3 Warming Low-Calorie Soup Recipes

Soup is a wonderful hearty, comforting meal, especially during the autumn and winter months.

The OPTIFAST Meal Replacement Soups are high-protein and a good source of fibre, available in a variety of delicious flavours, and have been scientifically designed to replace some of your meals.

Homemade soups are great for using up leftover vegetables because they are primarily made of veggies and stock. Also, they’re a brilliant low-calorie option to continue to help support your weight loss journey. Discover some of our favourite soup recipes to help get you started.

1. Classic Vegetable Soup

You can’t go wrong with a classic vegetable soup. Whether you prefer to have it chunky or make it smooth, this soup is packed with goodness and fibre-filled vegetables. It makes a delicious lunch or dinner, and its low calorie content means you’ll be staying right on plan.

bowl of vegetable soup

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
250g broccoli, roughly chopped
250g cauliflower, roughly chopped
250g courgettes, grated
250g cabbage, shredded
60g celery, diced
220g aubergine, diced
750ml vegetable stock
2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander, freshly chopped

Allergens: contains celery. Vegetable stock ingredients vary, may contain mustard.

Method:

Prepare the vegetables according to the directions above
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent
Once the onions are soft, add the rest of the chopped vegetables and cook for another 3-5 minutes
Finally, add in the vegetable stock and fresh herbs and lower the heat, then allow to simmer until the vegetables have softened. This will take approximately half an hour
Once ready, you can immediately serve the soup chunky or carefully pour into a blender and blitz until you have your desired consistency

Nutritional Content Per Serving:

1 serving = 1 cup (250ml)

Energy: 351KJ (84 calories)

Protein: 4.4g

Carbs: 7.7g

Added Sugars: 0g

Fibre: 3.9g

Total Fats: 2.4g

Saturated Fats: 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fats: 1.4g

Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.3g

Sodium: 648mg

2. Veggie Minestrone Soup

This vegetable minestrone soup is a great way to use up leftovers and help you avoid unnecessary food waste. If you’ve made our veggie Bolognese recipe for an evening dinner, you can turn the leftovers into a tasty low-calorie soup for a totally different meal.

minestrone soup

Ingredients:

1 serving of veggie Bolognese
50g button mushrooms, washed and sliced
½ packet Konjac noodles, rinsed
120ml tomato passata
240ml vegetable stock
Handful of finely chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Allergens: vegetable stock ingredients vary, may contain mustard. Veggie bolognese ingredients unknown.

Method:

Wash and slice the mushrooms, and add to a non-stick saucepan along with the leftover Bolognese, passata, stock and chopped herbs
Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for approximately 5-10 minutes to reheat the Bolognese, and until the mushrooms are softened and cooked thoroughly
Rinse the Konjac noodles, then cut them up into lengths of 4cm, and stir into the soup
Simmer for another 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired
Ladle into a soup bowl and finish with a teaspoon of olive oil or tabasco sauce, and extra herbs if desired

Nutritional Content Per Serving:

1 serving = 1 cup (250ml)

Energy: 749 KJ (179 calories)

Protein: 7.2g

Carbs: 23.1g

Added Sugars: 1g

Fibre: 4.4g

Total Fats: 2.2g

Saturated Fats: 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fats: 1.1g

Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.3g

Sodium: 873.6mg

3. Miso Soup

Miso soup is a low-calorie Japanese dish, which is mostly made from stock and miso paste. Miso is made from fermented soybeans, giving it a distinctive salty taste. This miso soup recipe is easy to make, and wonderfully warming and comforting on a cold winter’s day.

miso soup

Ingredients:

500ml water
5cm piece of kombu (dried black kelp)
30g dried bonito flakes/powder (a type of fish flake)
2 tbsp red miso paste
Optional: extra kelp

Allergens: contains fish, soy.

Method:

Pour the water into a medium-large saucepan, add the kombu and cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes
Just as the water starts to boil, remove the kombu from the pan
Add the bonito flakes to the water, stir and bring to a rapid simmer
Allow the soup to simmer for around 1 minute, then remove the pan from the heat and cover
With the pan covered, steep the bonito for approximately 5 minutes, then add the miso paste and return the pan to the heat and simmer for 3-5 more minutes
Serve the miso soup piping hot, and garnish with diced spring onions if desired
You can also add chopped tofu, mushrooms or shredded kelp