These four- and five-star recipes are sure to give you a welcome dose of cozy comfort whenever you need it. Whether you want a nourishing broth or a creamy chowder, there’s something healthy and tasty for everyone—plus, each serving of these tasty soups contains 400 calories or less, so you can hit your nutritional goals. Recipes like our Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup
and One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan are so delicious that you’ll want to build tonight’s meal around.
Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories, which is helpful when trying to lose weight. Plus, it’s an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day—something all of us could benefit from. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious vegetable soup and consider serving with a hunk of toasted whole-wheat bread to help round out the meal.
Mediterranean Slow-Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This slow-cooker chicken noodle soup fits nicely into the Mediterranean diet thanks to plenty of vegetables, lean chicken breast and whole-wheat pasta. Pair it with a salad and toasted whole-grain bread for an easy, healthy dinner.
Chicken & Kale Soup
This easy chicken and kale soup will keep you warm on a cold and rainy day or any day that calls for a simple, hearty soup. For convenience, you can make this soup with frozen kale without the need to thaw it beforehand.
One-Pot Chicken & Cabbage Soup
Antonis Achilleos
This simple, yet flavorful, chicken-cabbage soup is perfect for enjoying on a cold day. Sherry vinegar adds a touch of brightness and pairs well with the medley of vegetables. Serve with crusty bread.
One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan
Antonis Achilleos
This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body.
Creamy Corn Soup with Jalapeños & Cotija
Greg DuPree
This creamy corn soup has underlying earthiness from the hominy and heat from the jalapeños. Fresh corn adds sweetness, which works well with the salty cotija cheese and other fresh and tangy garnishes.
Slow-Cooker Mushroom Soup with Sherry
This comforting and creamy slow-cooker soup is loaded with earthy, umami flavor from the mushrooms and soy sauce. Puréeing only some of the slow-cooker mushroom soup gives the dish complex texture and eye appeal. Garnish with additional black pepper and chopped fresh thyme, if desired.
Stuffed Cabbage Soup
Like stuffed cabbage? You’ll love this easy stuffed cabbage soup. It’s got all of the classic flavors of stuffed cabbage without all the fuss of stuffing. Plus, you can make this warming soup ahead of time or freeze it for later for a quick dinner or lunch.
Acorn Squash Soup
This pureed vegetable soup gets smooth and silky after a quick whirl in the blender. Mild-flavored acorn squash gets a Southwestern-inspired makeover in this flavorful soup that has a hint of spice from chipotle pepper–opt for more if you like the heat!
Mulligatawny Soup
This is a soup with a long history (references to it in English go back to 1784) that can now be conveniently made in a modern appliance. Although it’s technically an English soup, its origins are decidedly Indian. (The name loosely means “pepper water” in the Tamil language of Southern India.) The sweetness of apple and coconut milk counterbalances the garlic, ginger, curry and cayenne.
Sopa Tarasca
This famous soup from the state of Michoacán in Western Mexico is often made with a base of pureed beans along with tomatoes and dried chiles, which bring a lot of the character to the dish. Here we use ancho chiles, which are sweet, earthy and relatively mild. You could also use pasillas, which have a heat level similar to anchos–or, if you like it hot, gaujillos, which also bring some smoky notes to the pot.
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Corn tortillas thicken this chicken enchilada soup, but Cheddar and cream cheese give it the richness you’d expect from an enchilada. Serve it with something fresh and crunchy like a jicama slaw dressed with a little olive oil and lime juice for a healthy dinner that will appeal to the whole family.
Cabbage Diet Soup
Loaded with cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, tomato and plenty of seasoning, this healthy vegetable soup packs in lots of flavor and is ultra-satisfying. This easy recipe makes a big batch for lunches or veggie-packed snacks all week. If you want to bump up the satisfaction factor even more, top with a little cheese or avocado.
Loaded Black Bean Nacho Soup
Jazz up a can of black bean soup with your favorite nacho toppings, such as cheese, avocado and fresh tomatoes. A bit of smoked paprika adds a bold flavor kick, but you can swap in any warm spices you prefer, such as cumin or chili powder. Look for a soup that contains no more than 450 mg sodium per serving.
Corn Chowder with Bacon
Pureeing some of the corn-and-potato mixture in a blender gives this soup rich creaminess without much cream. Red bell pepper imparts a beautiful golden hue to the chowder (and is a great source of vitamin C). For a final touch, a little bacon crumbled over this easy corn chowder recipe goes a long way.
Slow-Cooker Potato Soup
This easy slow-cooker potato soup has all the good stuff you love on a potato–including bacon, cheese and scallions. Serve this loaded baked potato soup with a salad for an easy dinner–just 15 minutes of active prep time!–whenever you’re in need of some serious comfort food. It would also be fun fare for a casual party. Serve it straight out of the slow cooker and set out bowls of toppings so everyone can assemble their own. You can easily make this soup vegetarian–just use vegetable broth and skip the bacon.
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with Rotisserie Chicken
This rich-tasting but better-for-you creamy chicken soup has a delicious chicken pot pie feel to it. We call for rotisserie chicken to streamline your prep time–look for a nice big one with lots of breast meat on it. Pair this comforting and easy soup recipe with a green salad, or, if you’re really hungry, a grilled cheese sandwich.
Persian-Style Butternut Squash Soup
Swap out your basic butternut squash soup for this fragrant version that includes sweet potato and a medley of spices like cinnamon, cumin, coriander and saffron. A drizzle of maple syrup and a few drops of orange water brighten the flavors, while a sprinkle of sumac adds a pop of color and a tangy edge. This healthy butternut squash soup would be a wonderful starter for your Thanksgiving meal.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup with Kale
This healthy, easy soup is loaded with vegetables, protein and fiber to keep you full and fueled. Serve this winter soup topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and a side of garlic toast.
Lasagna Soup
This quick and healthy lasagna soup recipe has all the comforting flavors of classic lasagna with plenty of tomatoes, Italian turkey sausage and lasagna noodles broken into bite-size bits. A dollop of ricotta cheese mixed with mozzarella and Parmesan adds a creamy finishing touch. Serve the soup with a green salad and crusty bread to sop up what’s left in the bowl for an easy healthy dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Tinola (Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup)
Lisa Cassell-Arms
Tinola, a comforting chicken soup seasoned with plenty of ginger and garlic, has countless variations throughout the Philippines. The soup calls for malunggay leaves (aka moringa), which can be found fresh or frozen at Asian markets. Bok choy is a good substitute. Feel free to increase the amounts of garlic and fish sauce for an even more flavorful soup. Serve this easy and healthy chicken soup on its own or with jasmine rice, quinoa or wild rice.
French Onion Soup with Portobello Cheese “Toast”
Roasted portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheese, herbs and breadcrumbs stand in for the traditional Gruyère toast you’d find on top of a crock of French onion soup.
Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & Barley
Be sure to use bone-in chicken here–it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.