those craft store shopping, flavored latte drinking, themed legging wearing moms (not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that), but even I can get behind fall. I have my own way of embracing the season and it 100% involves food. I may not always make it to the local farm to get pumpkins on my doorstep before the first snow falls, but you better believe my kitchen is full of feel-good, warm and hearty meals the second the kids are back in school. There’s just something about a big bowl of good stuff that screams love. When September comes and our weather slowly begins to transition into the next season, the kids begin getting set in their new routines, and greater efforts are made to all gather at the table together. Meal time at the end of the day is a great way to pause and reconnect, and there’s nothing more perfect than a big pot of soup to serve to the ones you hold dear. 
I tend to take for granted that to me, soups are easy. Much to my surprise, I’ve heard from those less confident in the kitchen that they’re too intimidated to make their own soups from scratch. Do you fit into that category? If so, allow me to pull back the curtain and let you in on a little secret: A great soup is the absolute easiest thing to make for your family and requires close to zero skill to do well! Soups are so hard to mess up, I promise. Get ready to part with canned soup when you realize how simple homemade really is. Even better, homemade soup is so easy to hide a million veggies in. Your kids will be happily slurping up that savory broth, all the while oblivious to the fact that they’re eating the equivalent of a giant salad. Amazing. With some good chicken or veggie broth, some herbs and aromatics, and just about anything else lying around in your fridge, you can make one heck of a great soup, but allow me to introduce you to one of my personal favorites. This fennel, chicken, and white bean soup with carrots and corn is so simple and delicious. One pot and very little prep results in a meal that feels like it’s hugging you back. Plus, this recipe won’t take a full day of simmering or stirring over the stove; it takes the same amount of time as making any other yummy dinner! So straightforward, it might become your go-to quick meal. Alongside some rustic bread and the ones you love, this soup is the perfect way to welcome the new season. 
Chicken Fennel Soup Ingredients: 2 tbsp
olive oil 1 small
yellow onion, diced 2 small
carrots, diced 1 large
garlic clove, minced 1 tbsp
fennel 1 tsp
cumin 1 cup
corn (frozen or fresh) 2 cans
white beans, drained and rinsed 4 cups
chicken broth 1 large
zucchini cut into 1” pieces 1 tsp
salt ½ tsp freshly ground
pepper 2 cups
shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken Fresh
cilantro or
parsley for serving
Method: Have no fear with your first soup! We’ve broken down the recipe into 7 simple steps below. For easiest following, prep the ingredients before beginning to cook. For example, rinse and drain your beans and dice your yellow onion before you ever turn on the stove. 1. In a medium-sized pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. 2. Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. 3. Add fennel and cumin and stir until fragrant. 4. Add in corn, beans, and chicken broth bring to a boil. 5. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. 6. Finish by adding in zucchini and chicken and seasoning with salt and pepper.
(You are always welcome to add more or less seasoning to taste, this is your amazing soup!) 7. Cook for another 10 minutes and serve warm.
Final touches: Top with fresh, pretty herbs like cilantro or parsley for serving. Perfect for family dinner any night of the week or a weekend get together with friends, this heartwarming soup is perfect for all the festivities of fall. Take advantage of seasonal crops like garlic, onions, carrots, and of course fennel, to give every bowl the aroma of a delicious harvest. For other enticing autumn dishes, check out our clean-eating loaded sweet potatoes, award-winning classic chili, and palette-tickling ratatouille with goat cheese polenta. Happy cooking! 
