Soup's On!

While soup is wonderful during the winter, there's no reason you can't have it during other times of the year. To that end, here are six yummy soup recipes to help you through the day, including Hearty Ham and White Bean Soup and Potato Corn Chowder. Enjoy!

AUTUMN VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

This is from an older Weight Watchers' emailing list.

Ingredients

2 14.5 oz cans vegetable broth

1 18 oz can crushed tomatoes – undrained

3 medium carrots, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

3 small zucchini, cut into 1/2" slices

1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces

8 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup uncooked instant rice

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

Mix all ingredients except rice and basil in a 3-1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice. Cover and cook on low heat setting for about 15 minutes or until rice is tender.

Per serving: WW Points: 1; 195 Calories; 2g Total Fat; 7g Protein; 39g Carbohydrate; 1mg Cholesterol; 1198mg Sodium

PUMPKIN SOUP

Recipe Yield: Makes 8 servings.

Source: AICR

Recipe and image appear courtesy of American Institute for Cancer Research.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/pumpkin-soup-2.

Ingredients

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided

4 cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh) (butternut squash may be substituted)

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. light whipping cream (optional)

1 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Nutmeg (optional)

Directions

In large pot over medium-high heat add 3 cups broth, pumpkin, onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce to low and simmer uncovered, about 30 minutes.

Puree mixture until smooth, in small batches, using blender or food processor. Return to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes. Add remaining broth as desired. (Optional, stir in cream.)

Pour into bowls. Garnish with parsley (or sprinkle of nutmeg) and serve.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 71; Fat: 1 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Sodium: 284 mg; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 16 g

WEIGHT WATCHERS SLOW-COOKER SOUP

This was from a Weight Watchers email at least ten years ago. Each serving is about 1 cup.

Ingredients

10 oz baby spinach leaves

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium celery ribs, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced

4 C vegetable broth

28 oz canned diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Directions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker; cover & cook on high for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir, & serve.

Note: If you need the soup fast, simply add prepped ingredients in a large pot on stovetop. Bring to boil & then reduce heat to low; simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

HEARTY HAM AND WHITE BEAN SOUP

This is by Pam Anderson and was in the January 2010 issue of Runner's World (page 44; "The Athlete's Palate"). It begins, "The cabbage in this dish is rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as phytonutrients that helpl protect against some cancers. To save time and speed up the cooking process, heat the broth and tomatoes in the microwave while chopping the vegetables."

Pam Anderson has a really great cooking site, called Three Many Cooks. I really recommend it. Go ahead, I'll wait. (Tap, tap, tap

And now, on to the soup.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced into medium pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin

1/2 cabbage, cored, cut into bite-size shreds

12 ounces lean ham steak, diced into small pieces

1 quart chicken broth

1 14.5-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes

2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, undrained

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the oil over medium-high in a soup kettles. Add the onion, saute until soft and golden, about five minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and saute until fragrant, about one minute. Add the remaining ingredients, then bring to a full simmer, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low, simmer gently (partially covered) until the vegetables are just cooked and flavors blended, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley; cover and let stand five minutes. Serve's six.

SLOW COOKER CREAMY CORN CHOWDER

This is from Diana Rattray at The Spruce Eats. Diana wrote, " Corn chowder is one of those soups you can eat year round—it is comforting on a cold day, but also highlights one of the summer's best crops. It is a versatile recipe, allowing for additions (like bacon and chopped red pepper), as well as alterations (like keeping it chunky or puréeing half of the mixture). Corn chowder is also easily made vegetarian by swapping out the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

"What makes this recipe even more appealing is that it is cooked in a crock pot instead of on the stove. You can start the soup in the morning, and then finish it off an hour or so before dinnertime. And because it is filling and nutritious, all you need alongside are biscuits or crackers and a simple salad."

Prep Time: 20 mins; Cook Time: 8 hrs; Total Time: 8 hrs 20 mins; Servings: 6 to 8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

32 ounces corn (2 16-ounce cans, drained)

3 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or red-skinned)

1 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups whole milk (or half-and-half)

1 tablespoon butter

2 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled, or chopped chives or parsley), optional, garnish

Directions

Gather the ingredients.

Combine the corn, potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, and chicken broth in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.

Purée in a blender or food processor, or using an immersion blender, if desired, then return to the pot.

Stir in milk and butter; cover and cook on high about 30 to 60 minutes more.

Garnish with crumbled bacon and/or chopped chives, if desired.

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Tip

This recipe calls for canned corn, but you can use frozen kernels if you like. And if you are making this in summer when the corn is at its peak, by all means, use fresh ears (about 6 ears) of corn. To make removing the kernels from the ears easier and less messy, place the ear of corn on the center of a Bundt or tube pan, sticking the point of the ear in the hole a bit. Using a serrated knife, slice down the ear, rotating around, allowing the kernels to fall into the base of the cake pan.

Recipe Variation

Add some protein to the soup if you like. Ham, shrimp, lobster, and bacon are excellent choices. Cook the meat or shellfish and add them to the soup shortly before it's ready. If using shellfish, replace the chicken stock with clam juice or broth.

POTATO CORN CHOWDER

This comes from UnitedHealthcare, and begins, "Serving more than two? Double the recipe for a cold-weather meal."

Time: 20 minutes; Servings: 2

To view this online, go to https://www.medicare.uhc.com/wellness/health/uhcarticle/hwal-potato-corn-chowder.

Ingredients

1 cup loose-pack frozen whole-kernel corn

1 cup loose-pack frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onion and peppers

3/4 cup water

3/4 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash white or black pepper

1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Snipped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

In a medium saucepan combine corn, hash brown potatoes, water, bouillon granules, garlic and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, covered, about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Do not drain.

Gradually stir the milk into the flour; add milk mixture to vegetable mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

To serve, ladle the chowder into serving bowls. If desired, sprinkle each serving with parsley. Makes 2 servings.

Serving Size: 2 cups. Nutrition Facts Per Serving: 281 cal., 1 g total fat (0 g sat. fat), 0 mg chol., 438 mg sodium, 55 g carb., 3 g fiber, 25 g sugar, 16 g protein