For some people, vegetable soup sounds boring and not tasty at all.
Let me convince you that it’s not true. Cooking vegetable soups offers a wide range of benefits, making them a nutritious and flavorful addition to your diet.
So, why Vegetable Soups?
Nutrient-Rich: Vegetable soups are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants essential for overall health. Different vegetables offer a variety of nutrients, contributing to a well-balanced diet.
Low in Calories: Most vegetable soups are naturally low in calories, making them a great option for those looking to manage their weight. You can enjoy a hearty and filling meal without excessive calorie intake.
Fiber Content: Vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which supports digestion, helps regulate blood sugar levels, and contributes to a feeling of fullness. Fiber also promotes a healthy gut and may reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases.
Hydration: Many vegetables have a high water content, contributing to the overall hydration of the body. Consuming water-rich foods like soups can help maintain proper hydration levels.
Immune Support: Vegetables are a natural source of vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin A, which are crucial for a strong immune system. Including a variety of vegetables in your soups can help support your body’s defense mechanisms.
Heart Health: Certain vegetables, like leafy greens and tomatoes, contain compounds that promote heart health. These vegetables are often found in vegetable soups and contribute to a diet that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Digestive Health: The combination of fiber and water in vegetable soups supports healthy digestion by aiding in regular bowel movements and preventing constipation.
Antioxidant Benefits: Vegetables are rich in antioxidants that help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. This can contribute to reducing the risk of chronic diseases and promoting overall well-being.
Versatility: Vegetable soups offer endless possibilities for creativity. You can mix and match a variety of vegetables, herbs, and spices to create unique flavor profiles that suit your preferences.
Easy to Prepare: Vegetable soups are often simple and quick to prepare. With basic cooking skills, you can whip up a nutritious meal in no time, making them a convenient option for busy days.
Budget-Friendly: Many vegetables are cost-effective, making vegetable soups a budget-friendly choice for those looking to save money while still enjoying delicious and nutritious meals.
Dietary Variety: Incorporating a diverse range of vegetables in your soups can help you meet your recommended daily servings of different vegetables, ensuring you receive a variety of nutrients.
In our family, we eat vegetable soups every single week. In winter I usually cook a thick and rich soup from root vegetables, and pumpkin or cabbage. When it is hot outside in the summer, I prefer light, lean vegetable soups that are appropriate with everything on hand, from zucchini and green peas to tomatoes and eggplant. Moreover, such soups are good to eat cold, which is important in hot weather.
In this blog post, I am going to share with you my useful tips and cooking techniques when preparing vegetable soup, as well as give you a basic Vegetable Soup Formula. With this knowledge, you will be able to cook a chic restaurant soup at home and delight your family. You won’t have to surf the internet looking for a recipe that fits your fridge content. Using this soup formula and your imagination, you can create masterpiece recipes 😊
Basic Vegetable Soup Formula:
Soup is 50% the liquid part. It can be water, broth, vegetable/fruit juice, brine, or even herbal infusion.
The second part is basic vegetables, such as onion (shallot, leek, etc.); carrots; celery stalks; roots (parsley, parsnip, celery); mushrooms; bell peppers, etc.
Next are additional vegetables, such as potatoes; pumpkin; eggplant; cabbage (all types); beetroot; tomatoes, etc.
Followed by grains and legumes, such as millet, buckwheat, rice, barley, etc.; and last but not least additives that give the soup flavor. These are different herbs & spices; sauces; leafy greens & food that have a rich and deep flavor.
Vegetable Broth for Delicious Soup:
I usually use Homemade Vegetable Broth for all my soup recipes. You can use a store-bought as well. But always read the ingredient list! You don’t need too much sodium or any fat in the vegetable broth. And avoid vegetable stock with additional preservatives. Remember, everything goes into your body. If you make your own, here is a tip:
- Vegetables for the broth must be peeled. Many of them have bitter skin, so you should not add it to the broth. An exception may be onion peel. Sometimes it is added to the broth to get a rich golden color.
I advise you to read more tips on how to prepare your broth in my blog post Homemade Vegetable Broth Recipe: Step-by-Step Guide.
Preparation in Advance Life-hacks:
- You can freeze the broth, make more in advance, 1 time in 1-2 weeks, so you don’t make it every time you cook soup. Freeze in portions.
- Also, cook more legumes at once and also freeze them, get them as needed. Just pour over boiling water and they are ready to go.
When Using Oils:
If you want to sauté some vegetables, then first heat the pan (pot) without oil. Then add oil and immediately the ingredient you want to sauté. This must be done so that the oil does not overheat. In this way, carcinogens can be avoided. And use avocado oil or ghee (clarified butter), which have a high heating point.
Frying produces Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). A pinch of turmeric when sauteing/frying inhibits or stops this process.
Winning Combinations:
- When adding legumes to the soup, serve it with lemon juice. It will help iron absorption from the beans;
- Legumes are champions in insoluble dietary fiber and resistant starch. Complex carbohydrates (such as quinoa, millet, brown rice, barley, corn, buckwheat, etc.) + legumes (white/red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.) = fulfilling;
- Protein from legumes + fat from nuts = fulfilling.
Cooking & Storage Tips:
So, congratulation! Now you can make a delicious soup that is not inferior to the restaurant version 😊
Meanwhile, you are welcome to try delicious Vegetable Soups:
- Pumpkin Soup with a Secret Ingredient
- Lima Bean Soup with Brown Rice
- Dutch Split Pea Soup
- Split Pea Soup with Goat Cheese
