Now that the weather is feeling wintry and cold, we’ve been opting for far heartier meals to help us feel cosy and full. However, many people gain weight in the winter due to less activity and a stodgier diet, so we thought we’d take a look at some healthy soup recipes which will still feel like a ‘cuddle-in-a-bowl’ without making you pile on the pounds!
This is a seriously simple recipe to make as it takes minimal cooking and can all be chucked into a blender before serving. Red peppers contain a higher level of vitamin C than oranges, which gives your immune system a boost, and the average bowl of this soup comes in at under 300 calories. Served with a chunk of crusty bread, this will warm you from the inside.
Pumpkin soup is packed full of vitamins and minerals, but it can be a little on the bland side at times. That’s why this Thai-spiced version is such a good alternative as you still get all of the creamy goodness of pumpkin which works SO well as a soup, with the added flavours of delicate and aromatic Thai cuisine. It’s (quite unbelievably, given its fullness of flavour) just 100 calories per bowl and is full of antioxidants.
Lentils are a really underrated ingredient but are actually very nutritious and a great source of dietary fibre, as well as iron. The soup gets its smoky flavour from paprika which is a very rich source of vitamin A (just a teaspoon of paprika contains almost half of your daily required vitamin A!) and also contains at least 2 of your 5-a-day.
This soup is gluten free, paleo and vegan, so there’s basically no excuse for anyone to not try it! It contains parsnip, turnip, sweet potato and swede, which makes it perfect for this time of year as all of them should be in season, as well as coconut milk which adds a rich sweetness to the overall flavour.
Pea soup is a bit of a classic but it usually paired with ham – if you want an alternative which doesn’t contain red meat (which can be full of harmful nitrates) then try this version. It’s SO easy to make, can help you to use up the contents of your freezer and has only 131 calories per serving. It can also be frozen for up to three months so is a great recipe to batch-cook.