Healthy Soup Recipes to Fill You Up and Warm You Up This Winter

Make soup your new best friend this winter!

Eating soup is a simple way to get vegetables into your diet. Coming down with the sniffles? Studies have shown that a hearty bowl of chicken soup may help you to clear nasal congestion and have a mild anti-inflammatory effect.

Skinny chicken fajita soup: This is a delicious low-carb recipe for a low-fat, gluten-free meal. Plus, it is easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

15-oz can black beans, drained

15-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 fajita seasoning packet

Possible garnishes: Reduced-fat shredded cheese, scallions, and avocado

Directions:

1. Place a large 6- to 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add oil, chopped bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften.
2. Add whole chicken breasts, black beans, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, fajita seasoning packet, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. If adding rice, stir it in with an additional 2 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Use tongs to remove the cooked chicken breasts. Allow the soup to continue simmering to fully cook the rice, another 10-15 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes, then shred with two forks.
4. Once you’ve shredded the chicken, add it back into the soup. Salt and pepper as desired.

30-minute turkey meatball and kale soup: This hearty and healthy recipe is tasty and easy to fit into your busy schedule.

Ingredients:

For meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg, whipped

2-4 tbsp flour

2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)

2 tbsp fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, or cilantro) or 1/2 tsp dried herbs

3/4 tsp salt

Several grinds of fresh black pepper

2 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil

For soup:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, diced

4 large carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and chopped

For garnish: chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, or cilantro), or

red pepper flakes

Directions:

For meatballs:

1. Combine turkey meat, egg, flour, garlic, salt, and herbs into a large bowl and mix until well incorporated.
2. Roll small balls, about 1½ inches. (You’ll get about 24-26 meatballs.)
3. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
4. Cook meatballs for 3-4 minutes, until all sides are brown. Set aside.

For soup:

1. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and garlic, and cook until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add bay leaves, broth, and meatballs. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add kale and cook until meatballs are cooked through—about 5-7 minutes.

Skinny tomato basil soup: This is a skinnier version of the traditional tomato basil soup, but it tastes the same!

Ingredients:

2 stalks celery, rough chopped

1 small onion, rough chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp butter

3 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 14.5-oz can chicken broth or 2 cups water and 2 chicken bouillons

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1 8-oz low-fat Neufchatel cream cheese, cubed

1 tbsp sugar or agave

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor, add celery, onion, and garlic; pulse until small pieces or pureed.
2. In a large stock pot over medium heat, melt butter.
3. Pour into pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until fragrant (don’t wash container).
4. Add tomatoes, broth, and basil to pot; bring to boil, stirring occasionally.
5. Cover pot and reduce to medium low; simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully pour 1 cup hot soup into blender or food processor, add cubed cream cheese, and blend on high until smooth.
6. Stir cream cheese mixture into soup, add sugar or agave, add salt and pepper to taste.

* If you prefer a completely smooth soup, process it through blender or food processor in batches.

Healthy kale and cauliflower soup: This soup is low-calorie, gluten-free and fat-free, and it comes together in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 large white or yellow onion, diced (390g)

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots (175g, approx. 1.5 cups chopped)

1 tsp each dried parsley and ground thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt

6 cups vegetable stock

1 head cauliflower (775g, approx. 7 cups chopped)

4 cups kale, lightly packed, chopped, de-stemmed (120g)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Sauté the onions and garlic in a few splashes of vegetable stock until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
2. Add chopped carrots, parsley, and thyme. Cook a few more minutes, adding a bit more stock, if needed, so it doesn’t stick.
3. Add vegetable stock and chopped cauliflower.
4. Simmer until cauliflower is tender.
5. Place about three-quarters of the soup into a blender, leaving some pieces of carrot and cauliflower behind so it will be somewhat chunky.
6. Process until smooth, and pour the blended soup back into the pot.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in chopped kale. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving to allow kale to soften.