The most AMAZING Vegetable Soup!! Thick and creamy, loaded with tender vegetables, it tastes luxurious and rich but itโs a SUPER HEALTHY soup recipe withย 90% LESS calories than the usual creamy soups!
Magic super low calorie creamy Vegetable Soup!
Though my recipe feed doesnโt exactly scream โhealthy eatingโ by any stretch of the imagination, the more discerning may have noticed that most of my dinner recipes actually have a sensible level of calories.
I donโt often cook with cream. I control my use of butter (sometimes reluctantly). And I am pretty sure I can count the deep fried recipes on this blog on one hand.
I believe that food is for enjoying not just survival. I donโt believe in butchering great dishes of the world for the sake of drastic calorie reduction and compromising taste. Iโd rather eat a smaller serving of something super tasty and bulk up on vegetables.
However, Iย do have a thing for creating seriously tasty, super low cal meals that are filling. I have a few friends I often brainstorm with for calorie controlled food intake ideas. (Well, they brief me on exactly what theyโre after and I do the brainstorming).
This is the product of one such session โ a Healthy, Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe thatโs just 124 calories for a big bowl and itโs seriously delish!
Secret ingredient: Pureed peeled zucchini
This recipe is sort of an extension of my Creamy Cauliflower Soup. Which I initially used as the soup broth for this healthy creamy Vegetable Soup and while tasty, it had a distinct cauliflower flavour which was not what I was after. I was specifically trying to make a super low cal cream of vegetable soup, so I wanted the white soup broth to have a fairly neutral but seasoned flavour.
The solution? Two zucchinis in the bottom of my fridge past their used by date. Peel off the green = almost pure white flesh. I knew it would thicken the soup and add silkiness just like in my Creamy Zucchini Soup โ except this soup would be white.
Bingo.
Flavour!
The soup broth is also flavoured with onion and garlic which is cooked with the cauliflower and zucchini in vegetable broth and water until soft, then whizzed up until silky smooth. Pour it into the pot loaded with even more veggies, simmer to bring it all together and this is what you end up with โ a big pot of HEALTHY creamy Vegetable Soup that looks like itโs been made with tubs of cream.
Iโm not going to lie to you. Is it as good as making a real Cream of Vegetable Soup made using a big chunk of butter and 1/2 cup of flour to thicken milk? And letโs add a nice swish of cream while weโre at it, and weโd be mad not to sautรฉ the veggies for the soup in more butter, because after all, butter = flavour.
Then we must, oh we MUST serve it with big hunks of grilled cheese on toast, and donโt hold back on the cheese please, and while youโre at it, please slather the bread with butter before topping with cheese.
No, this Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup is not โas goodโ as that.
But does it stand on its own as a seriously delicious soup for a ridiculously low amount of calories for a gigantic VERY filling bowl?
YES IT DOES.
I know some people would use all the calorie credits for a little sweet treat. Not me. Bring on the grilled cheese. โ Nagi x
Soup Dippers
More creamy cream-less soups
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup โ bid Heinz goodbye!
Browse all Soups
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Magic healthy low cal creamy Vegetable Soup!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower , about 600 โ 700g / 1.2 โ 1.4 lb (Note 1)
Low Cal Creamy Soup Broth:
- 500g / 1 lb zucchinis (2 large), peeled and cut into 1.5cm / 3/5โณ slices
- 1 large onion , roughly chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , whole
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1 cup (250 ml) 0% fat milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder (or 1 tsp of one of them)
- Pinch black pepper
Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 onion , chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 2 large carrots , cut into 1.25cm / 1/2โณ pieces
- 3 celery sticks , cut into 0.75cm / 1/4โณ slices
- 2 red capsicum / bell peppers , cut into 1 cm / 2/5โณ pieces
- 500g / 1 lb zucchinis (2 large), peeled and cut into 1.25cm / 1/2โณ slices
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or other herb of choice)
- Salt and pepper
- Finely chopped parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
Cauliflower:
- For soup โ Break off 1/4 of the cauliflower into small bite size florets and put aside to use in the soup.
- For broth โ Break up the rest of the cauliflower into medium florets. If you have a small cauliflower, use the stem too โ peel then rough dice.
Broth:
- Place cauliflower for broth in a large pot. Add zucchini, onion, whole garlic cloves, vegetable broth and water. (Note 2)
- Place lid on, bring to boil then adjust heat so itโs simmering energetically. Cook for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
- Transfer to blender (Note 3), add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and milk. Place lid on, place tea towel on lid and hold down very firmly, then whizz to puree soup, starting on low then getting faster.
- Remove lid. Marvel at super low cal ultra creamy soup broth.
Soup:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots and celery, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add thyme, capsicum and zucchini. Cook until softened, around 2 minutes.
- Pour in soup broth. Adjustment consistency with water to achieve desired thickness. Add reserved cauliflower.
- Simmer 5 minutes to bring flavours together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve, garnished with parsley. Or splurge your calorie credits on a piece of grilled cheese to dunk into the soup!!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZERย
A familiar sight: a furry head peeking around the bench to check out if anything of interest (to him) is going on in the kitchenโฆ.. In this case, no, just raw cauliflower!
I canโt believe how much flavor was packed into such a simple sounding soup. The broth was so velvety and richโstill canโt get over how well it came together with no cream. My only change was to add some diced ham steak for extra protein. I will be making this again!
Iโm so glad you enjoyed it Gayle!! N x
can you freeze this? there are only 2 of us so I like to cook a big pot when I make soup and freeze the leftovers for easy dinners.
