Asparagus soup is great if you’re concerned about calories and sodium intake.

Nutrition Information:

• 60 calories per 1 cup serving
• 3/4 cup vegetables
• 7 g carbohydrate
• 2 g protein
• 3  fat (0g saturated at)
• 0g cholesterol
• 430 mg sodium

This recipe makes 5.5 cups and takes at total 20 minutes (15 minutes active preparation).

Tools:

You’l need a handheld blender for this one.

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, 1/2 inch dice (1  cup)
• 1 Tbsp pure olive oil
• 32 oz. vegetable stock
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed, 1 inch diced
• Salt and pepper
• Herb Seasoning Salt

Instructions:

1. Add onion and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW.
2. Cook on LOW, stirring often, 10 min or longer until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned.
3. Add stock and asparagus.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil on HIGH.
6. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minute until asparagus is knife-tender.
7. Remove pot from heat.
8. Carefully puree soup with handheld blender until smooth.
9. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt.
10. Ladle into warm bowls.
11. Garnish with creme fraiche or Parmigiano-Reggiano.

photo credit: stu_spivack

This is definitely a soup that would have caught Popeye’s eye. Bluto wouldn’t have stood a chance against this tasty spinach soup!

Dietary Information:

This soup makes 5.5 cups and takes 25 minutes to prepare. Each serving of this soup (1 cup and 1 poached egg) contains 180 calories, 1/2 cup of vegetables, 11g carbohydrates, 9g protein, 7g fat (2g saturated fat), 180 mg cholesterol and 580 mg sodium.

Tools:

• For this soup you’ll need a handheld blender.

Ingredients:

• 1 small white onion, 1/2 inch diced (1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 32 oz. of vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 pkgs (5 oz. each) baby spinach
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon herb seasoning salt

Instructions:

1. Add onions and oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW.
2. Cook, stirring 10 minutes or longer, until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned.
3. Add stock and spinach
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to a simmer
6. Cook about 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted and tender.
7. Remove pot from heat
8. Puree soup carefully with handheld blender until smooth
9. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt
10. Ladle into warm bowls
11. Serve with poached egg

photo credit: bobjudge

I’ve never been a big fan of celery, but this soup actually tastes good. For those of you who are tracking your nutritional values/calories each one cup serving of this soup contains 60 calories, 1/4 cup vegetables, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2g protein, 3g fat, 0 g cholesterol and 610mg sodium. This recipe makes 5 cups and takes only 15 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, 1/2-inch dice (1 cup)
• 1 Tbsp Pure Olive Oil
• 32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 lb. celery root, peeled and shredded very finely (about 1.75 cup)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. herb seasoning salt

Instructions:

1. Add onion and olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW
2. Cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or longer until onions are soft and translucent, but not browned
3. Add stock and celery root
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Bring to a boil on HIGH
6. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until celery root is tender
7. Remove pot from heat
8. Season to taste with herb seasoning salt
9. Ladle into warm bowls
10. Garnish with chives or scallions

photo credit: Charles Haynes

Vegetables soup recipes can help purify the body while balancing calories during a week of heavier eating. They’re delicious and can be made with fresh or frozen vegetables. And best of all you get to use up all the leftover vegetables that end up in the fridge.  And since we’re at the end of Nutrition Awareness Month I thought this might be good food for thought.

I found it very interesting that you can actually make the soup from scratch in just 15 minutes from start to finish. So here are the four main steps:

1. Cook onions
   1. Add 1 cup of diced onion
   2. Add 1 tbsp pure olive oil to stockpot on MEDIUM-LOW
   3. Cook and stir about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent
2. Add stock and vegetables
   1. Add 32 oz o stock
   2. Add 10 oz to 1 lb of vegetables
   3. Season to taste. You can use bouillon cubes for a more robust flavor
3. Follow recipe heating instructions
   1. Cook until vegetables are tender
4. Puree
   1. If you’d like a creamier soup, puree a part of your vegetables and stir it back into the soup

Season to taste. Garnish and serve

photo credit: avlxyz