by Holly
This Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe is one of our favorites! As you would expect in a vegetable soup recipe, this is completely loaded with fresh veggies and flavor.
Naturally low in fat and calories it’s the perfect lunch, snack or starter! While we eat it as a starter or lunch, to make this more of a main dish for dinner, we often add our favorite proteins.
Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe
Vegetable soup is delicious, healthy and filling! It’s easy to make and perfect for lunch or afternoon snack. It’s bright, colorful and loaded with all kinds of vegetables (and you can easily sub in whatever veggies you like or have on hand).
When we are trying to cut back (usually in January after the holidays) we enjoy a small bowl of this vegetable soup before each meal. (And if you follow Weight Watchers, this is a 0 point soup… a freebie and it’s 21 day fix approved) or I use it as a snack to tide me over until dinner.
What to Put in Vegetable Soup
Broth I prefer beef broth in this soup for flavor, you can use homemade stock or broth or vegetable broth if you prefer. Canned tomatoes (with juice) add great flavor to this recipe too.
Vegetables I love the addition of all kinds of veggies and anything goes in this recipe.
Cabbage in this soup adds bulk and fills your belly. If you’re not a fan of cabbage, you can most certainly substitute kale or spinach. Keep in mind that kale will add more bulk and spinach will shrink down quite a bit.
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- Low Carb Veggies Cabbage, beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, celery
- Starchy Veggies Carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes (may need longer to cook), corn
How to Make Vegetable Soup
1. Prep Wash and chop all of your veggies. Sort your veggies by cook time, things that take longer go in first (like cabbage and carrots) while things that are quicker can go later (like broccoli and zucchini).
2. Flavor I add a touch of water (or oil if you like) and sautee onion and garlic first for flavor. Add spices or herbs to your liking.
3. Simmer Bring broth to a simmer adding in veggies and allow to cook until tender.
Vegetable Soup in the Slow Cooker
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- saute onions and add all ingredients to the slow cooker
- cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours or until veggies are tender
Instant Pot
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- cook onions using the saute function
- add all ingredients to the Instant Pot ensuring you don’t go past the max line
- cook on high pressure 6 minutes, naturally release 5 minutes. cook longer if you prefer softer veggies.
Making This Veggie Soup a Main Course
If you want to make this into a main course, you can add protein like ground turkey and some grains or leftover roasted vegetables.
Proteins to add
Grains to add
- cooked brown rice
- quinoa
- whole wheat noodles.
Of course, this soup isn’t the magic weight loss secret but if you’re trying to cut calories this is perfect to have in your fridge ready to enjoy when you need a snack or a quick meal!
How to Add More Flavor to Vegetable Soup
We love this vegetable soup and it’s very flavorful! We season with our favorite herbs or add Italian Seasoning but you can add whatever you’d like! Here are a few additions to change the flavor:
- replace canned tomatoes with spicy canned tomatoes
- add a few dashes of hot sauce
- fresh herbs such as basil or cilantro
- parmesan cheese (or a cheese rind while cooking)
- a very small amount of balsamic vinegar
- tomato paste or bouillion
- a splash of wine
How to Freeze Vegetable Soup
This vegetable soup recipe is great because it can be made on the weekend to enjoy throughout the week and it freezes well. I spoon it into single servings and portion it into freezer bags.
They’re easy to take out for a quick meal or snack and perfect to heat up for a quick meal on the go. If you’re looking for something quick and healthy you’ll love this easy veggie soup recipe!
Weight Loss Vegetable Soup Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 14 servings
Ingredients
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 4 cups cabbage chopped, approx. ¼ head of cabbage
- 1 cup green beans 1″ pieces
- 2 whole bell peppers chopped
- 28 ounces low sodium diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon each thyme & basil
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups zucchini sliced
Instructions
- In a large pot cook onion & garlic over medium heat until slightly softened.
- Add carrots, cabbage & green beans and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in bell peppers, undrained tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, bay leaves and seasonings. Simmer 6-7 minutes.
- Add in zucchini & broccoli. Simmer an additional 5 minutes or until softened.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
This is NOT medical advice. This recipe is provided for informational purposes and enjoyment only. Eating this soup doesn’t guarantee weight loss. Before starting any weight loss program, be sure to consult your doctor.
NOTE: Nutritional information auto-generated and is based on the quantities, amounts, and brands of products I used in this recipe. Actual amounts may vary based on your preparation and products used. Informational purposes only, this is not medical information or advice.
Other Delicious Soups To Try
- Homemade Lentil Soup – hearty and delicious!
- Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup) – a classic!
- Leftover Turkey Soup with Potato Drop Dumplings – perfect post holiday soup.
- Classic Chicken Noodle Soup – so easy to make.
- Fresh Tomato Soup – serve on a cool winter day.
