Sensational Soups

I love making soup! It’s always so filling and easy to heat up and go. Plus I can easily adjust the flavor as I go along. Best of all, I can boil vegetables without losing nutrients because they’re kept in the broth!

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Butternut Squash Lentil Barley Soup

• 2 cups peeled cubed butternut squash (I bought it already chopped in the produce section)
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped into roughly 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 vine tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces (make sure to save juices!)
• 1 cup red lentils (dry)
• 1 cup barley (dry)
• 1 teaspoon each cumin, curry powder, garlic powder

1.- over medium heat cook butternut squash and carrots with 1 cup water for about 3 minutes (use the time to cut the onions)

2.- add onions, continue cooking another 3 minutes while chopping the tomatoes

3.- add tomatoes, barley, lentils and about 6 cups of water, let cook for 20 minutes

4.- add spices and about 3 cups more water, cook another 10 minutes or until the barley is completely cooked through

season to taste and enjoy!

Makes: 6 servings

231 calories, 49 carbs, 0g fat, 11g protein!!!

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Extra Hearty Red Lentil Soup!

• 2 cups dry red lentils
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic or 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 cups diced zucchini (about 2 large)
• 3 vine tomatoes, cut into chunks (make sure juices make it into the pot!)
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1-2 teaspoons curry powder
• red chili flakes to taste for heat

1.- boil about 8 cups of water

2.- add red lentils, let cook 10 minutes (chop veggies while it’s cooking!!)

3.- add carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, cook for 5 minutes

4.- add zucchini and spices, cook another 10 minutes

5.- taste, adjust seasoning, cook until the soup is the thickness you want and enjoy!

Makes: 12 servings (about 1 cup each)

137 calories, 24 carbs, 1g fat,  10g protein!

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Extra Chunky Vegetarian Italian Wedding Soup

• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 3/4 cup diced carrot
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• 1 head escarole or 4 cups spinach
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• Morningstar Veggie Meatballs (10 meatballs)
• 6 oz DRY Rozoni Smart Taste Extra Wide Noodles
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian spices (oregano, rosemary, basil, etc)

1.) prep all veggies, cut meatballs into quarters, measure out pasta

2.) cook celery, carrots, onion with 1 cup water for 5 minutes

3.) add zucchini and escarole (add water as needed 1 cup at a time), cook for 5 minutes

4.) add tomatoes, 5 cups water salt, 1 teaspoon Italian spices and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, cook 10 minutes

5.) add meatballs and pasta (make sure pot is full of water because pasta will absorb a lot) cook 10 minutes, season to taste and enjoy!

Makes: 10 servings (1 full cup per serving)

95 calories, 17 carbs, 1g fat, 6g protein

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Extra Hearty Minestrone

• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, cubed
• 1 cup celery, cubed
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium potato, cut into small cubes
• 1 can Goya red kidney beans
• 1 can goya white beans
• 1 small head escarole, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 round slices
• 3 cups pacific organic low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cans store brand diced tomatoes
• 1 package baby bella mushrooms
• 5 oz rozoni smart taste spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons parmesna
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon oregano

1.- cook onions, carrots, celery, garlic for 5-8 minutes until soft with 1 cup water (medium heat for everything in this recipe)

2.- add potato, tomato (fresh), escarole, cook another 3-5 minutes, add another cup of water

3.- add mushrooms, zucchini, beans, canned tomato, vegetable broth, cook 8-10 minutes

4.- add about 6 cups of water, and spices, cook another 10 minutes

5.- add pasta, cook 10 minutes then top off with more water

6.- add parmesan, cook another 3-5 minutes, season to taste and enjoy!

Makes 9 servings (2.25 cups each)

201 calories, 43 carbs, 1g fat, 10g protein!

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CREAMY CURRIED CAULIFLOWER SOUP!

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 medium onion, rough chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped in half
• curry powder
• cumin or any other spice you like
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (I like organic brands for the taste)
• 1.5 cups nonfat milk

1- heat oven to 400 degrees

2- spread out cauliflower, onion and garlic on tray, spray with pam and dust with curry powder

3- roast vegetables on pan for 45 minutes or until golden brown on the tips

4- put everything on tray in a food processor or blender, add half the vegetable broth and half the milk, puree

5- add other spices you like and the rest of the milk+broth, puree to consistency you like! the heat of the soup will help incorporate the spices

Makes: 6 servings of 1 cup each

60 calories, 0 fat, 3 fiber, 4 protein!

