Healthy Soup Recipe Ideas Using Whole Foods and Natural Ingredients

Many people think of soup as something they only eat when they’re sick or on cold winter days. But with the right ingredients, soups can make wonderful meals all throughout the year because of how they can help you sneakily eat more vegetables.

Here are some healthy soup recipe ideas to switch up your mealtime routine with more natural ingredients and whole foods.

Healthy Soup Ingredients

Whether you use a modern Instant Pot or an old-fashioned pot on the stove top, soups have a way of blending flavors together in a way that makes less favorable foods more manageable. For example, if you can’t stand the taste of raw broccoli, try adding small pieces of chopped broccoli to a soup recipe to get its health benefits with less of its distinctive taste. Other vegetables that work well in soups include carrots, celery, zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Broth-based soups are often healthier than cream-based soups because they contain less fat and calories overall. Lentils, beans, noodles, tofu, and fish are healthy soup ingredients to experiment with as you make soups at home in your kitchen.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Some home chefs enjoy making soups because these are opportunities to clean out the refrigerator and pantry so that nothing spoils or goes bad. But if you could use a little guidance with your soup-making, there are lots of healthy recipes you can try or adapt to make your own. Here are a couple examples.

Easy Vegetable Soup in an Instant Pot

Instant Pots are great for trying out new soup recipes with minimal hassle or mess. They are also ideal for making large quantities of soup so that you have leftovers and don’t have to cook something new every day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Dash of salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put oil, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into the Instant Pot
2. Use the sauté setting
3. Stir mixture for a few minutes
4. Add tomato paste and stir for another minute
5. Add remaining ingredients
6. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes
7. Sprinkle with basil for seasoning before serving

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Vegetable Thai Curry Soup Recipe

However, there are many more options for healthy soup beyond just basic vegetable soup. Asian-inspired soups can also be very healthy options and really entice your taste buds with flavors and textures. Instead of ordering takeout from your local Thai restaurant, try this soup recipe instead.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 package rice noodles
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. green curry paste
• 1 cup reduced-fat coconut milk
• 1 carton vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 can whole baby corn, halved
• 1 can bamboo shoots
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 package extra-firm tofu, cubed
• Basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare noodles as directed on package
2. In a 6-quart pot over medium heat, add oil, curry paste, coconut milk, broth, and sauce
3. Add vegetables and tofu to the mixture and cook on the stove for 5 minutes
4. Drain noodles and add to the mixture
5. Add basil leaves to soup before serving