A good Kansas soup should taste like it simmered on a farmhouse stove, even if it came together on a weeknight. It should be hearty without being heavy, simple without being bland, and full of ingredients that make sense on the plains: beef, chicken, beans, corn, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, noodles, and plenty of savory seasoning.

A good Idaho-style soup starts with a sturdy pot, a cold day, and ingredients that know how to comfort. Think russet potatoes that turn creamy without fuss, trout from clear mountain waters, barley with nutty chew, sweet onions, dairy, beef, beans, and herbs that smell like high desert and garden rows.