Nothing says comfort like a warm bowl of delicious soup. But not all soups are created equal when it comes to health. Many popular canned and restaurant soups can be shockingly high in sodium, preservatives, and empty calories. Luckily, it's easy to make healthy, homemade soup that hits the spot. This comprehensive guide explores 88 of the most nutritious soup options to satisfy your cravings while boosting your nutrition. Let's dive in!
Savory Vegetable Soups for Extra Produce
Vegetable soups provide a stellar way to pack more veggies into your diet. By extracting flavors from aromatic vegetables, herbs, and spices, it's easy to create satisfying soups that are low in calories and rich in nutrients. Some tasty veggie soup options include:
Classic Tomato Soup
This nostalgic soup highlights the sweetness of ripe tomatoes. Studies show that lycopene and vitamin C in tomato soup helps reduce inflammation and oxidative stress linked to chronic diseases. Tip: For creaminess without the cream, blend in potatoes or cauliflower.
Carrot Ginger Soup
Spicy ginger combines with naturally sweet carrots and onions for an immune-boosting soup. Carrots provide provitamin A, a precursor for active vitamin A that supports vision and immunity.
Creamy Spinach and Kale Soup
Leafy greens like spinach and kale add over a dozen vitamins and minerals to this velvety soup. The folate, magnesium, and vitamin K in greens promote bone strength and heart health.
Protein-Packed Meat and Bean Soups
Incorporating lean proteins like poultry, fish, beans, and lentils into soups provides staying power from satiating protein and fiber. Some wholesome examples include:
Classic Chicken Noodle Soup
Protein from chicken plus noodles makes this soup doubly satisfying. Using bone broth instead of plain water adds extra amino acids for healing properties. Tip: For efficiency, poach chicken directly in the soup.
Hearty Beef Barley Soup
Tender chunks of beef and filling barley create a meal in a bowl. Lean beef provides iron, zinc, and protein, while barley adds belly-filling fiber. Tip: Sear beef before simmering for deeper flavor.
Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
This soup combines protein-packed turkey with nutty wild rice. Using turkey drumsticks or thighs on the bone increases the collagen content for added immune benefits.
Soothing and Restorative Broth-Based Soups
Broths made by slowly simmering bones and vegetables create mineral-rich, soothing soups. Gelatin released from long-cooked bones has natural anti-inflammatory powers. Consider these brothy soups:
Asian Miso Soup
This umami-rich soup often starts with kombu seaweed and bonito fish flakes. Fermented miso paste adds protein and gut-healthy probiotics. Studies reveal miso’s cancer-fighting benefits.
Mexican Pozole
This hominy and pork soup gets its deep, earthy flavor from guajillo chiles and cumin. The corn in hominy provides the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health.
Jewish Chicken Soup
This soup built on chicken broth with veggies and noodles provides comfort and nourishment. Chicken soup's cysteine amino acids may help thin mucus during colds.
Creamy and Velvety Soups
When you crave something indulgent, creamy soups can provide richness without overdoing the fat and calories. Some options include:
Roasted Cauliflower Leek Soup
Pureeing cauliflower and leeks creates a satisfying, dairy-free creaminess. Roasting the vegetables deepens the flavor in this low-calorie soup.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
Butternut squash blends into a naturally creamy, golden soup brightened with curry powder. The beta-carotene in squash provides essential vitamin A for immunity and eye health.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
For a special spin on broccoli soup, blend in reduced-fat cheddar and Parmesan cheese. The sulforaphane in broccoli boasts potent anti-cancer abilities.
Exploring International Soup Traditions
Ethnic soups provide fun new flavors along with an assortment of vegetables and spices. Some delightful choices include:
Eastern European Borscht
This beet-based soup offers a pop of color and nutrition. Studies reveal beet’s anti-inflammatory abilities help lower blood pressure and enhance athletic performance.
Vietnamese Pho
This noodle soup gets an aromatic infusion from star anise, clove, and cinnamon. Lean beef or chicken add protein while rice noodles provide energizing carbs.
Italian Minestrone
This veggie-packed soup usually features beans, pasta, and greens. Use a parmesan rind when simmering the broth for added flavor without cholesterol or fat.
Why Soups Promote Wellness
Beyond their incredible flavor, soups provide some compelling health advantages:
Nutrition Powerhouses
Homemade soups help increase veggie intake by extracting nutrients from produce that may be hard to eat raw. Combining various vegetables, beans and lean proteins ensures a balanced nutritional profile.
Portion and Calorie Control
Broth-based soups with fiber-rich veggies and proteins provide satiation with less calories than many other comfort foods. Eating them before a meal may aid in consuming fewer overall calories.
Immunity and Cold Relief
Ingredients like garlic, ginger, miso, mushrooms and bone broth contain compounds shown to support immunity. The hot steam from soup may help relieve congestion.
Gut and Digestive Health
Soluble fiber from veggies, beans, and whole grains feed beneficial gut bacteria. Many soups also provide probiotics that support digestive health.
