How to determine what's healthy and what's not

When it comes to soup, it’s easy to declare all of them healthy. However, some of them are packed full of calorie-laden ingredients quietly adding plenty of fat to your meal. If you want to ensure your soup is as nutritionally sound as possible, avoid recipes that feature the following ingredients:

  • Processed meat
  • Bacon and speck
  • Cheese
  • Cream
  • Sour cream
  • Butter
  • Crème fraiche

Tips for retaining nutritional value

While some nutrients are lost when making soup, they are still a great source of vitamins and other nutrients if they’re properly prepared. Here are a few tips to retain maximum vitamin content:

  • Use fresh veggies as soon as possible as they lose vitamins as they age.
  • Don’t defrost frozen veggies to avoid losing any vitamins in the frozen liquid surrounding them.
  • Wherever possible keep the skin on veggies as these contain the majority of the nutrients.
  • While chopping veggies finely will cut down on the cooking time and avoid them losing vitamins in the pot, it will also cause the veggies to lose nutrients on the cut surface. For this reason, you should use the veggies as soon as they’re chopped up.
  • Short cooking times are better than long, slow ones, as more of the nutrients can be retained in the pot.

10 healthy soups

Opt for one of these classics to ensure your soup is as good for you as possible:

Minestrone

Vegetable soup

Pho

Lentil soup

Hot and sour soup

Miso

Chickpea soup

Chicken and corn

Cauliflower soup

Mexican soup

Some basic broth ideas

When it comes to healthy soups, broths are some of your best friends. To make a simple vegetable broth place roughly chopped vegetables in a pot with your favourite herbs, cover with water and simmer for an hour or so. Strain the liquid, discard the cooked veggies, and use as the base to your favourite soup, casserole or pilaf. Some great veggies for the pot include:

  • Leeks
  • Carrots
  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Celery
  • Fennel
  • Tomatoes

Add extra flavour to your broth by roasting the veggies before adding them to the pot. Alternatively, try giving them a little bit of a quick cook to release their flavours before adding the liquid.

What to add

To give your soup extra punch add a few of these tasty additions to the pot:

  • Thinly sliced beef or chicken
  • Prawns
  • A few slices of cooked sausage
  • Toasted nuts or breadcrumbs
  • Finely shaved cheese
  • Fresh crumbly cheeses, such as feta and goat’s cheese
  • Spring onions
  • Cured ham
  • A wedge of avocado serve alongside
  • Baked tortilla strips
  • Bean sprouts

Find plenty more soup inspiration with our Soup recipes collection.