Top 5 Healthiest Soups

• The Minestrone Soup

Commonly available in the Italian restaurants, Minestrone soup is mostly prepared of tomato. It contains lots of fiber rich beans, vegetables rich in antioxidants and lycopenes which is great for the heart. You can make it healthier by adding more beans and less of pasta.

Minestrone Soup Recipe

Chopped Red Onion- 1 medium
Olive Oil- 1 tablespoon
Diced Carrots- 2
Chopped Sweet Red Pepper- 1
Celery Stick- 1
Passata- 500g
Vegetable Stock- 600ml
Worcestershire Sauce- 1 tablespoon
Pasta Twirls- 50g
Drained Cannellini Beans- 250g
Crusty Bread

Instructions

Cook chopped onion in the olive oil over low heat.
Add carrots, celery, red pepper to the onion and stir well for 5 minutes.
Keep stirring the vegetables.
Add passata, vegetable stock, sauce and pasta. Simmer it and stir properly for 20 minutes. The pasta should become soft.
Add cannelini beans to the vegetables. Heat it for about 5 minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread.

• The Black Bean Soup

It gets its black color from the antioxidants present in it. It is said the darker the soup, the higher the content of flavonoid. Black bean soup is considered as one of the healthiest soups as it contain antioxidants for the protection of the cells. It is also high in fiber and proteins.

Black Bean Soup Recipe

Olive Oil (Extra Virgin)- 1 tablespoon
Finely Chopped Onion- 1 large
Finely Chopped Garlic- 4 cloves
Black Beans (Rinsed and Drained)- 4 Cans (1pound)
Lemon Juice- ½ teaspoon
Ground Cumin- ½ teaspoon
Dried Oregon- ½ teaspoon
Finely Chopped Parsley- 2 tablespoons
Ground Black Pepper- To taste
Water- 4 cups

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté chopped onions over medium heat for about 4 minutes.
Add garlic to onions and sauté it till onions turn golden brown.
Add remaining ingredients to the onions. Then add water to them. Simmer the flame and cook.
Mash the beans to make the soup a little thick. Cover the pot and cook over low flame for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

• The Miso Soup

Miso soup is made of soy paste which is fermented. This is great for strengthening the immune system. It also adds good bacteria to the gut, making the digestive tract healthy and aiding the digestion. It is a weight watcher’s dream soup as it is low in calories. The Miso soup can prevent cancer.

Miso Soup Recipe

Water- 900mg
Fresh Soft Tofu- 200g
Miso Paste- 60g
Spring Onions- 40g
Fried Bean Curd- 40g
Kelp- 20g
Dried Bonito- 20g

Instructions

Soak kelp in water for an hour. After an hour, boil the water and kelp.
Remove the kelp from the water and let the water cool.
Put dried bonito in this water and boil. Once it is boiled strain the bonito.
Add miso paste to the water and mix properly.
Add kelp, spring onion, tofu and bean curd to the water. Mix it well and boil again.
Serve it hot.

• The Vegetable Soup

This one wins the list hands down. You get the benefit of having a variety of vegetables at one go. It will give you all the benefits of the vegetables. The vegetable soup is great for heart, weight loss and general health. It is better to go prepare it at home, instead of buying the canned one. The canned soup has high sodium content and also added sugar.

• The Tomato Soup

Tomatoes are rich in lycophens which is very good for the health of your heart. The tomato soup is also low in fat and calories. Prepare it at home and avoid it at restaurants as they might add creme, sugar and butter to enhance the taste.