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!
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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!
Good, hearty, tasty soup โ texture may not be everyoneโs cup of team and it definitely needs some salt. A bit of cream or sour cream would add some flavour.
Hi Candy, yes always season to taste โ everyoneโs tastes are different ๐
Has anyone tried this substituting almond or rice milk instead of the dairy?
Yep! Any non dairy milk will be fine here ๐ N x
I made a big double batch of this for my January diet and it turned out great. I added more veggies: peas, asparagus, and mushrooms. To make it more hardy for dinner I sometimes added a few precooked shrimp (low cal) to my soup bowl or topped it with crispy balsamic beets (salad topper) which gave it a really nice savory kick for only 30 extra calories.
Perfect for the January cleanse Rich!!
This soup was delicious although hubby doesnโt like cauliflower but I convinced him to give it ago and he loved it as well. The base would be perfect for pasta dishes, Its very versatile. Thanks Nagi !
I love that he gave it a go Annette!!
Delish! Healthy comfort food โ best of both worlds!
Itโs so good isnโt it Bree?!
I never comment on recipes โ honestly โ but I really felt the need to say how great this turned out ! I canโt believe how creamy this soup tastes, and so flavorful for what is basically 95% veggies! Iโm already brainstorming what I can steal the zucchini โcreamโ broth base for. Thank you!
YES! Itโs so great isnโt it Sarah!!!
What a fabulous recipe; a great soup for a rainy, cold November Ottawa evening.
Thanks for such an awesome soup! โค๏ธ
YES!!
This is one of the best soups I have ever made and I have made a lot in my 73 years. But I still love learning! Iโm not sure how you ever developed the recipe for the broth but it was everything you promised and more! I will eliminate the carrots next time as I thought it added sweetness the soup didnโt need but still used the red bell pepper, but that is just personal taste. I might suggest in your notes that you may need to do the blender step in two steps. I had too much broth for one time in the blender. I just divided the milk and spices in half for each blending. But โno big dealโ. My question is can I use this broth for cream of mushroom soup? Iโm watching calories so what better way to eliminate the normal flour/butter/cream way of making broth by using this broth recipe. Thank you again!
Hi Margaret, Iโm so glad you loved it!! I use a stick blender here, I find it safer for hot soups. Great idea regarding the cream of mushroom soup โ Iโll have to give it a go! โ N x
How long would you suggest cooking this if using a crock pot?
Great recipe & versatile! I liked this just fine as is. I rarely get enough protein in my very picky diet so I added some dehydrated peas and some Great Northern beans just to help myself out. My only other comment is that my carrots didnโt get done in the alotted time so next time I will par steam them. Thanks Nagi. Love this one too!
Hi Judy, just try cutting them sightly smaller so they cook in time โ N x
Love, Love Love this soup. Took no time to prepare but tasted as if Iโd spent all day making it. Family and friends came back for seconds. Filling comfort food and super healthy
Iโm so glad you loved it Fran!!
Made this tonight and I am in love!! I followed it as written except I added 1 tsp of grated Parmesan cheese and it was fantastic!!! My husband loves it!! I am excited to try some variations with adding chicken or wild rice as well!!! Thank you for this amazing dish!!!
Iโm so glad it was a hit Jennifer โ the perfect way to eat more veggies!
Super excited to try this one! I make a cauliflower chowder with a partially pureed cauli base and we love it โ I think the addition of the zucchini is genius. Iโm married to a dairy-loving man, though, so Iโm certain some white cheddar cheese will be making its way into this dish. Perhaps table-side so as not to totally diminish the lightness of the dish. {wink} Thank you for sharing!
I hope itโs a hit Valerie, keep me updated!
Can I cook this in the slowcooker? And if so, in what order and how long?
What a neat way to clean out the fridge of veges. This is absolutely amazing, very filling and very tasty. I canโt believe thereโs no cream involved.
MOTH raved about it; canโt wait for leftovers for lunch.
Wahoo, thatโs great to hear Barb!
Hi Nagi,
This is Jing. I want to thank you for sharing all the great recipes. I absolutely loved everything I have tried. Itโs such a joy to read your blog.
Thank you so much Jing!
im not a huge fan of zucchini. r there any substitutes?
Hi V, the zucchini is what makes up the broth here โ you canโt really taste them but I havenโt tried with any substitutes sorry!
Absolutely delicious! Even my husband thought it had cream in it! A definite regular during winter!
Youโre converted Sharyn, Iโm so glad you both loved it โ N x
Do you think this would freeze okay?
This soup is just so tasty and filling. Will definitely be doing again.
Great Judith! ๐
Hi Amanda โ can you describe the weird flavour? Is it a bitter flavour in the broth? If so, it would be the zucchini. On the very odd occasion, I have been unlucky and gotten zucchinis with a weird bitter flavour. It looked normal so I didnโt notice until the soup was finished. It was terrible!! N x