Tricks To Make Healthy Low-Fat Soups Taste Amazing

Easy to make and terrific first courses for people trying to lose weight, soups make delicious, nourishing, low-fat meals.

Here are a few tricks for upping the flavor of your soups while keeping the fat content low:

• 1.) Use a Touch of Healthy Oil:Not all fats are alike. Trade in saturated and trans fats for unsaturated fats. Choose healthy fats, likeheart-healthy olive oil. If your recipe calls for pre-cooked vegetables -- such as onions, celery, or carrots -- use a small amount of olive oil. If the vegetables start to stick to the pan, add a bit more oil or a tablespoon or so of water, wine, or broth to keep them from burning.
• 2.) Brown meats in a separate pan:Discard fat, and pat meat dry before adding to your stock pot.
• 3.) Add Miso: Miso is fermented soybean paste. It gives a savory, meat-like flavor to vegetarian or other broths. Add a tablespoon per quart of water.
• 4.) Fry Your Spices:Before adding spices to your soup, fry them for a minute or so over medium heat. Add dried herbs at the beginning of the cooking time, and fresh herbs right before serving.
• 5.) Replace the Cream: If your recipe calls for a heavy cream, use puréed cooked potatoes instead. Stir the puree back into the soup to thicken it.
• 6.) Add Just a Touch of Cream:A little cream will go a long way. When the recipe calls for 1 cup of heavy cream, stir in a few tablespoons.

Explore our complete collection of Low-Fat Soups and Stews.

First-Course Soups

Most of these soups have fewer than 100 calories per serving.

• Tortilla Soup I: Tortilla Soup I
• Miso Soup I: Miso Soup I
• Japanese Onion Soup: Japanese Onion Soup
• Delicious Mushroom Soup: Delicious Mushroom Soup

Main-Dish Meat Soups

Make your own stock, or use low-sodium canned broths as the base of these soups.

• White Wine Chicken Soup: White Wine Chicken Soup
• Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup: Peanut Butter Vegetable Chicken Soup
• Caldo De Res (Beef Soup): Caldo De Res (Beef Soup)
• Vietnamese Beef Pho: Vietnamese Beef Pho
• Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup: Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

Main-Dish Vegetarian Soups

(If you are a vegetarian, omit the Worcestershire sauce from your recipe or check the label, as some brands contain anchovies.)

• Butternut Squash Bisque: Butternut Squash Bisque
• Hearty Lentil Soup: Hearty Lentil Soup
• African Peanut Soup: African Peanut Soup
• Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup: Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup
• More Vegetarian Soup Recipes: More Vegetarian Soup Recipes

Find more main dish recipes that feature whole foods, simple preparations, and wonderful fresh flavors.

Find More Healthy Soups and Stews