Healthy and Cozy Winter Soups
Shanthi Appelo, MS, RD
| 1 min read
Soup brings coziness and comfort to the winter season and is effortless to heat up for lunch. There’s something warming beyond the temperature about having a bowl of soup on a cold, snowy day. Though they’re often touted as health foods because of their liquid base and vegetable content, soups can often rack up in saturated fat, sodium and even sugar to achieve creaminess and palatability. Oftentimes, a broccoli cheddar soup doesn’t offer up much health beyond the vitamins from the broccoli.
Making your own soup? Here are some ingredients rich in saturated fat that contribute to creaminess, but limit their use if your aim is to make a healthier soup:
- Heavy cream
- Full fat coconut milk
- Butter
- Crème Fraiche
- Bacon drippings
- “Cream of” soup bases
When creating a healthy creamy soup, look to do so with these tips in mind:
- Roast, sauté or simmer vegetables then blend into soup. To maintain some full vegetables, set aside a few from blending.
- Create a roux, a paste created using flour and olive oil, to thicken soups.
- Use milk or lite coconut milk instead of heavy cream or other full-fat options.
Curious about these techniques? Try these two vegan soup recipes that don’t sacrifice creaminess or taste:
