Low Calorie Soup Recipes

Soups are a great way to consume vegetables that you aren't very fond of. This incorporates vegetables in your child's diet, especially the green leafy ones. Another wonderful quality of soups is, if it is made the right way, they can be delicious and low in calories. Instead of relying on ready-to-make soups, here are some recipes, that will provide nutrition while helping you keep off the pounds.

Parsnip Soup

Ingredients

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

Directions

Preheat an oven to 450 °F. Put the parsnips, pears, and onions in bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Toss it well. 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 10-14 minutes in a small saucepan until it is reduced to about ¼ cup and has 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 pour it into a large saucepan.

Add the other half to the blender along with the milk and puree. Add this to the 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 thick heat it lightly. Transfer the soup into bowls, and add a dash of balsamic syrup to each. Serve hot 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 tablespoons, chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 stalk celery (trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces)
• 2 tablespoons, 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 teaspoons, 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. Pulse them 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 fry them for about 3 minutes.

Add in the tomatoes and stock, and increase the heat to high. Once it begins to bubble, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20- 30 minutes. Uncover, and pour in the beans and pasta. Stir and cook for another 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Sprinkle salt and pepper and then, add the basil and parsley. Serve fresh and hot.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon, caster sugar
• 1 medium butternut squash (peeled and chopped)
• 50 ml low-fat milk
• 3- 4 garlic cloves (peeled but whole)
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons, 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. Serve steaming hot.

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