Soups? The dieter's best friend!

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miamigirl123
miamigirl123 Posts: 16 Member
in Recipes
Hey friends!! When you're counting calories you tend to stick to foods that are very filling and low in calories. That makes soup one of the best foods a dieter can eat!!! It's also a great option for girls like me who are pretty terrible at cooking :D You can't reeeeeallly mess up with soup right? Please share with me some easy, low-cal, healthy and tasty soup recipes you have come across while on the healthy path! Thanks a lot!!
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Replies

  • fortheheart
    fortheheart Posts: 50 Member
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    I agree. Soups are the best when on a diet. I bought a bunch of vegetarian books with soup recipes. Here is the one I made last night. It was pretty good.

    - Greek Minestrone with Feta-

    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 TB extra-virgin olive oil
    1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
    3 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
    1 15-ounce can cannellini or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
    ½ cup dried orzo
    1 ½ cup quartered cherry tomatoes
    ¼ cup small fresh oregano leaves, or ½ tsp of dried
    ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (I used parmesan cheese)


    Directions:
    In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender. Stir in vegetable broth and beans; bring to boil. Add orzo; return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, cover for 15 minutes or until orzo is tender.
    Stir in cherry tomatoes and oregano; heat through.

    Per serving: 312 calories, 11 grams total fat, 48 grams carbohydrates , 14 grams protein.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    Take any bean soup mix, and throw out any seasoning packets. Instead, add an onion about one hour before the end of cooking, some carrots and parsnips half an hour before, and some dill and parsley 15 minutes before. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    You can also reduce the fat content of homemade chicken soup by refrigerating or freezing in tupperware containers. The fat separates out and settles on the top, where it can be scraped out with a spoon.
  • nevertoolate2
    nevertoolate2 Posts: 309 Member
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    I love a mulligatawny - spicy to help raise the metabolism.

    I cook loads of soups, and tend to mess around with the quantities of the ingredients to suit my diet. Generally though, the mulligatawny is:

    1 chicken breast - in chunks, fried in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil


    Then add:

    1 large onion, diced
    1 carrot, diced
    1 medium potato diced
    1 v small turnip diced
    200g red lentils but can use yellow split peas and sometimes use pearl barley
    1 tablespoon mild curry powder (then add hot or madras to give it an extra kick if you like that)
    salt and pepper to taste
    1l of chicken stock - more or less if you like it thinner and obviously the thinner it is the fewer calories per portion.
    1 cup or raisans or sultanas

    sometimes I will add some cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or celery (finely chopped)

    Then stove top for 40 minutes, stirring regularly as the lentils have a habit of dropping to the bottom and sticking

    I get between 4 and 6 portions, some of which get frozen for another day!
  • Jenjaz1910
    Jenjaz1910 Posts: 447 Member
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    I love a mulligatawny - spicy to help raise the metabolism.

    I cook loads of soups, and tend to mess around with the quantities of the ingredients to suit my diet. Generally though, the mulligatawny is:

    1 chicken breast - in chunks, fried in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil


    Then add:

    1 large onion, diced
    1 carrot, diced
    1 medium potato diced
    1 v small turnip diced
    200g red lentils but can use yellow split peas and sometimes use pearl barley
    1 tablespoon mild curry powder (then add hot or madras to give it an extra kick if you like that)
    salt and pepper to taste
    1l of chicken stock - more or less if you like it thinner and obviously the thinner it is the fewer calories per portion.
    1 cup or raisans or sultanas

    sometimes I will add some cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or celery (finely chopped)

    Then stove top for 40 minutes, stirring regularly as the lentils have a habit of dropping to the bottom and sticking

    I get between 4 and 6 portions, some of which get frozen for another day!

    Bump to look back at later! Sound LUSH x
  • drumsrevolver
    drumsrevolver Posts: 57
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    I love love love this one from the BBC Good Food website: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2089/spiced-carrot-and-lentil-soup

    SPICED CARROT and LENTIL SOUP - serves 4

    Ingredients:
    2 tsp cumin seeds
    pinch chilli flakes
    2 tbsp olive oil
    600g carrots , washed and coarsely grated (no need to peel)
    140g split red lentils
    1l hot vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
    125ml milk
    plain yogurt and naan bread, to serve

    Method:

    Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas. Scoop out about half of the seeds with a spoon and set aside.

    Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have swollen and softened.

