And now, without further intro, here are six vegetarian soup recipes for you to try. Enjoy!
EASY PEA SOUP
This comes from Nigella Lawson in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Nigella wrote, “One of my regular near-instant meals is pea soup, which I make by tossing sliced scallions in a little garlic-infused oil (or using regular olive oil and mincing a clove of garlic into it) and then by adding peas from the freezer.” Yield: 2 to 4 servings; Time: 15 minutes.
This was featured in “AT MY TABLE; In January, Comfort Comes On the Stove or in a Bowl and can be viewed online here.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon garlic-infused oil
2 scallions, finely sliced
4 cups (two 10-ounce packages) frozen peas
Chicken or vegetable stock concentrate (powder, paste or cube)
2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Place a saucepan over medium-low heat, and add oil and scallions. Stir until heated, then add frozen peas. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
Add 3 cups boiling water and stock concentrate to taste. Cover, and cook at a lively simmer until peas are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool until no longer steaming.
Transfer soup to a blender. Add cheese, and purée until mixture is very smooth. Serve immediately or, if desired, reheat to taste.
HERBED CARROT SOUP
From the December 2005 issue of Runner's World; reprinted from HerbWise: Growing, Cooking, WellBeing, by Bruce Burnett
2 pounds of carrots, chopped
1 large onion, diced
6 sprigs of fresh parsley, 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 6 six black peppercorns, bundled together so that they can be easily removed after cooking
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tbs of butter
6 C of vegetable stock
Freshly grated mace or nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Lightly sauté the onion & garlic in the butter. Add the stock & carrots & simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the bundle of herbs & continue to simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the herbs, allow the soup to cool, & put it through the blender in batches. Reheat the soup over low heat while adding the mace or nutmeg & salt & pepper to taste. Serve with some fresh, homemade bread & garnish with some fresh parsley & a little chopped fresh thyme.
Note: The original recipe called for vegetable or chicken stock.
VEGETARIAN TACO SOUP IN THE CROCKPOT
This comes from Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian Food expert. She writes, “I love Mexican food. Or, perhaps it's more accurate to say I love Mexican-American food. Or rather, I love both! This vegetarian taco soup recipe isn't going to win any awards of authenticity, but it's quick to prepare (you really just dump everything in the crockpot), easy, high-protein, nearly fat-free, and deliciously satisfying. Plus, it's a great vegetarian and vegan option for families on a budget. Keep it vegan by omitting the optional cheese and sour cream toppings, or use dairy-free and vegan substitutes.” Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 480 minutes (8 hours); Total Time: 485 minutes; Yield: 6 servings as a main dish
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can kidney beans or navy beans, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 7-ounce can green chiles (optional - you may want to omit this if you're cooking for kids)
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes (Mexican-style is best, if you can find it) - do not drain
1 package taco seasoning mix
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Optional garnishes:
tortilla chips or corn chips
grated cheese
chopped green onions
fresh chopped cilantro
Preparation
Cook on low crockpot setting for 8-10 hours.
If you're in a hurry, you can also set this on high in the crockpot for 3 hours.
Top each bowl of soup with optional garnishes to serve: cheese, a dollop of sour cream, some tortilla chips or corn chips and fresh chopped cilantro or green onions.
This is a thicker soup, similar to a stew. To thin it out, you can add a little vegetable broth or soy milk, if you like.
THREE-BEAN SOUP
While this soup can be fixed anytime, it’s one of my favorite quick weekend meals, especially if it happens to be cold and/or rainy. It’s from the November/December 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 37, in that issue’s “30 Minutes; Quick, Fast Food” section. This vegan recipe serves 6, and starts off, “Here’s a straight-from-the-pantry soup that’ll become a weeknight favorite. (Or, in my case, weekend favorite.) Pureeing one of the cans of beans creates a creamy base without adding extra fat or cholesterol. Garnish with crumbled feta cheese and serve with vegetable chips, if desired.”
To view this online, click here.
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 15.5-oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 Tbs.)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 15.5-oz. can great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft. Add navy beans, black beans and garlic, and continue cooking and stirring 8 to 10 minutes more. Stir in 1 cup broth.
Meanwhile, put great Northern beans and remaining 1 cup broth into food processor or blender, and puree until smooth. Pour puree into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin with more broth or water, if desired.
Spoon into individual soup bowls, and serve hot.
Per serving: 231 calories; 13 g protein; 5 g total fat (0 g saturated fat); 39 g carbs; 0 mg cholesterol; 557 mg sodium; 11 g fiber; 5 g sugars
VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP
This recipe is from Diabetic Gourmet
Yield: 6 servings
Source: "The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook"
Info: http://diabeticgourmet.com/book_archive/details/17.shtml
Notes: This recipe originally calls for chicken broth and butter. To make it vegetarian, I've substituted vegetarian broth and olive oil.
Ingredients
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 (14.5) cans vegetarian broth
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 summer squashes (zucchini or yellow squash, about 1 pound total), quartered lengthwise and chopped
1 (7 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil (Note: this is in place of butter – for a total of 3 tablespoons of olive oil)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (about 4 shakes) (optional)
Directions
Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker crock and mix well. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Stir well before serving. If desired, stir in Tabasco sauce before serving.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/6 of recipe): Calories: 210, Protein: 8 g, Carbohydrate: 18 g, Fat: 9 g, Cholesterol: 14 mg, Sodium: 1020 mg; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Lean Meat, 2 Fat, 2 Vegetable
BUTTERNUT SOUP
This recipe comes from Diabetic Connect. It originally calls for 2 vegetable or chicken stock cubes, but I've cut out the chicken stock cubes, so that it's only using the vegetable stock cubes. You could also use vegetable broth in place of the water and cut out the vegetable cubes altogether. Makes 4 servings.
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 butternut squash diced
1 sweet potato diced
1 onion finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
cinnamon to taste
1 teaspoon nutmeg
salt to taste
3 tablespoons plain low fat yogurt
2 vegetable cubes (see note above)
Directions
In a large pot, add the olive oil and onion, stir until soft.
Then add the butternut and sweet potato and cover with boiled water half an inch over.
Add the stock cubes, nutmeg and salt.
Cook until veggies are soft.
Turn down heat, stick blend until smooth, and add yogurt and cinnamon… yummy!