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HEARTY VEGETABLE BARLEY SOUP

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic (large)
• 4 cups of escarole, green part only, torn into pieces
• 4 roma tomatoes, chopped into eighths
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into wedges
• 1.5 cup cannelloni beans, rinsed
• 1 cup dry barley (not pearled! goya brand is what I always use)
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• garlic powder, onion powder, thyme

  1- chop and prep all vegetables

2- cook garlic and carrots for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water over high heat

3- add escarole and tomatoes, cook for 5 more minutes, add another cup of water

4- add zucchini and beans, continue cooking 5 minutes

5- add broth and 1 cup water, reduce heat to medium

6- add barley and continue cooking about 20 minutes, you will probably need another cup of water depending on how loose you like your soup, I kept mine almost dry so it would be hearty (and it gets more watery as it sits in the fridge)

7- add thyme (leave on branches), cook another 10-15 minutes

8- remove thyme (pick out branches, you can also put the leaves in a tea bag instead) and add parmesan, let simmer on low heat for 5 more minutes

9- serve and enjoy! I like it topped with a tablespoon of extra parmesan (20 more calories)

Makes 8 servings:

154 calories, 1.5 fat, 8 fiber, 8 protein

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CHEESY POTATO SOUP

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 4 wedges laughing cow light french onion
• 4 cups water
• hand mixer
• garlic powder, red pepper flakes, any other spices you like

1- cook the onion and celery on medium low heat with water for 5 minutes

2- dice one potato into small 1/2 inch cubes, add to pot

3- cut the other potato into 1/2 inch thick disks

4- cook 10-15 more minutes with 2 cups water

5- add 1 cup milk, simmer another 5 minutes on low heat

6- when potato disks are tender remove with a spoon and place in small bowl, blend on low with hand mixer- add water 1/4 cup at a time until potatoes are thick but runny (thinner than mashed potatos, you should need 3/4 cup water total)

7- pour potato puree back into soup, add spices and cheese wedges, add another cup of water

8- let soup simmer 15 minutes until cheese is completely melted and soup is thick and creamy.. it will get a bit thicker as it sits in the fridge

Makes 6 cups- 1 cup is 1 serving

105 calories, 1.5 fat, 2 fiber , 5 protein

*I like to top this with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese for another 20 calories!

*You can also cook and crumble lightlife smartbacon (vegetarian). Add it when you add the cheese, each slice is 20 calories. I’d recommend adding 3 slices- this gives the recipe an extra 10 calories per serving!

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PASTA FAGIOLI

• 1.5 Cups chopped onion 
• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 roma tomatoes, cut into 16ths
• 1 can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 box Swanson vegetable broth (15 cals per cup)
• 8 cups water
• 1/5 cups dry smart taste elbow macaroni
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• herbs of choice, I used 1/4 cup fresh basil and 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary from my garden!

1- sauté onions and garlic quickly

2- add tomatoes, let cook for 5 minutes

3- add beans, let cook for 10-15 minutes

4- add vegetable stock and water (it will boil down) along with herbs

5- let simmer for 30-40 minutes

6- add elbow macaroni, let cook for 10 minutes

7- remove heat and stir in cheese

8- divide into 10 servings (will depend on how much it cooks down but each serving should be about 1.5 cups, I like my soup brothy so I used more water)

Makes: 10 servings

165 calories, 1.5 fat, 8 fiber, 9 protein

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CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP!

• 3 cups celery
• 3 cups carrots
• 3 cups onions
• .25 cup garlic
• 1 package shiitake mushrooms
• 1 package baby bella mushrooms
• 1 package portabella mushrooms
• 1 medium head escarole
• .5 zucchini
• .5 yellow squash
• 1 cup raw barley
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• mixed herbs

- rough chop the onions, carrots and celery, smash garlic, cook with about 1 cup water over medium high heat until tender and smelling good

- chop mushrooms into roughly half inch pieces, add to pot, adding more water as necessary to keep veggies from sticking

- chop squash and zucchini into slices, roughly chop escarole into strips, add to pot

- add enough water to cover veggies, almost to top of pot, partially cover and cook at least 10 minutes

- add spices of choice, I used fresh basil, dried rosemary, salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and cumin ( i like things spicy!) cook for 5-10 minutes

- add barley, simmer on medium heat for at least a half hour until veggies are really soft and broth is a brownish color, try to keep water level high, it should stay within about 2 inches of the top of the pot

- add one cup of milk, reduce heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer another 10-15 minutes

- let cool and portion out into 10 servings, you should get about 2 cups per serving

I like to top with 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese for an extra 20 calories!

*because you’re only using water, no broth, you’ll probably need to add 1-2 teaspoons of salt when you add the barley*

Makes: 10 servings

124 calories, 1/2 gram fat, 27 carbs, 6 protein, 7 fiber

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