During the cold winter months, there is nothing cozier and more comforting than sipping a cup of tea near your fireplace or enjoying a nice, creamy soup for dinner. The problem is that many soups, especially canned and store-bought ones, are loaded with fat, calories and preservatives you really don’t want to put in your system. The following soup recipes are easy, simple, nutrient-dense, and can be prepared in under 30 minutes for those who don’t have much time to prepare something nice that the whole family will enjoy (up to 5 people).
Pumpkin and ginger soup. This creamy orange soup is fortified with all the goodness of the pumpkin which includes vitamins A, E, C and other nutrients with the tangy spicy taste and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger. To make this soup, saute two chopped scallions along with 2 cloves of garlic and 3 cups of cubed fresh pumpkin in 1 tbsp of butter for three minutes. Add 1 tsp of minced fresh ginger (or ginger powder), give everything a good toss, and add 1 ½ litres of water. Season with salt and pepper, thyme and optionally a bit of marjoram for extra aroma. Boil everything for 20 minutes and blend to make a semi-thick creamy soup.
Spinach and leek soup. Spinach is famous for its high iron content but it also contains significant amounts of other health-boosting nutrients like vitamins A, K, E, potassium, copper, and calcium. Leeks are also rich in fiber, manganese, folate, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K and perfectly complement spinach taste-wise in many recipes. To make this simple yet rich in flavor soup, saute 2 chopped leeks in one tbsp of olive oil for a couple of minutes and add 2 cups of fresh and washed spinach leaves (or thawed frozen ones) and cook until spinach becomes wilted. Add a bit of garlic powder and pour in one liter of water. Add a vegetable stock and season optionally with salt and pepper to taste. Before you remove it from the heat, add a splash of coconut cream. Let cool a bit and blend to form a runny soup.
Mediterranean lentil and carrot soup. If you are a fan of wholesome, hearty soups, you will love this soup. This soup has lentils and carrots as the key ingredients which offer a nice blend of fiber, vitamins A, C, K and iron among other nutrients and a rich filling taste inspired by Mediterranean flavors. To make this soup, add one chopped onion in a 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute until transparent for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 peeled and cubed carrots, toss and add 1 ½ cup of lentils and 1 ½ half liter of vegetable stock and 2 tbsp of tomato paste. Boil everything for around 20 minutes (or until carrots and lentils become soft), and finish with a bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. The soup is best eaten wholesome as it is, but you can also enjoy blended as well.
As you can see, you don’t need much time and fancy ingredients to prepare a delicious and healthy soups. If you want to spice up the flavor of any these soups more, some good herbs that go with almost everything are thyme, garlic, nutmeg and smoked paprika.