How Do i make my Own Soup ?

Question

i am starting my diet and i am wanting to no how exactly to make soup ?? i want it to taste nice it has to be very healthy and low in calories and salt but taste good - also freezable as i will be eating it every day lol
thanxs xxx

well i know i can buy them at the store but i would lyk to make my own so plz help me !!!!

Answer 1

Hi there. Soup is great for dieting as its filling and can be very low in calories. Its also cheap and easy to make and can taste quite luxurious if you make it right. The first thing you need to do is invest in a hand blender (the sort that is a stick which you put into the saucepan while it is cooking)

I will give you some recipe ideas and flavours but the basics are simple and will work for any soup you want to make.

When it comes to variety you can make a big pan of basic veggie soup and add flavours later, so you can have different flavours from the same batch (example: make loads of carrot soup, later you can add coriander to one batch, lemon or orange juice and grated rind to another, thyme to another, curry spices to another)

Start with a big pan, heavy based if you have one as this stops it burning on the bottom. Use a spot of olive oil or butter (this recipe makes loads of soup so a dot of fat will not hurt but it will make all the difference to the flavour later.

If you want to make one batch of a certain flavoured soup then fry in the oil whatever spices you wish to flavour the soup with. An example would be for a curry flavour, some coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds - or just some good quality curry powder. If you don't want spices you can omit this.

Now add finely diced onions, and add some crushed garlic and ginger (optional) add a bay leaf as well.

Now add the main veggies that you want to make the soup from. these can be fresh or frozen. Both work well. (some ideas below)

Stir to coat them in the spices and garlic/onion flavour. Let them sweat for a while.

Now add stock. I always use chicken for soups (unless its onion or tomato soup where I use beef) but if you want to use veg stock you can (Chicken just tastes best). Put enough stock to cover the veg, plus about another inch or so (you can always add to it)

Now bring to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Now, just immerse the blender in, and blend until smooth (you should probably take out the bay leaf but I don't always bother!)

At the end you can add all sorts of flavours. If it needs more liquid (sometimes the soup can be a bit thick and a bit like pureed veg!) then a drop of milk will help, or depending on the flavour of the soup I sometimes add orange/lemon juice, more stock, cream if Im feeling daring and Extra Low Fat cream cheese makes it really creamy, but still low fat.

As for flavours, here are some ideas:

Buy a casserole/stew pack from the supermarket (frozen) they usually have onions, turnip, carrots, celery in them and make a great winter vegetable soup. I grate nutmeg in at the end, its really warming and aromatic.

Carrot soup goes well with loads of flavours, thyme, ginger, coriander, curry, lemon or orange.

Broccoli soup goes well with cumin and really benefits from a dollop of low fat cream cheese at the end.

cauliflower and broccoli go well together. If you can add a little cheese to your diet then a spot of Stilton or any blue goes a long way and goes really well with cauliflower.

Roasted pepper. Spray some slices of pepper with a little spray oil and roast in oven til they start to blacken and wilt. Then add as usual.
This soup really benefits from a dot of good quality extra-virgin olive oil added to the bowl as you serve it - just a drop - makes all the difference.

Potato and leek. Fry the leeks in butter rather than olive oil and add them instead of onions. Makes a lovely and very filling soup.
Potato and spinach. I make this into a curried soup - so use the curry spices and a little turmeric to add colour. Add the spinach - frozen or fresh at the end of cooking (after blending) as I think its better if its in chunks - otherwise the soup goes green!

Italian Tomato soup. This is lovely. Just add 2/3 tins whole tinned toms after the onions. Bash them about so they are in half and let them simmer, then add beef stock. I don't blend this one, but I sometimes add some finely chopped celery and carrot after the onion and/or some rice/small pasta 10 mins before the end of cooking. This turns it into a substantial meal rather than just a soup. Add a tin of beans (cannellini/black eye/borlotti etc) for even more substance.

French onion. Keep onions in slices - not diced. Let them caramelise down for longer - a good 30 mins. Add a teaspoon of sugar here if your diet can stand it - it really helps. Now add beef stock (rough measurements are 1lb onions to 2pts stock) and about 1/2 pt red wine. Now let it bubble for a good 20 mins. This is best served with bread and melted cheese floating on it but that's not very diet!!

Hope this helps. Im on Slimming World myself and eating soups nearly every day. It really helps!

With regards to freezing, you can freeze all of these recipes - although the onion and tomato is probably best not frozen. (if you use frozen veg its still safe to refreeze after cooking)

However what I do is make a big batch 2 times a week, this then lasts in the fridge. If you do need to freeze it then use freezer bags as they take up less space. Pour a portion into a bag. Place the bag into a bowl and then pop into the freezer. You can take the bowl out of the freezer once its frozen.

Answer 2

Lentil Soup

2 cups dry lentils (sprouted is best)
1 carrot
1 red bell pepper
1 cup spinach
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
3-4 soy hot dogs (optional)
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup diced celery
Fresh parsley
Sweet rice vinegar

Bring lentils to a boil, lower heat, and simmer about 20 minutes. You should start with enough water to cover about an inch over the lentils. While cooking, stir occasionally and add more water, if necessary. Add all the other ingredients, except the spinach, and continue to simmer approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Spinach can be added when soup is almost done, the last half hour or so. (Ed note: You can also add the spinach once the heat is turned off. It cooks very rapidly and will do so simply in the heat of the soup.

(Note: if using sprouted beans, less water is needed)

Answer 3

I've just started a diet too and this is the soup I have been making. It's not the '0 point' soup, however one portion is probably 1 point on the weightwatchers point scheme.

