100+ Healthy Soup Recipes
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Our Favorite Healthy Soups
Though nothing can beat cuddling up with a warm bowlful on a chilly night, soups aren't only game for the winter months. These healthy recipes will become staples all year long. The best part? We have included selections that take advantage of each season's bountiful produce and seasonal spices.
Fresh, high-impact flavors like those in our Chili-Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish, will give your soup a made-from-scratch taste that cannot be beat. Have time on your hands? Most of our selections taste even better the second day.
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Easier Chicken Noodle Soup
When cheese-filled tortellini is the noodle in your chicken noodle soup, the whole bowl gets a hearty upgrade. Using cheese-filled tortellini as the noodle here adds more flavor than plain pasta; a hint of miso further enriches the broth. You can make the soup a couple of days ahead—just leave out the pasta, as it will swell once it goes into the liquid. Reheat the soup until it comes to a simmer. Then add the tortellini, and cook 6 minutes.
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Avocado-Buttermilk Soup with Crab Salad
This simple, no-cook soup is garnished with delicious orange-infused crabmeat. A vibrant, green-hued bowlful set before a hungry diner will not last long—take our word for it. Although it is intended to be rich and creamy, if the soup seems a little too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons more buttermilk.
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Miso Noodle Soup with Meatballs
Salty, savory miso becomes the backbone of this soup; try adding it to dressings and marinades too. We add chile-and-honey-spiked pork meatballs to the soup; you could also use shredded rotisserie chicken breast or cubed tofu. Want to get ahead on tomorrow's dinner? Double the meatball mixture, shape half into patties, and sear for Asian-style sliders. Serve with Baby Bok Choy and Cucumber Salad.
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Loaded Mashed Potato Soup
This is the perfect recipe for a novice, yielding delicious results with basic skills. If you aren't great with a knife, buy pre-chopped onion, grate or press the garlic, and snip the green onions and dill with kitchen shears.
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Roasted Chesnut Soup with Thyme Cream
Roasting bottled chestnuts brings back fresh-toasted flavor. The vibrant color of this soup is sure to be a treat to the eyes as well!
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Herby Lentil-and-Sausage Soup
Inexpensive dried brown lentils make up the bulk of this soup, with accents of Italian sausage for richness. Dried brown lentils hold their shape after being cooked, so this soup is a good one to make ahead. The spinach will lose its vibrant color, though, so either add it when reheating the soup or make your peace with the darker color. Here's a supersimple soup tip: Simmering with whole thyme sprigs infuses flavor without your having to strip those little leaves off the stems; simply remove the sprigs before serving.
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Beef and Pinto Bean Chili
Take it slow. Let chili simmer slowly—the flavors will meld as the liquid thickens, intensifying the overall taste. For a three-alarm chili, leave the seeds and membranes in the jalapeños. The sour cream has a cooling effect, but you can seed the peppers or use less for a milder result.
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Veggie-Quinoa Soup
Toasting quinoa, like with toasting nuts or other whole grains, draws out its aroma and deepens and intensifies its flavor. New York City chef and Chopped judge Amanda Freitag uses a gardenful of vegetables in this light yet hearty soup, making it the kind of dish that can be adapted to the seasons. Try it in the spring with baby carrots and artichokes, fava beans, and asparagus. A summer version might include corn, okra, green beans, and eggplant. For a vegan version, simply substitute unsalted vegetable stock for the chicken stock. The onion, carrot, red pepper, and garlic serve as the soup’s mirepoix, a sautéed melange of veggies that make up the flavor base for the broth.
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Roasted Corn, Pepper, and Tomato Chowder
Grilling the vegetables heightens their sweetness, and blue cheese provides a pungent counterpoint in this soup. Substitute crumbled goat cheese or feta, if you prefer.
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Hummus Soup
If you love hummus for its smooth creaminess, garlicky punch, and lemon tang, then get ready for your new favorite soup. That’s right—we turned the dip of the decade into a soup that’s savory, silky, and garlicky good. A portion of the chickpeas are reserved and toasted in a skillet to offer some chew—a nice textural contrast to the creaminess of the pureed soup. If the soup feels a little too thick, adjust by blending in more water, 1⁄/4 cup at a time. You can make the soup a day or two ahead, but you’ll definitely need to adjust the texture, as it will overthicken upon standing. Make the toasted chickpea topping up to a day ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature. For the sake of your sanity, purchase tahini in a jar with a wide mouth; narrow tops make it difficult to stir and spoon out what you need.
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Lamb Tagine
This Moroccan-style lamb stew is hearty, delicious, budget friendly, and full of intriguing flavor combinations (cinnamon, honey, and apricots). We recommend serving with two cups hot cooked couscous.
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Immunity Soup
This recipe yields a big pot of brothy soup that you can make ahead and enjoy for a couple of days; the flavor just gets better over time. You may be wary of the large amount of garlic, but keep in mind that it mellows considerably after being cooked.