Chronic Disease Prevention
Research shows phytochemicals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds in ingredients like tomatoes, cruciferous veggies, and spices help reduce risk of diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Tips for Building the Best Healthy Soups
Follow these simple suggestions for crafting flavorful, nutritious soups from scratch:
- Pick a flavorful broth: Chicken, beef or vegetable broth all work. For extra nutrients, make bone broth by simmering bones with herbs and vegetables.
- Pile on produce: Take advantage of soup’s versatility by packing in a rainbow of veggies like carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, greens, etc.
- Include protein: Beans, lentils, fish, poultry and lean meats add protein to help you stay full longer.
- Don’t forget starch: Grains like rice, pasta or barley and starchy veggies like potatoes provide satisfying carbs.
- Spice it up: Garlic, onions, herbs, peppers and spices build flavor without additional sodium or fat.
- Simmer, don’t boil: Letting soup slowly simmer extracts maximum flavor and nutrition.
- Finish with flair: Brighten flavor at the end with a drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of herbs or squeeze of lemon.
Satisfy Your Cravings the Wholesome Way
Whipping up homemade soups allows you to create flavorful meals that nourish your body and soul. Follow healthy soup recipes that pack in pureed veggies, fiber-rich beans and whole grains, lean proteins and anti-inflammatory spices and herbs. Or get creative and design your own soup featuring your favorite produce, seasonings and mix-ins. Just be sure to emphasize whole food ingredients and minimal salt, fat and processed additives. Now grab a spoon and enjoy one of these 88 soothing, wholesome soup recipes today!
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthy Soup Making
Soup serves as a nutritious and comforting meal option. But creating healthy soups from scratch can raise some questions, especially for beginners. This FAQ provides answers to some of the top queries around making wholesome and delicious soups at home.
What are the best vegetables to use in healthy soups?
Aim for a variety of veggies to maximize nutrients and flavors. Great choices include onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, leafy greens like kale or spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini, and squash. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, or other starchy veggies also work to thicken and add comforting carbs to soups.
Don't limit yourself to just one or two vegetables. The more diverse produce you include, the bigger nutritional boost your soup will provide. Mix and match veggies based on preferences, availability, and the type of soup flavors desired.
How much sodium should I limit in homemade soups?
To keep sodium in check, avoid adding extra salt beyond just lightly seasoning. Canned broths and bouillon cubes contain surprisingly high amounts of sodium, so make homemade broth by simmering bones, vegetables and herbs in water for a fresher, lower sodium option.
Also limit processed ingredients like canned beans or tomatoes, soy sauce, store-bought spice mixes and condiments that have added salt. Focus on using fresh or frozen vegetables, herbs, spices, vinegars, citrus and other sodium-free flavor boosters instead.
What are good plant-based proteins to include in vegetarian soups?
Beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas and quinoa offer excellent plant-based protein sources to help vegetarian soups be more filling. Canned beans work well for convenience, but give them a good rinse to remove excess sodium.
Soaking and cooking dried beans adds depth of flavor. Tofu, edamame and tempeh also supply a protein punch. Just be sure to dice or crumble into bite-size pieces so they heat and cook through fully when simmering in the soup.
How can I make creamy soups healthier?
Skip heavy cream, which piles on the saturated fat and calories. Pureed veggies like potatoes, cauliflower, celery root or squash can create luscious thickness and creaminess instead. For a protein boost, puree silken tofu into soups.
When blending hot liquids, allow the soup to cool slightly first to prevent spattering and burns. For added richness, stir in a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or mix in a small amount of milk, half and half or evaporated milk. Just a splash adds a creamy touch without overdoing it on fat or calories.
What are good shortcuts for homemade soup recipes?
Take advantage of time-saving shortcuts to pull together homemade soups quickly on busy weeknights:
- Use pre-cut fresh or frozen vegetables instead of chopping from scratch.
- Cook meat, poultry or beans in advance and freeze in portions to add to soups.
- Make a big batch of homemade broth on the weekend to use throughout the week.
- Use a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot to speed up cooking time.
- Clean and chop vegetables and pre-measure dry ingredients the night before to allow for quick assembly.
How can I boost homemade soup flavor without much effort?
An easy trick is seasoning the soup well at the end instead of only at the beginning. Once flavors have concentrated, taste and add pinches of salt, pepper, herbs, spices, lemon juice or vinegar right before serving. This allows maximum flavor impact without overdoing it on salt early on.
Browning meats before simmering and roasting or caramelizing vegetables also deepens flavor. Umami-rich ingredients like mushrooms, tomato paste, soy sauce, and miso amp up savory depth. Slow simmering extracts the most flavor from bones, meats and aromatics. And garnishes like fresh herbs, chili oil, or cheese add pops of flavor without lengthening prep time.
Following healthy homemade soup recipes doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming. Focus on quality ingredients, robust seasonings, and easy cooking methods for nourishing and tasty soups ready in no time. Use these tips and tricks to whip up flavorful, veggie-packed soups that offer comfort along with wellness benefits.