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!
Oops! Previous comment should read โfrom the thymeโ!
Nagi you have done it again!
This soup was amazing. It is also a way of cleaning out the fridge of sorry looking vegs. Will definately be doing it again although maybe with a little less red capsicum. Oh so good!!!!
๐ Perfect!
This soup is amazing and so delicious! I forgot the milk but it was still creamy. Iโm trying to increase the vegies my family eats and Iโve already been asked to make this soup again.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes Nagi โ you have a magic touch! I regularly cook your recipes with complete confidence as your recipes and guidance are spot on and always full of flavour.
I originally found you years ago from a Super Food Ideas magazine recipe for baked chicken drumsticks that taste like fried and was a Nagi devotee from then on.
Love the way you describe your recipes, the short, helpful videos and the Dozer pics.
Best wishes, Kim
Wow I feel like Super Food Ideas mag was a lifetime ago! Iโm so glad you enjoyed this Kim, thanks for sharing your feedback! N x
So 2 cups = 124 callories
Hi Sara, yes thatโs correct!
Can the soup be made in an instant pot?
I havenโt tried, but if you wanted to, you could make the broth in an instant pot then do the remaining steps as per the recipe โ N x
Love your recipies and wonderful tips, and I love you. Iโm always so excited about seeing pictures of Dozer and finding out what heโs up to! Again, thank you!
Thanks so much Linda, thatโs so sweet of you!
Trying this later ๐
Iโd love to know what you think!
Holy cow! Thank you!
Youโre so welcome!
So excited to try this recipe. How much is a serving? Is it one cup of the soup?
Hi Kathy-Ann โ Itโs two heaped cups โบ๏ธ
Iโm not sure about the cauliflower, would it be weird to omit?
The cauliflower is what gives it that creamy appearance and taste โบ๏ธ
THIS!! Is an amazing soup! I have told everyone about it. The creamy broth itself is a lick the bowl delicious and I am not exaggerating. I even added frozen chopped spinach and kale to the soup and that was delicious too. Cannot recommend this anymore highly !
Great idea Kiki! Iโm so glad you love it!!
Made it, loved it!! Delicious soup with โmagicโ thick broth!! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Youโre welcome Cathy!
Lovely and looking delicious. I canโt wait to try this. Thanks for sharing.
This is very good! Iโm looking forward to the leftovers. Thanks for the great recipe. (I followed the recipe very closely).
I seriously canโt beleive thereโs only 124 calories in a serving โ it tastes great. This is the perfect dinner for my on my diet.
Great to hear you enjoyed this one Timothy! Thanks for letting me know โ N x
This was soooo good! I didnโt even know I liked cauliflower until I tried this ๐
Iโm trying to maintain a low calorie diet and Iโm always on a lookout for delicious low cal recipes. This one is a keeper! Thank you ๐
Thatโs terrific to hear Sandra! Glad you enjoyed this! N x
Hello. This soup is very good. Perfect for a cold rainy Sydney day. I am not known for making low-cal anything because I find such recipes somewhat dull on the palate but this soup is a keeper: I raided the fridge and had everything I needed and it is also very cheap to make and of course healthy. This will balance out the Katsu curry I made from your mother last week. It was so good we are having it every month from now on. Thank you.
Winter has finally arrived here, right??? Just when spring started!!
Thank you for this soup receipe it is just divine!
Love that you enjoyed this Paula! Thanks for letting me know โ N x
So delicious! I also left zucchini chunks out as not a massive fan and added a small amount of wholegrain mustard to the sauce. Next time I might try adding some chicken and turn into a healthy creamy chicken pot pie ๐ but will definitely make again in soup form x
Thatโs great to hear Katie! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this โ N x
I made this soup today, Nagi and it really delivers! Itโs beautiful. Mine was blushing a pale green colour because I threw in some left over broccoliโฆI knowโฆREBEL! He-who-must-be-loved will flip over this when he tastes it. Thank you!! <3
Iโm glad to hear you enjoyed this Tricia!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know ๐ N x
Youโre welcome. As predicted my Beloved was very impressed with the creaminess AND crunch of the veggies, and has decreed its worthiness for a repeatโฆpleaseโฆheโs a soup nerd. I also put it on a Soup club site I belong too. The Souperati were onto it minutes after I posted it. So thank you for spreading the joy.