    Whizz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer). Season to taste and finish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted spices. Serve with warmed naan breads.

    Make it Moroccan - Substitute the chilli flakes and cumin seeds for a few teaspoons of harissa paste. You could add cooked shredded chicken at the end of cooking, too. Make it dairy-free For a richer but dairy-free alternative, use a can of reduced-fat coconut milk instead of the milk.

    Nutritional Info:

    Per portion - 238 kcalories, protein 11g, carbohydrate 34g, fat 7 g, saturated fat 1g, fibre 5g, salt 0.25 g

    Dead easy and really spicy and warming. I bung in extra chilli, and extra teaspoons of cumin and turmeric and lots of black pepper. I've also omitted the milk and used water - can't tell the difference really. Also good with a dollop of Philadelphia rather than yoghurt and served with warm wholemeal pittas. Play around with the quantities - I up the red lentils in mine, but bear in mind the calorie quantity will up too. Enjoy :smile:
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    I like tomato soup, its my total comfort food!

    http://www.londonbakes.com/2011/10/cream-of-tomato-soup.html

    I add a few drops of tobasco sauce instead of the cayenne pepper. If I'm super hungry than I'll throw in a few meatballs in it too.
  • rachmass1
    rachmass1 Posts: 470 Member
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    Soups are so easy and flexible. I typically invent my own each time but the base is always a tablespoon of butter and a chopped up onion sautéed until translucent. Then you can add celery, carrots, garlic, whatever. Beans, lentils, split peas, barley are all good sources of protein and flavor, and check out the "better than bullion" brand of bases for your broth. I make a soup almost every day and love loading in kale and spinach along the way. Oh, fresh rosemary is also great added to soups!
  • sarebak
    sarebak Posts: 49 Member
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    This is a great blog... Lots of low calorie recipes...

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/search/label/Soup Recipes

    Soup is one of my favorite low-cal meals... I can make it different every time, and it fills me up! If you're trying to stay away from processed foods, try making your own broth, too! :)

    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/homemade-chicken-stock-from-your-crock.html
  • coliema
    coliema Posts: 7,646 Member
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    :happy: Bump to save for later.
  • nevertoolate2
    nevertoolate2 Posts: 309 Member
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    Can oh so recommend the Covent Garden soup cookbook, it has 365 recipies. Readily available here in the UK, where most people will recommend the name, possibly available from Amazon or ebay for the US!!!!
  • Jensaystoyou
    Jensaystoyou Posts: 37
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    I love a mulligatawny - spicy to help raise the metabolism.

    I cook loads of soups, and tend to mess around with the quantities of the ingredients to suit my diet. Generally though, the mulligatawny is:

    1 chicken breast - in chunks, fried in a teaspoon of butter or olive oil


    Then add:

    1 large onion, diced
    1 carrot, diced
    1 medium potato diced
    1 v small turnip diced
    200g red lentils but can use yellow split peas and sometimes use pearl barley
    1 tablespoon mild curry powder (then add hot or madras to give it an extra kick if you like that)
    salt and pepper to taste
    1l of chicken stock - more or less if you like it thinner and obviously the thinner it is the fewer calories per portion.
    1 cup or raisans or sultanas

    sometimes I will add some cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or celery (finely chopped)

    Then stove top for 40 minutes, stirring regularly as the lentils have a habit of dropping to the bottom and sticking

    I get between 4 and 6 portions, some of which get frozen for another day!

    BUMP! :) This looks right up my alley... minus the raisins.
  • LFiestan
    LFiestan Posts: 176 Member
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    Heres 2 of my favorite soups that i make:

    Cauliflower soup (u need a blender for this) Makes 2 servings
    1 medium caulifower head (break it up to tiny flowerets)
    1 red onion
    1-2 tbsp olive oil
    salt and pepper
    1cup Chicken broth (if you are a Filipino you can make 1 pack of Magic sarap+1cup water)
    1/2 cup light evaporated milk
    Chili powder & chopped chives (optional, i like mine spicy)

    Saute onion in olive oil, add caulifower, add chicken broth, cook till cauliflower is soft then let it cool for a bit before putting it on the blender. Blend it all till it becomes smooth, return it back to the pan, add salt, pepper and milk. DONE (add chicken bits or fish or shrimp if you want)

    Mushroom soup it has the same ingredients as the cauliflower 2-3 serving
    1 can mushroom (dont drain the water, coz you will add it)
    1/2 cup light evaporated milk
    1 cup chicken broth or 1/2
    1 red onion
    olive oil, salt & pepper

    saute onion, add mushroom, add all the liquids, let it simmer add salt and pepper
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    You can't reeeeeallly mess up with soup right?

    ummmmm, let me introduce you to my mother-in-law....
  • fayglet
    fayglet Posts: 72 Member
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    I'm a huge soup person! Here is my basic soup base. I experiment all the time... It is very flexible.

