Low Calorie Soup Recipes

While I am unsure of their actual healing properties, warm soups always brings me comfort when a cold has dampened my spirits. That apart, soups are a great way to consume those foods that you aren't very fond of. They are an effective way to incorporating vegetables in your child's diet, especially the green leafy ones. I for one, love tangy creamy tomato soup, but don't like the vegetable raw, and almost always manage to separate it out of cooked food. Another wonderful quality of soups is, if made the right way, they can be both delicious and have low calorie! Instead of relying on ready soups, here are some low calorie soup recipes, that will provide nutrition while helping you keep off the pounds.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Parsnip Soup

Ingredients

• 2 pounds parsnips, peeled and woody core removed
• 2 ¼ cups low fat milk
• 2 pears, peeled and cut into eighths
• 2 ¼ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp salt, divided

Directions

Preheat to 450°F. Put the parsnips, pears and onion in bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper and toss. Lightly grease the baking pan, and transfer the parsnips, pears and onion to it. Bake for about 40 minutes, and stir after every 10 minutes. While they bake, heat the vinegar for 10 to 14 minutes in a small saucepan until it is reduced to about ¼ cup and takes on a syrupy consistency. Be careful not to burn it. Once the baking is done, put half the parsnip mixture into a blender and add in the broth; blend until smooth and then, pour into a large saucepan. Then, add the other half to the blender along with the milk and puree. Add this to saucepan and sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Heat and stir the soup over medium heat for about 5 minutes. If the vinegar has gotten thicker, heat it lightly. Transfer the soup into bowls, and add a dash of balsamic syrup to each. Serve along with whole-grain bread.

Italian Pasta and Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
• ¼ lb fresh fennel
• ½ cup short tube pasta
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled
• 1 cup cooked white beans or canned white beans
• 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, with their juices
• 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp olive oil

Directions

Remove the fennel stalks and leaves, and slice the bulbs in half. Add the onion, carrots, celery, fennel, and garlic to the food processor. Work the vegges until they are finely chopped for about 15 seconds. Pour the oil in a heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the finely chopped vegetables to the pan and saute. After about 3 minutes, add in the tomatoes and stock, and increase the heat to high. Once it begins to bubble, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover, and pour in the beans and pasta. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked through but firm. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and then, add the basil and parsley. Serve fresh and hot.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 medium butternut squash (900 g -1 kg), peeled and chopped
• 50 ml low fat milk
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, peeled but whole
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

Directions

In a large heavy saucepan, combine the squash, garlic, the five-spice powder, sugar and stock. Heat it till it begins to bubble, then simmer for 20 minutes, by that time the squash should be cooked through and soft. Pour it onto a blender and whirl until smooth, and then add the milk. Transfer the soup into bowls, and add a dash of five-spice powder to each.

If you need some low calorie chicken soup preparation, know that you can take your regular recipe and make it low calorie by replacing the high calorie ingredients like cream with milk, and eliminating butter all together. I do hope you enjoy these flavorful soups made by following these recipes, and make them a regular feature of your daily diet.