Fall is officially here and on damp days like today, a warm bowl of soup often makes the perfect side to any meal. Here are a few of my favourite go-to’s to try out this season!

 

Hearty minestrone kale soup

INGREDIENTS

• 5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into ¼ inch pieces
• 2 cups finely chopped kale
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 can of navy beans, drained and rinsed well
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare ingredients by chopping and measuring.
2. Heat 1 tablespoob broth in medium soup pot. Sauté onion in broth over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
3. Add broth and rest of ingredients except beans and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low and continue cooking, uncovered for 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Add beans, cook for another couple minutes, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 6

 

 Nutritional analysis: calories 300, fat 2g, carbohydrates 50g, fiber 19g, protein 19g

 

 

Roasted red pepper and tomato soup

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 red peppers, whole
• 3 large tomatoes, cored and cut in half
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon basil leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoon goat’s cheese, for serving
• Fresh basil, for serving

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat over to 400 F. Lay the peppers and tomatoes on baking sheet and brush the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Roast for 45-50 minutes, turning the peppers over after 25 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and keep roasting the tomatoes for an additional 10 minutes. Set aside.
3. Once peppers have cooled, remove skin and seeds and save their juice.
4. In a large pot, sauté the onions in the remainder of the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, salt, dry basil and bay leaf. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the roasted peppers and their juice, roasted tomatoes and vegetable broth. Roughly crush the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf and discard.  Purée the soup in a blender until smooth.
6. Before serving, garnish each serving with some goat’s cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Serves 4

 

Nutritional analysis: calories 130, fat 6g, carbohydrates 16g, fiber 3g, protein 5g

 

 

Creamy squash soup

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium sized butternut squash
• 2 L low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (to sprinkle on top)

 

Directions

1. Cut squash lengthways. Scoop out seeds and place in deep baking dish. Place 2” of water in the bottom of the dish, cover with foil and place in preheated oven at 425 degrees. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
2. Allow to cool.
3. In large cooking pot, combine broth and diced onions. Bring to boil and reduce heat to medium for 20 minutes.
4. Scoop out squash from shells and add in to broth mixture. Allow to cook for 15 more minutes.
5. In the last 5 minutes add in butter, maple syrup and finely chopped sage.
6. Allow to cool and then puree in blender.
7. Heat soup before serving and top with pine nuts.

Serves 8

 

Nutritional analysis: calories 145, fat 2g, carbohydrates 24g, fiber 5g, protein 4g

 

 

Protein packed lentil soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 cup  broccoli florets
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup red lentils, drained and rinsed well
• 3/4 cup green lentils, drained and rinsed well
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 cups green kale, diced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat oil and lightly sauté onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add carrots, celery, broccoli, lemon juice, vegetable broth, lentils and sea salt.
2. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes
3. Add in kale and parsley and remove from heat. Leave covered for ten minutes.
4. Puree ½ the soup in a blender. Add back into the other ½ of the soup.

Serves 10

 

Nutritional analysis: calories 200, fat 2g, carbohydrates 32g, fiber 14g, protein 12g

 

 

Carrot coconut soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1 – 14 oz can of organic light coconut milk
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 5 cups of filter water
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup crushed pecans (optional topping)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, melt coconut oil over medium heat. Then add in onion and cook until translucent.
2. Add curry paste and carrots and cook them for 2-3 minutes, and then add the coconut milk and water (add more water if needed to cover the carrots)
3. Allow to simmer until carrots are tender (approx. 10-15 minutes)
4. Transfer to a blender and blend for a couple seconds (doesn’t have to be completely pureed, it can have some chunks of carrots in it)
5. Heat pecans in a pan until lightly toasted and then add pecans on top of soup and enjoy!

Serves 6

 

Nutritional analysis: calories 340, fat 30g, carbohydrates 14g, fiber 5g, protein 4g

 

Click here for other delicious soup recipes to warm you up this season!