    Fill a giant pot with:
    VEGGIES:
    1/2 diced onion
    1/2 can diced tomatoes
    1 diced zucchini
    2 diced carrots
    1 cup diced hardy veg. like broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage
    1 diced potato
    extras like mushrooms, yellow peppers, diced eggplant, etc.
    PROTEIN: (choose one or all!)
    1 - 2 cups chickpeas or other bean(depends how much you like)
    1 - 2 cups lentils, any variety
    Shredded chicken (I'm a vegetarian but I'm positive this would taste amazing for the meaties out there!)
    CARB:
    1.5 cup dry pasta (macaroni, orzo, penne etc) (You can add more, but it expands)
    SPICES:
    Whatever you like - I always use s&p, oregano, cayenne pepper, basil, tumeric, paprika etc. Ginger for sweeter, dill for funkier.

    Basically throw what you like into a big pot, cover with water, add spices, cover with a lid and voila - about 30 min later (depending on size) you have an incredible dinner PLUS leftovers! If you like firmer pasta, add dry pasta once the potatoes are starting to feel soft aka 10 minutes before you need to take it off the heat.
  • RNmomto4
    RNmomto4 Posts: 143
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    bump!
  • stephaniekneld
    stephaniekneld Posts: 43
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    This is a mainstay for me, VERY low cal, easy to make, and good!

    2 quarts of chicken broth
    1 can diced tomatoes
    1 green pepper ( large) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
    1 medium onion, diced
    1/2 cabbage, chopped
    Place all these ingredients into a pot, and bring to a biol, then simmer for about 10 minutes. Do not overcook the cabbage.

    This is a base.... I then can add chicken, beef, hamburger, turkey.... any protein I wish. I can add spiced to each bowl too, for a varied flavor. Like adding mexican spices such as cumin and chili powder for a with the chicken for a mexican flavor. I add the protiens to the bowl, not the base. You CAN add a meat to the base if you wish, however, I like to make each bowl a bit different. Each bowl is about 20-30 calories, and can be eaten whenever one is hungry.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
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    My favourite is spicy butternut squash soup. When blended it is really creamy without having to add any dairy. I use tinned tomatoes, cut up squash, stock and cumin and ginger but experiment to find the way you like it best.
  • tnshahud
    tnshahud Posts: 163
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    Bumping for later!!!
  • tistal
    tistal Posts: 869 Member
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    I have not made this one in a long time but it is wonderful and I am sure you could skinny it up a bit! My hubs took it to work during the cold weather and shared it with the guys and it was a hit!

    No Cream Creamy Broccoli Soup

    http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/no-cream-creamy-broccoli-soup-90499.aspx

    servings
    total:
    8 servings, 1 cup each

    nutritional info per serving
    Calories 150
    Total fat 8 g
    Saturated fat 2 g
    Cholesterol 10 mg
    Sodium 310 mg
    Carbohydrate 14 g
    Dietary fiber 2 g
    Sugars 6 g
    Protein 6 g
    Vitamin A 60 %DV
    Vitamin C 40 %DV
    Calcium 15 %DV
    Iron 4 %DV
  • 0flynnstone0
    0flynnstone0 Posts: 150
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    I make this one a lot, but I sort of guess at the measurements so here's a close approximation.

    Cook about a cup and a half of lentils and a cup of green split peas. I usually add a couple scoops of vegetable broth to the water.
    Boil it in just enough water so that there's not a lot left over.
    Add 1 pkg of frozen spinach and a can of stewed tomatoes (or tomato soup/tomato paste/spaghetti sauce).
    Brown some garlic and onions to add in and your choice of spices (I usually do oregano, salt, pepper).

    I used to eat it as is, but last time I blended it in the food processor when I was done and it tasted great! Its really low cal, filling and cheap. Top with a little cottage cheese.

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