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Chicken Barley Soup with Walnut Pesto
Habanero peppers are fiery hot, so handle them carefully. In this dish, you simply pierce the chile with a fork and float it in the broth as the soup cooks. Remove it with a slotted spoon before serving. If you prefer milder heat, use the same technique with a jalapeño.
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Lentil Stew with Ham and Greens
One of the best things about this supper—aside from its great flavor—is that it can be ready in less than an hour, start to finish. The hearty texture and filling lentils will ensure that everyone leaves the table satisfied.
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Caldo de Gallina (Peruvian Hen Soup)
A corner of Cusco's San Pedro Market is devoted to open kitchens where Quechua women make this soup with new crop potatoes and tough old stewing hens, which can stand up to the long simmering time better than young chickens. We find that widely available roasting hens—older than broilers and fryers—work just fine, growing tender and succulent after hours of stewing. The lime-herb-chile garnish makes the dish sing with flavor.
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Mother's Cioppino
Be sure to serve this classic Italian soup with a toasted French baguette. You won't want to risk wasting a drop of the delicious and flavorful broth.
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Roasted Garlic and Shallot Potato Soup with Cheesy Croutons
The strong cheeses provide a good opportunity to enjoy a full-flavored ale that doesn't dominate the food. Try Fuller's ESB from London, or Dock Street Ale from Philadelphia. The caramel flavors of Guinness stout would also work well, bringing out the sweetness of the onions.
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Chunky Tomato-Fruit Gazpacho
The mangoes, melons, and nectarines, along with the cucumber, give the gazpacho a sweet spin. Don't seed the jalapeño if you like a soup with more zip.
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Vichyssoise
This version of the classic cold potato-leek soup is also good warm. With a short list of ingredients and easy prep, this might be your family's next weeknight favorite.
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Savannah-Style Crab Soup
The richness of this soup is deceiving—lightened ingredients without sacrificing flavor. The key is the roux. But remember, the key to mastering a roux is to never leave it unsupervised. If the flour starts to brown too quickly, remove the skillet from the heat and stir the flour constantly until it cools.
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Mixed-Bean Chili with Tofu
This recipe calls for canned beans to cut back on the prep time. The recipe developer hailed from New Mexico and opted to use pure ground chiles instead of chili powder, which is laced with garlic.
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Chicken and Dumplings
Diners will rave every time you make this comfort food dish. Use a whole chicken cut into pieces and skinned. You can make the store-bought chicken stock taste more like homemade by adding some fresh herbs and parsley and simmering until it's reduced by half.
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Fennel and Spinach Soup with Roasted Pepper Yogurt
You can serve this light, bright-tasting soup hot or at room temperature—or if you want to get a head start, make it ahead and serve it chilled. If the soup seems a little too thick after pureeing, add a few tablespoons of water to thin it out.
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Ropa Vieja
This Cuban stew is made by braising beef until it can be shredded—thus the name (translated as 'old clothes'). Serve with tortillas, and pass hot sauce on the side for those who like it fiery. Because the meat is shredded, it's also suitable for tacos and burritos.
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Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
Enjoy soup in the summertime by making this satisfying chowder with seasonal produce. Top with cheese and bacon for kid appeal.
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Cream of Asparagus Soup
For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. Garnish with thin asparagus spears for a graceful presentation.
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French Onion Soup
Once you try this classic French Onion Soup recipe, you'll never try another. It culminates in a rich-tasting soup with melt-in-your-mouth onions.
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Jamaican Chicken Stew
This stew is full of lively flavors that combine to create a palate pleasing Jamaican-inspired dish, perfect for any occasion. Serve over rice and garnish with a sprig of fresh flat leaf parsley for a winning presentation.
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Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup
Spicy fresh ginger complements the sweet roasted winter squash and shallots in this easy recipe. Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich for a simple supper.
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Split Pea Soup with Rosemary
Classic split pea soup is given an herb makeover with the addition of rosemary in the ingredient list. Another unexpected (but delightfully delicious) flavor? Soy sauce—you’ve got to try this one!
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Winter Plum Soup
This rosy puree of canned plums, wine, and Cointreau is equally good served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It makes a wonderful first course or a refreshingly light dessert. Prepare up to one day ahead, and chill in the refrigerator, allowing the flavors to meld before serving.
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Basic Beef Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms
This classic beef stew recipe has all you expect in beef stew: tender chunks of beef, carrot and potato. Yet the cremini mushrooms are a wonderful surprise.
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Canadian Cheese Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons
This rich and healthy soup will be a winner with everyone at the table. Always trying to sneak a few veggies into kid-friendly meals? If so, this recipe will be your next go-to.
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Golden Peach Soup with Shrimp and Crab Seviche
As intriguing as it is beautiful, this sweet-tangy-slightly spicy soup makes a stunning first course. It’s refreshing and cool flavors (and temperature) make it the perfect choice for a mid-summer’s dinner.
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Mussels in Spicy Coconut Broth
This recipe can be prepared and plated to impress in a flash. While broth mixture comes to a boil, scrub and debeard mussels. Slice basil while mussels cook.