Get a soup pan and fill 3/4 full with water. Add a little salt and pepper and 4 chicken stock cubes, bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer.

Chop half a spring cabbage, one onion, one large leek and grate 2 carrots and add into the pan. Add one mug full of pudding rice.

Simmer for 90 minutes, checking regularly

Beautiful! All this veg only cost me 70 pence yesterday at my local greengrocers!

Answer 4

Good question.
You need to experiment with ingredients that you like.

Try to keep it simple, you don't need loads of ingredients to make good healthy and tasty soup.

Potato and leek soup can be very refreshing, and all you need are potatoes and leeks.

You need to cook your ingredients slowly, and let them boil down in a large pan, until ready.

Left over vegetables can be used to make a very tasty and healthy soup. Just ensure all are well cooked. There are no rules to making good soup, it is all down to your own taste.

While cooking, keep having a taste, and add salt only if required to your taste, but never more than a pinch at a time.

If you need to freeze, always ensure soup is cold, and place in suitable containers, the size not to exceed your individual meal requirements.

It is always best to make soup as you need it, and not too much at a time, this will avoid the need for freezing, as your left over soup can be refrigerated for up to three days, and then re-heated when required.

May I add, that any ingredients that you use should only be fresh produce, as anything cooked from frozen, and then re-frozen, can cause a health problem.

The possibilities for home made soup are endless, and I thank you for the question.

Answer 5

I make chicken noodle soup and it is delicious. I've never considered the health issue because it's just too good. I'll give you the ingredients and you can alter it to suit your needs. I use boneless,skinless breast meat. First I sear it on both sides in a very hot skillet until slightly brown then cut it into cubes. In a seperate large pot , I mix chicken broth (canned and it comes in low sodium) , diced celery,frozen peas & carrots.celery seed,black pepper,a tiny amount of sage and a pinch of rosemary. Bring this mixture to a boil and then add the cubed chicken. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about an hour. Because the chicken was only seared and not cooked,this completes the cooking process. At about the 45 minute mark,and in a seperate pot , boil water for the noodles. It turns out much better if the noodles (or rice ) is cooked seperately. Choose your pasta but if it's spaghetti type noodles , I recommend them to be broken in half as you add them to the boiling water. You can use bow tie or most any other pasta you like. Cook as directed and drain. Add the cooked pasta or rice to the chicken stew and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.For about the price of three(3) cans at the market, you'll get about a gallon of real hommade taste and you'll think twice about paying for someone else to get rich.A seasonal cold doesn't stand a chance against this soup and if you've had a few too many the night before,there is no better remedy than a nice hot bowl with an ice cold glass of milk. After the final 20 minutes,please allow to cool in a bowl before digging in because it will be hot. I like a few crackers and some fresh fruit with my first bowl. A honeydew mellon works great for me because I add a few splashes of hot sauce to mine and the cold mellon eases the pain(if you know what I mean). I hope this helped and if you try it...have a bowl for me , too.

Answer 6

If you have some older veg to use up, start with an onion or two, leek, carrot and parsnip and add celery, garlic and stock.
OK to use dried stock, but would recommend reduced salt Marigold Bouillon or most of those below.
Basically, chop up everything roughly - no prozes for making it attractive - cover with stock (or boiling water with stock added), season, bring to the boil and once boiling, simmer for half an hour or so.
I regularly use a squash (althogh rarely butter nut squash as VERY sweet, I prefer onion squash or harlequin squash) and often throw in a few hands of spinach or curly kale after it has cooled down a little.
Then blend it to your desired consistency. If you don't have a blender, use a potato masher or cut your veg smaller in the first place.

Answer 7

for this you will need:
1 pack of ground beef
2 cans of whole tomatoes
8 whole potatoes
2 cans of corn

Take the beef and place it in a frying pan, fry it, and drain all grease once it's done. Turn the stove on to medium high. Cut the potatoes into little squares, and place them in a big pot. Make sure they are washed very well. Open the can of tomatoes, and pour it in with the potatoes. Pour the beef in with the potatoes and tomatoes. The pour in the corn juice from both cans of corn (take corn out of cans and put in a small covered bowl), let it cook until it's almost done...then put the corn in. Let it cook until fully done. Then serve. You can also make cheese sandwiches with this soup as a side item. It's really good. Do not add water at no point in this soup. I hope u like it...enjoy. You can also add 2sticks of celery...it gives it more flavor and celery is healthy for you. Just add it in when you add the other ingredients.

Answer 8

If you like Covent Garden soups then I suggest you have a look at these......

New Covent Garden Book of Soup for All Seasons by the New Covent Garden Soup Company

New Covent Garden Book of Soups: New, Old and Odd Recipes by the Covent Garden Soup Company

You could probably get them dead cheap on Amazon. There will obviously be soups that aren't diet friendly but there will be plenty that are.

Good luck

Answer 9

Sweat some onion in a lttle butter/vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes, add some celery for another 7-8 minutes, season to taste then pour in vegetable stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Liquidize and

Answer 10

No I buy it in a can. I can make many things but not soup. I guess I could if I tried but I like the type from the can so much it never occurred to me to make my own.

Answer 11

Depending what kind of soup you like would depend on what ingredients you would need. Chicken stock or beef stock for broth then add your favorite veggie's and poultry/beef cook for a couple hours in a nice and big stock pot add noodles or barley before hand and add spices and salt and pepper for taste. Freeze leftovers which will last a long time.