Nothing beats a hearty, comforting cup of healthy soup or chili when the weather outside is rainy and bitterly cold. It’s like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket, and they’re usually loaded with vegetables, fiber, and lean protein for a wonderfully healthy dinner. Meaning delicious flavor AND enough energy to get you through the day (particularly while shoveling snow off the driveway in the winter!)
Many of these soup dinner recipes can be made ahead of time and frozen. This means you can make a huge batch, serve some immediately, and freeze the rest for later! Most soups will keep for 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Combine it with a nutritious muffin (also freezer friendly!), and you’ll have a meal packed for months.
The Best Hearty Soup Recipes
Here are the best ten hearty soup recipes
1. Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tender chicken, crispy tortilla strips, vegetables, and herbs are combined in a delightfully flavored broth to make Chicken Tortilla Soup. It’s a simple, healthful soup that blends various fresh Mexican flavors to warm you up from the inside out!
2. Chicken and Lentil Soup
Chicken, lentils, leafy greens, and maize simmer in herb-infused chicken stock with coconut milk in this flavorful Chicken Lentil Soup. You may make it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop; the option is yours!
3. Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Chicken Wild Rice Soup is made in your slow cooker, Instant Pot, or on the stove without heavy cream, flour, or butter. It’s simple, creamy, low-fat, and the healthiest comfort food in a bowl!
4. Chicken Noodle Soup recipe
In about 40 minutes, you can have a soup as flavorful as grandma by combining juicy chicken, soft vegetables, and substantial noodles. After trying this recipe, you’ll never go back to canned or packaged food! A warm bowl of chicken noodle soup is a great choice when feeling under the weather.
This classic soup has all the nutritional qualities of chicken and whole wheat noodles, and it can be prepared on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. Turkey noodle vegetable soup also has all the benefits of chicken noodle soup but is lighter on fat. Soups with turkey may be healthier than chicken but are just as hearty.
5. Hearty Leftover Turkey Soup
In about 40 minutes, you can have a soup as flavorful as grandmas by combining juicy chicken, soft vegetables, and substantial noodles. After trying this recipe, you’ll never go back to canned or packaged food!
6. The Easiest Turkey Taco Soup
This most accessible Turkey Taco Soup spoonful is packed with savory ground turkey, beans, and corn. This quick 30-minute soup can be cooked on the stovetop or in the slow cooker and then topped with your favorite toppings!
7. Stuffed Pepper Soup
Stuffed Pepper Soup contains all of the flavors of stuffed peppers without the hassle. This hearty cup of soup with a sprinkle of Ukrainian flavor is made with simple ingredients like ground turkey or beef, rice, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
8. Buckwheat Soup
This hearty Ukrainian Buckwheat Soup Recipe mixes soup bones, mixed veggies, and roasted buckwheat (high in protein and fiber yet low GI) for a nutritious, healthful, and delicious diet soup (with plenty of leftovers!).
9. Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
Zuppa Toscana is a hearty Italian sausage, kale, and potato soup made in the Instant Pot. You can create this healthier Olive Garden copycat soup at home with this simple recipe!
10. Instant Pot Lentil Soup
With green or brown lentils, canned tomatoes, and spinach in a broth that tastes like it’s been cooking for hours, this is THE BEST Instant Pot Lentil Soup. Best of all, it simply takes 5 minutes to prepare and doesn’t require any sauteing!
Tips for the Best Healthy Soups
- Adjust the sodium accordingly: I always use low-sodium broth. That way, I can adjust it myself!
- Saute the ingredients: While this isn’t always necessary, browning your meat and veg can add tons of flavor to simple soups.
- Simmer, don’t boil: Boiling soups can quickly turn veggies and beans mushy, so a slow simmer is always preferred.
- Provide an acidic ingredient: Adding an acidic ingredient to any soup helps to add brightness and depth of taste. Vinegar, lemon, lime, wine, and even tomato paste are good options.
- Use dairy sparingly: All healthy soups listed below are light on dairy. Instead, a tablespoon of yogurt, cream, or coconut milk on top of your soup will provide just enough richness.
- Don’t take shortcuts: With any soup or stew, the only shortcut worth taking is to use an Instant Pot. It will still taste as if it has been simmering for hours, but it will take a fraction of the time. Any additional shortcuts will alter the flavor of your broth and prevent it from melding and developing to its full potential.
How to Make Chicken Wild Rice Soup?
- Prepare wild rice like you would ordinary rice by rinsing it ahead of time. Even though it isn’t rice and you aren’t rinsing off the same amount of starch, you should still rinse off any debris or bits of starch.
- Spices are added to the vegetables as they are sautéed. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic. Continue to sauté for 5 minutes after adding the vegetables and spices.
- Add the other ingredients: chicken, potatoes, wild rice, water or broth, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 55 minutes or until rice and potatoes are tender.
- Shred chicken Place chicken onto a plate, shred with two forks, and set aside.
- Whisk the milk and prepare mustard in a small mixing bowl to make it creamy, then blend briefly with an immersion blender. Alternatively, leave things alone. Return the shredded chicken to the pan and a handful of minced parsley. Enjoy!
How to Turn the Chicken Wild Rice Soup Into a Freezer Meal?
Do you like to plan for busy weeknights or days when you don’t feel like cooking? Turn the chicken wild rice soup recipe into a freezer meal and have it ready when you are!
- In an Instant Pot, combine all ingredients except the water, milk, and parsley in a big Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months after sealing. Cook for 25 minutes on high pressure with 7 cups of water/broth from frozen, then wait 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure.
- In a large Ziploc bag, combine all ingredients, except the water, milk, and parsley, in the slow cooker. Freeze for up to 3 months after sealing. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours with the necessary amount of water/broth after thawing for 24 hours in the fridge. You don’t have to boil the vegetables before putting them in the bag. In any case, the soup will be delicious.
- After the chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the pan and shred it with two forks. Mix the soup with an immersion blender until it reaches the required consistency. Return the chicken to the pan along with the herbs. Serve immediately after stirring.
How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup?
Follow Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup instead if you have a pressure cooker.
- Prep Preheat
- Toss in the remaining oil and garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir the mixture constantly.
- Cook till slightly brown, then add the chicken, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne to the saucepan. Stir the mixture a few times.
- Bring to a boil. Combine the broth, tomato sauce, corn, and black beans in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer Reduce the heat to low and allow the flavors to mingle.
Conclusion
The beef is tender, and the soup is rich in vegetables. With minimal active time, this recipe is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a great meal to make for the family or a date. For a gourmet touch, soups with barley or kale can be garnished with fresh herbs and pesto. This delicious soup is full of holiday flavors and pairs well with a slice of homemade ciabatta bread or crisp no-knead bread. If you’re really in the mood for a vegan or vegetarian dish, you can try making a vegan version of the classic recipe using vegetable broth. The vegan version is just as flavorful!
Soup can also be frozen for later use and enjoyed throughout the week. If you are looking for a frugal option, quinoa stew is the perfect choice for your meal. Vegetable soups are an excellent choice for a nutritious, filling lunch. They’re easy to make the perfect meal. Serve these hearty soups with sliced bread and fresh fruit. You’ll be glad you tried it! Soups are great when in chilly weather, but they’re even better when paired with other foods. Whether you’re serving them as a snack or a main dish, you can be sure that they’ll warm your heart.
