Healthy Soup Recipes

Looking for comfort food during these cold months but want to stay true to your New Year’s Resolution of healthy eating?  There is nothing quite like a piping hot bowl of homemade soup with fresh ingredients to fill you up and keep you warm this winter season.  Soup can be very filling and does not have to be loaded with cream and calories!  Here are a few recipes and links to recipes for some healthy soups to help you be true to your resolution and still indulge in some comfort food.

Creamy and Light Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth (or vegetable for vegetarians)
Parmesan or Romano cheese rind (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 3/4 cups reduced fat (2%) milk, warmed
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Directions-  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then add the oil, celery, carrots and onions; cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden. Add to slow cooker.Pour the juice of the tomatoes into the slow cooker, then roughly crush the tomatoes with your hands; add to slow cooker. Then add chicken (or vegetable broth), the cheese rind (if using) thyme, basil, and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours, until the vegetables get soft and the flavors blend. Remove the cheese rid and, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (or you can carefully do this in small batches in the blender).Melt the butter over low heat in a large skillet and add the flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup, then add the 1 3/4 cups of warmed milk and stir until smooth. Pour back into the slow cooker and stir, add the grated Pecorino cheese and adjust salt and pepper, to taste.

Cover and cook on low 30 more minutes.

Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup

1 (3-pound) broiler-fryer, cut up and skinned
4 cups water
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 celery tops
2 cups water
2 ounces uncooked medium egg noodles
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/3 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chicken-flavored bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
Additional coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Directions: Combine first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth, discarding celery and reserving broth.

Skim fat from broth. Add 2 cups water and next 8 ingredients to broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Bone and chop chicken; add to broth mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Discard bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle with additional pepper, if desired.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta, cut into thin strips
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, finely sliced, blanched and drained
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, finely sliced
1 large waxy potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 bouquet garni (1 sprig rosemary, 4 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf and 1 bunch parsley, tied together with kitchen twine)
3 cups cannellini beans (canned or cooked dried beans)
1 cup spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions: Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, carrots and pancetta and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, the cabbage, chard, potato, chicken stock, tomatoes and bouquet garni. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes.

Place half of the beans (1 1/2 cups) in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the bean puree and the whole beans to the soup and simmer 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook 2 more minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with cheese.

Resources

Skinny Taste

Health.com

Food Network Healthy Soup Recipes

Categorized in: Cooking Recipes