Low-Calorie Soups and Healthy Recipes to Satisfy Cravings

I love soups!

I typically just throw ingredients into a pot and have never been disappointed. Whatever you do, don’t feel like you have to follow recipes exactly and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Armed with a box of fat-free, low-sodium vegetable, chicken, or beef broth, some garlic, onions, celery, and carrots, and a few fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables, you are ready!

You simply can’t go wrong with a large pot of steaming, delicious, nourishing soup!

I hope you enjoy this selection of my favorite healthy recipes. If you have easy, low-calorie recipes you’d like to share, please contact me. I’m happy to give you credit!

My Vegetable Soup

I fill a 5 Qt. pot with this soup and eat out of it the whole week. It is a delicious, filling, healthy meal!

Combine:

2 cans of petite-diced tomatoes

1 can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes

Bite-sized chunks of 2 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, 1 large onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, carrots, and 2 bell peppers.

Add reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to fill the pot

Stir well with salt, pepper, garlic powder (or fresh) and season to taste.

Simmer for an hour.

NOTE:

I don’t know anything about seasoning but I always do the same thing and it always comes out tasting great. In a snack-sized baggie, I give a few shakes of dried oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, and tarragon. I close the baggie and use a hammer to crush the seasoning. I then add it to the pot and stir well.

I’ve recently started adding diced jalapeno peppers and that adds a nice “bite.”

Green Soup

• 1 T. olive oil
• 3 zucchini, cut into pieces
• 1 lg. onion, diced
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can navy beans
• 1 potato, diced (optional)
• 1 lg. box vegetable broth (can use chicken broth)
• 1 bag fresh spinach
• Salt, pepper, garlic, bay leaves

Cook first four ingredients until veggies are tender (about 15 minutes).

Add remaining ingredients, except spinach and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add spinach before serving to wilt.

Have you ever seen anything more tempting than this bowl of Minestrone? To me, this is REAL comfort food, whether it’s hot or cold outside!

Don’t forget…research shows that people who enjoy a bowl of soup before dinner eat fewer calories overall and are more successful at losing weight! Try a new recipe today!

Elaine’s Beef Barley Soup

• 1 T. oil
• 1 1/2 lb beef stew
• 8 cups water
• 2 beef bullion cubes
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 14oz can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/3 cups sliced carrots
• 1 1/3 cups sliced celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add beef; cook, stirring often, until browned.

Add 8 c water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is fork tender.

With slotted spoon, remove meat to bowl and place the 8 cups of liquid in a large saucepan.

Let meat cool a bit. With 2 forks or by hand, shred meat; set aside.

Heat ½ c of water to a boil then add the 2 bullion cubes. Add this to the saucepan along with the tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, parsley, salt and pepper.

Stir in meat.

Cover and simmer for ½ - 2 hours or until veggies are tender.

Add the ½ cup barley during the last hour of cooking.

Squash Soup

(2 Servings)

Thaw a 10-ounce bag of frozen butternut or winter squash. In a large pan, heat 1 T. olive oil and 1 cup chopped onion, until tender. Stir in thawed squash, 14 ounce can vegetable broth, and 1/2 cup apple cider. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Puree in blender or use a hand blender in the pot.

Brunswick Stew

• 2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or diced (can use store-purchased roasted chicken)
• 1 bag frozen lima beans
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cans petite-diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
• 1 box reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth (see below)
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder (or fresh) to taste
• add a few dashes of hot sauce or diced jalapenos to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Add chicken broth to desired thickness. Simmer for one hour, covered.

Crock pot Black Bean Soup

• 2 15oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 4.5oz. cans chopped green chilies
• 1 14oz. can Mexican stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 14oz. can petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 11oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
• 4 green onions
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 t. ground cumin (optional)
• garlic powder (or fresh)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook 8 hours on low.

Split Pea or Lentil Soup

Wash well and then soak overnight a bag of split peas or lentils.

Rinse again and add to pot with enough low-sodium, fat-free chicken or vegetable broth to barely cover.

Bring to a boil.

Dice a large onion, 3 stalks of celery, several baby carrots, and 3-4 cloves of fresh garlic. Add and stir well. Peel, dice, and add a potato. (optional)

Add salt and pepper to taste. Some people enjoy ground ginger, cumin, or tarragon.

Gazpacho

This is a delicious, healthy, low-calorie recipe that you just can’t mess up. There are many variations. I prefer mine to be chunky and spicy, but I know some people who like theirs blended. This is a variation of a recipe that my friend, Marian, gave me years ago. I usually make a large pot and eat it for a week.

Dice the following vegetables into a large bowl or pot:

• 2 large cucumbers, peeled and seeded
• 2 bell peppers, seeded
• 2 onions
• 3-4 stalks of celery
• 2-3 handfuls of baby carrots
• 3-4 tomatoes
• Add about 4 cups of tomato juice, to desired thickness. You could add some broth too.
• Add 3-4 cloves of minced or pressed garlic, a few dashes of Tobasco sauce, and salt and pepper.
• Stir in 1/3-1/2 cup red wine vinegar (to taste) and 1 T. olive oil.
• My friend, Pat, also add 2 T. lemon juice.

Stir well and let sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The longer it sits, the better it gets.

NOTE: If you like yours blended, either use a hand blender in the bowl or pot, or pour half into a blender to puree, before adding it back to the pot.

Pat’s Sherried Pea Soup

(Makes 4 servings, 103 calories each)

• 2 cups fresh peas
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
• 2 T. sherry
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 t. grated lemon peel
• Dash cayenne pepper

Combine peas, broth, sherry, and cayenne in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until peas are tender, about 5 minutes.

Cool slightly and pour into blender with milk. Blend until smooth.

Pour soup into a container, cover and refrigerate until cold.

Pour cold soup into chilled bowls. Sprinkle each with grated lemon peel.

Pat’s Zucchini Soup

(Makes 8 servings, 1 cup each, 38 calories)

• 3 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 6 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1/2 med. onion, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 small, green chili, seeded, rinsed, and chopped
• 1 t. crushed oregano
• 1/2 t. crushed basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 t. white pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine half of the zucchini, squash, onion, pepper, garlic, and parsley with chicken broth and blend until smooth.

Place blended mixture in a saucepan and add tomato, chili, remaining zucchini, squash, onion, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add oregano, basil, bay leaf, soy sauce, white pepper, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.