Is vegetable soup good for weight loss? Weight loss and soups share a very cordial relation. To put it more precisely, soups are inevitable companions in a dieter’s journey towards weight loss. However, soups need not always be boring. They can definitely taste fabulous even without all that oil /or butter.
5 Interesting Vegetable Soup Recipes For Weight Loss:
Here are 5 healthy vegetable soup recipes for weight loss ─ no fat, just nutrition and great taste!
1. Carrot And Moong Dal Soup:
A delightful blend of split green gram lentils with the antioxidant-rich carrots─ this one is easy on your palate and great for your body! Onions are roasted in negligible amount of oil along with garlic. The skimmed milk used in the soup, provides protein, transforming this soup into a wholesome and nourishing meal.
Ingredients:
- Carrots – ¼ cup, finely chopped
- Split green gram lentils or moong dal – 1/8 cup, washed, well-drained
- Black pepper powder – 1 tsp, freshly ground, or to taste
- Garlic – 6 cloves, peeled, finely chopped
- Onions – 1/8 cups, finely sliced
- Tomatoes – 1, small, finely chopped
- Skim milk – 1/8 cup
- Salt – to taste
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Cloves – 2
- Oil – 1 ½ tsp
Directions:
- Place a non-stick pan on medium heat.
- Heat 1 tsp oil.
- Add onions and garlic and sauté on medium flame until the raw smell disappears and onions and garlic turn brown.
- Add carrots and cook for a minute.
- Mix in tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Roast washed moong dal in a different pan until a nice aroma comes.
- Add moong dal, the veggie mixture, and about 1.5 cups of water to a large bowl.
- Pressure cook for 3 whistles on high flame, lower the flame and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Take out after the pressure and allow it to cool.
- Add to a blender and blend to a smooth mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a non-stick pan, mix in milk, ¼ cup water, salt, and black pepper powder and boil for a minute.
- In a small pan, add the rest of the oil.
- Add cumin seeds and cloves and allow it to splutter.
- Pour over the soup and serve immediately.
2. Garlick Vegetable Soup:
If you love garlic, then this one will surely appeal to your taste buds! Opt for powdered moong dal or roasted and powdered oats for a thick soup.
Ingredients:
- Mixed veggies – 1 cup, finely chopped [Broccoli, carrot, beets, capsicum, green peas]
- Garlic – 6 cloves, peeled, finely chopped
- Onions – 1, medium sized, peeled, finely chopped
- Oats – 2 tbsp, roasted and powdered
- Salt – to taste
- Black pepper powder – to taste
- Cloves – 2, for seasoning
- Oil – 1 tsp
Directions:
- Heat oil on a non-stick pan placed on medium to high flame.
- Add garlic and onion and sauté until both turn golden brown.
- Add veggies and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add about 2 ½ cups of water and allow the mixture to come to boil.
- Cover and cook on low to medium flame until veggies are cooked well.
- Mix in salt and pepper as desired.
- Dry roast cloves in a small pan and crush well. Keep aside.
- Mix in powdered oats to the veggie mixture and simmer for 3 more minutes.
- Serve hot, garnished with crushed cloves.
3. Tomato Soup:
This one is a lush soup, but is low in calories, which is ideal for weight loss. You can enjoy this soup more during cold winter nights.
Ingredients:
- Tomato – 6 large, washed thoroughly
- Water – 4 cups
- Butter – ½ tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Salt – to taste
- Black pepper powder – to taste
- Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
- Cloves – 6
Directions:
- Add washed tomatoes along with water to a large bowl and pressure cook up to 3 whistles.
- Take out from the pressure cooker, remove the peels, and allow it to cool.
- Add to a blender and blend to a smooth paste.
- Using a strainer, strain the mixture to remove seeds, if any.
- Add to a non-stick saucepan and allow it to come to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add water, if necessary to adjust the thickness.
- Season as required.
- Turn off and keep aside.
- In a small pan, heat butter. Add cumin seeds and cloves and allow to splutter.
- Pour atop the soup.
- Serve the soup.
4. Red Kidney Beans Soup:
Here comes the best vegetable soup for weight loss made with rajma or red kidney beans, this soup easily doubles up as a simple main course. The low fat milk used here enriches the flavor of the soup, making it creamier and richer.
Ingredients:
- Red kidney beans – ¼ cup
- Onions – 2, medium, finely chopped
- Garlic – 4 cloves, peeled, minced
- Ginger – 1 1inch piece, peeled, finely grated
- Tomato -1, medium, finely chopped
- Carrot – 1, medium, peeled, finely grated
- Skim milk – ¼ cup, if required
- Salt – to taste
- Red chili flakes – to taste
- Oil – 2 tsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
- Chaat masala – 1 tsp
Directions:
- Thoroughly wash the kidney beans and pressure cook with washed, grated carrot.
- Add 1 tsp oil to a preheated skillet and sauté onions, ginger, and garlic until golden brown.
- Add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn pulpy.
- Keep aside the water from the cooked beans and keep aside half of the beans.
- Mash rest of the beans well.
- Add mashed beans and enough salt and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Take off from the heat and allow it to cool down.
- Transfer to a blender along with red chili flakes and blend to a smooth puree.
- Add to the skillet again, mix in the non-mashed beans, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add water to adjust the consistency.
- Add milk if desired.
- Check the seasoning.
- Sprinkle chat masala, garnish with coriander leaves, and serve hot.
5. Mushroom Soup:
Mushrooms are great for weight loss—now that’s a well-established fact. While a creamy mushroom soup is mostly preferred, it often comes loaded with calories. This one is a twist on the classical version, but exceeds the classical one in terms of flavor.
Ingredients:
- Button mushrooms – 1 cups, chopped, washed
- Corn flour – 1 tsp dissolved in ¼ cup skim milk
- Onions – ½ cup, finely sliced
- Salt – to taste
- Milk – 1 cup
- Black pepper powder – to taste
- Mix herb seasoning – to taste
- Water – 2 cups
Directions:
- Cook 1 cup of the mushrooms in 1 cup milk until it becomes soft.
- Keep aside and allow it to cool.
- Add to a blender and blend to a semi-smooth paste.
- Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame.
- Add onions and roast, sprinkling water now and then, until onions turn golden brown.
- Remove from pan and keep aside.
- Add the ground paste to the pan along with water and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Mix in corn flour, salt, and seasoning, and allow to come to a boil.
- Lower the flame and simmer for 6 minutes or until the mixture turns creamy and thick.
- Serve immediately.
Soups need not necessarily be laden with fat or calories to be palate-friendly. In fact, you can even use salt substitutes, if you have bloating issues. These 5 soups can be easily made at home. In fact, tomato soup and carrot-moong dal soup are my favorites.
What is your choice of a low calorie vegetable soup for weight loss? Share your recipe with us in the comment section below.