13 Best Healthy & Easy Soup Recipes

Soups are one of the best ways to eat healthy and delicious! Here are our best easy soup recipes that the whole family will love.

 

When people ask Alex and me where to start for eating healthy, we typically reply, “soup!” Why? There are multiple benefits to cooking up a big pot of soup. Here’s a collection of our best soup recipes, but first: what’s so great about soups?

1. Soups make it easy to eat lots of vegetables at once. You can eat a vegetarian meal without eating any real nutritious vegetables: for example: grilled cheese! And we admit, sometimes when we look at a refrigerator of raw veggies, we feel uninspired. Soups make eating a variety of vegetables at once easy and delicious.
2. Soup recipes make meal planning a breeze. In the winter months, our meal plans start to look something like this: Soup and bread. Soup and salad. Soup and corn muffins. Soups work for a weeknight, a special dinner with company, or made ahead for lunches.
3. Soups are cozy and comforting. No explanation needed here: there’s nothing more hygge (read: extremely cozy) than a steaming bowl of soup. Just add a fuzzy blanket and a candle.

Over the years we’ve made hundreds of soup recipes, but here are a few of the best soup recipes that stand out here on A Couple Cooks. And, they’re healthy and easy soup recipes too!

Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower Soup

This Moroccan spiced cauliflower soup is show stopping and vibrant, full of delicious vegetables and cozy spices! Think cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon: a big bowl is positively restorative! Here the cauliflower is roasted until lightly charred, then pureed with those Moroccan spices into a silky puree. For the garnish: a bit of the roasted cauliflower, green onion and a drizzle of olive oil. This vegan soup is pretty simple to put together, full of nutrients, and gluten-free.

Tip: For this cauliflower soup recipe, it’s helpful to have an immersion blender because it lets you puree the soup right in the pot where the soup was cooked! (If you don’t have one, you can pour the hot soup into a standard blender.)

Chipotle Black Bean Tortilla Soup

This soup recipe is a popular one from our cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking! And you’ll be amazed by how much flavor is achieved in just over 30 minutes. The secret here is adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilis: it brings in a smoky flavor without adding too much heat! Adobo is sauce one of our tips for adding big flavor to vegetarian dishes. Topped with homemade crunchy tortilla strips, you won’t be able to stop eating it. It’s such a crowd pleaser that we’ve reprinted the book recipe right here on our blog! And, you can watch this video of us making it.

Creamy Red Lentil Soup

This dreamy, creamy red lentil soup is an easy vegetarian dinner recipe that’s ready in under an hour. Red lentils are packed with nutrients and can cure any case of the fall or winter blues! While cooking red lentils takes away their beautiful bright pink color, this red lentil soup results in a complex and delicious flavor. And what really amps it up is the garnish – don’t skimp on this one! The combination of crunchy toasted almonds, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of tangy lemon makes this soup next level.

Tip: If you have time, soak the lentils in a bowl of water overnight before you make this recipe. Soaking the lentils cuts down the cooking time and means you have less hands-on time to worry about when making this soup!

Classic Vegetarian Chili

Chili is an age old soup recipe that’s super (soup-er?) satisfying. This classic vegetarian chili recipe is one of our fan favorites. Think you can’t eat chili without meat? This chili recipe will convince you otherwise. A few of our secrets: we’ve added bulgur wheat to mimic the texture of meat, and added canned green chilis and a whole ton of chili powder. Topped with cheese and sour cream, this one is over the top delicious and a total crowd pleaser.

 

Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup with Stars

This soup recipe was originally created for kids: until adults started to tell us they’re huge fans too! When our nieces and nephews are visiting, Alex and I like to whip up a batch of this tangy, creamy vegan tomato soup that’s always a hit with the kids. To put it over the top: make star toasts (so cute!), or just go with grilled cheese! This soup has the most comforting vibe, and it’s made creamy with cashews instead of cream so it works for many diets.

Vegan Sweet Potato Soup with Harissa

Sweet potato soup? The soup recipe is full of unexpected flavor! The magic ingredient is peanut butter, which makes for a rich creamy base along with spices like cumin and turmeric. Handfuls of spinach bring in a nutritional punch, and it’s garnished with harissa: a North African chili paste! You can find mild harissa in most grocery stores: mild harissa adds a lot of flavor without any heat. Add a handful of crushed peanuts for a garnish and you’re in business.

Italian Vegetable and Gnocchi Soup

In just over 30 minutes, you can make this colorful Italian soup recipe that’s bursting with flavor and nutrients. Imagine onion, garlic, tomatoes, green beans, chickpeas, and spinach, all in a super flavorful broth surrounded by pillows of potato gnocchi! This soup is ultra flavorful and doesn’t need much simmering time. And adding tender gnocchi into a soup recipe instead of noodles brings a unique flair.

Tomato Artichoke Lentil Stew

This tomato artichoke lentil stew recipe is one of our old favorites that Alex created on a whim. When he explained the recipe concept I wasn’t on board: until I tasted the tangy, delicious and hearty flavors he served up in the bowl! This soup recipe has gone on to become my family’s traditional Christmas Eve soup. If that doesn’t speak for this soup, I don’t know what will!

Vegetarian Kale Soup with Mushrooms and Garlic

Twenty cloves of garlic in a soup? Yes, the hearty dose garlic in this soup recipe is what makes the broth incredibly restorative and tasty. And don’t worry, the garlic is cooked down so you won’t have garlic breath: we promise! This vegetarian soup recipe also features kale and mushrooms, making it ultra nutritious with the nutrient-dense dark leafy greens. When Alex first tasted this one, he said “Best soup ever.” Let’s see if you agree!

Cozy Farro & Brussels Sprouts Soup

This soup recipe is one we created intentionally to embrace the cozy-ness of the colder months. Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite vegetables, but we’d never tried a Brussels sprouts soup. Here, we’ve shredded them and added them to a soup recipe with lots of veggies and farro, a whole grain that’s a bit like barley but cooks faster. The soup is flavored with shallot, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and a few handfuls of greens are thrown in at the end. Brussels sprouts soup might sound unexpected, but it’s perfect for boosting immunity and getting your cozy on.

Tomato Artichoke Soup

Instead of a chunky tomato artichoke lentil stew like above, this one is pureed into a bright red smooth sauce that essentially tastes like pizza. It’s based on a recipe from one of our favorite local restaurants here in Indianapolis (Patachou), and is a favorite every time we make it. Homemade croutons and Parmesan cheese are a must for the garnish.

Hearty Sprouted Lentil Stew with Kale

Have you ever cooked with sprouted lentils? Sprouting lentils makes them easier for your body to digest the nutrients. Sprouted lentils are sold dried in stores (we found ours for this one at Whole Foods), or you can also sprout lentils at home. This soup recipe uses sprouted lentils along with kale, tomato, onion and carrot to make an unexpectedly delicious, totally nutritious and super hearty stew. It’s lovely for dinner with crusty bread and leftovers are perfect for lunch.

All Star Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili

How about one more chili recipe? This vegetarian sweet potato chili is super savory and you absolutely won’t miss the meat! Chunks of sweet potatoes add nutrients, and you can use any types of beans you’d like: black beans, pinto beans, or chili beans. A few secret ingredients here: cocoa powder and balsamic vinegar. It makes for a filling and satisfying chili that rounds out our list of soup recipes. Bon appetit!

Looking for other vegetarian soups?

This website is full of vegetarian soups and vegan soups! Here are a few other vegetarian soups we’d recommend:

• Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Stew
• Creamy Coconut Curry Pantry Soup
• Simple Indian Spiced Soup with Tomato & Lime

A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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