I added chicken and once in bowl added a pinch of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Very yummy. Thank you for this recipe!
Yes 100% Ellyse โ I mention this in the recipe notes. N x
Thankyou. Must have missed that bit in my excitement
Iโve swapped the milk for cashew milk and used veg broth. Iโm vegan so I swap things around. Didnโt use capsicums swapped for mushrooms and spiinich. Itโs delicious will make again.
Can I use soy milk?
Perfect Katstashia!! N x
I love this soup! I made it in the instant pot using evaporated milk and about half a pound of cooked, crumbled turkey sausage. Iโve been eating every day for lunch and am going to make a second batch for next week. I feel like thereโs a lot of versatility so I may try switching out some of the veggies.
ps I forgot to mention I halved the recipe.. but for some reason it does not half the quantity of cauliflower. So itโs 300 to 350g cauliflower halved well Iโm assuming that is right and what I did. No one missed the cream in this soup very healthy itโs a Five Star Recipe ๐๐๐๐๐love how clever you are to swop things out for creamy non cream. I blend cashews in some recipes to give creaminessโฆ. would love more cream โ no cream recipesโฆ I read about Tozer then the recipe! Got to get your priorities right hahaha
๐๐๐ please please more creamy โ creamless recipes. Your a genius! Thanks Nagi ๐ค
Yes!! Such a great alternative isnโt it Nina! N x
Greetings from UK Love this idea I donโt like dairy cream but like creamy faux recipes like thisโฆ thanks. Iโm cooking this todayโฆ
I hope you love it Nina!! N x
Has anyone tried to make this vegan? Ideas? Perhaps just substituting the milk with coconut milk I guessโฆ.
Iโve swapped the milk for cashew milk and used veg broth. Iโm vegan so I swap things around. Didnโt use capsicums swapped for mushrooms and spiinich. Itโs delicious will make again.
Hi Aj, you definitely can โ use vegetable broth and oat/almond/soy milk ๐ N x
This is my first comment on your site, but since I found it about two months ago, I basically live on it. This recipe is SO good. I made it last night hesitantly, and WOW. Tasty and filling. Thank you, Nagi ๐
Hello Nagi โ weโre trying the 5:2 fasting diet and have just made your lovely cauli cream soup! Itโs delish and your helpful addition at the bottom i.e. calories was super helpful. Thank you!
Iโm so glad you enjoyed it Mary! N x
I canโt wait to try your cauliflower zucchini soup base. Looking forward to checking out more of your recipes. ๐
Thanks so much Anita! N x
Eeeekkk. Now Iโm under the pump. I used chicken OXO cubes (hides face in shame)
Iโve made this twice now and love having it on hand. Eating 2 cups is shockingly filling! I like to add in red pepper flakes for some heat, or a dash of hot sauce. I also feel like it is missing some โumamiโ and this time added in some MSG and it really hit the spot. If you arenโt sensitive to it I really recommend adding in just a dash as it rounds it out well
Hi Katharoni โ sorry you found it lacking, it could just be the stock youโre using. ๐ N x
This is a wonderful recipe. It has turned out beautifully, and is perfect for batch cooking. The base of courgette and cauliflower works so well and is a perfect lower fat alternative to cream. Thank you very much for sharing it, Iโll definitely be using it as a base for many different soups in the future. Great! Iโm looking forward to exploring your other recipes too : )
Thanks so much for the great feedback Celeste!! N x
Excellent base with zuchchini.
I added chicken too with some chillie flakesโฆa hit ! And not forgetting some turkish bread grilled with cheese and butter to dunk
Yum! Perfect Sabi! N x
This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! You need to figure out how to can this. ๐ I made the broth today and chopped up the veggies for tomorrow night. Iโm already thinking through other vegetables to use, thanks again!
Itโs life changing Cheryl!! So many possibilitiesโฆ
The best low cal soup recipe ever. Loved every last drop. Creamy. You can add various spices to change flavors. So glad I found it.
Yes, itโs so versatile Valerie!!
Another excellent recipe! Amazing texture! I thought it was great as is, but it would be really easy to use as a base for your own spin on things. Go team Dozer!
My brain may just be tired this morning but I am confused. The description and the ingredients have you using zucchini as the broth base, but the video and instructions are for cauliflower? Do you just follow those instructions but use zucchini?
Ok. Yes. It is settled, I have lost my mind. Video and recipe clearly have zucchini in themโฆ.just no cauliflower in the ingredient list. I think the snow must be getting to me. ๐
Hey Kendra! This is probably a little too late, but the cauliflower is at the very top of the ingredient list (above the blue โLow Cal Creamy Soup Brothโ). Iโm not sure why the recipes are written this way, but I have noticed it is a common thing in her recipes. I always double-check above the rest of the ingredients.
Hi April and Kendra! Yup, Cauliflower is at the top ๐ The way I write recipes is typically in the order in which they are used or prepared in the recipe! N x
Amazing soup! Couldnโt believe how really creamy it turns out without loads of calories โ and very filling! Add some chicken and it makes a main meal
I recently discovered your blog, and it has been so fun to try out your recipes. I make at least one or two every week! Today was a very cold and cloudy day, so I decided to make this creamy veggie soup. It was fantastic! My husband gave it a 9 out of 10 (high praise from him) and he didnโt know it was mostly vegetables. He was much more impressed after I told him! I added shredded chicken and skipped the milk to make it dairy free. It was fantastic. This is definitely going in the rotation for sure!