Healthy Soup Recipes for Special Diet

Quick to prepare, this Asian-style noodle soup has all the makings of a one-pot meal. To punch up the heat, add a dab of chile-garlic sauce.

“Tortilla soup has a place, I feel, in practically every collection of Mexican recipes,” says Rick Bayless. This is a vegetarian version of the classic soup, usually made with chicken. Earthy dark pasilla chile flavors the soul-satisfying broth. (Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless.)

Just a touch of brown sugar sweetens this simple soup that gets its creaminess from pureed squash and fat-free evaporated milk.

Carrots, baby sweet peas, and green onions are added to the traditional egg drop soup in this recipe.

This Moroccan-inspired soup is made with roasted butternut squash and tomatoes, flavored with creamy peanut butter, and topped with zesty shrimp and julienned carrots. It's a beautiful appetizer to serve to guests--and they'll love the taste!

A pound of dried beans is the inexpensive foundation for this simple, hearty meal. Serve it with slices of whole-wheat bread or a side salad for a complete and satisfying lunch or dinner.

A winter classic, this crock pot version of minestrone is heavy on the vegetables and light on the pasta, keeping carbs in check while providing plenty of flavor.

This Italian-inspired vegetable-packed soup features flavorful herbs, mushrooms, kale and tomatoes. Shelf-stable potato gnocchi are vegan, but if you want to make this soup gluten-free or lower in carbs, try cauliflower gnocchi instead.

Making your own chicken stock isn't as difficult as you may think. This recipe can be used right away, chilled for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. Make a double batch to ensure you'll always have some homemade stock on hand.

This hearty vegetarian soup recipe combines the natural sweetness of caramelized onions with the nutty flavor of wild rice.

No ideas for dinner tonight? This slow-cooker lentil soup is easy to prepare in the morning and will simmer all day while you're at work. Full of aromatic vegetables, brown lentils, diced ham and fresh spinach, this hearty soup will be a real treat after a long day at the office.

This pureed carrot soup uses wild lemon thyme which has a more pronounced lemon flavor than plain thyme. Look for it at your local farmers' market. This recipe serves eight as a side dish, but can be halved for a smaller gathering.

Having company and lacking dinner inspiration? This Italian-inspired lentil soup may be the answer. It uses ingredients you'd commonly have on hand (including frozen vegetables) and can be on the table in about an hour.

This meat and vegetable soup is full of potatoes, corn and zucchini and has a hint of spice from a poblano pepper. Using ground bison means more protein and fewer calories although you can use ground beef if you prefer.

Leftover turkey is not just for sandwiches! This hearty soup recipe is full of shredded turkey and vegetables and the tasty toppings--cilantro, avocado and queso fresco--are what may just have you coming back for that second dish. Queso fresco is a mild Mexican cheese with a crumbly texture, similar to that of feta or farmer's cheese. Look for it at Hispanic food markets or larger grocery stores.

Be creative with your holiday leftovers--there's more to after-Thanksgiving eating than cold turkey sandwiches. This simple turkey soup is loaded with cannellini beans, which add protein and fiber without adding calories. Enjoy this soup any time of the year by making our Herb-Roasted Turkey & Vegetables (see associated recipe), which makes enough for a meal as well as this soup.

Red sweet pepper, winter squash and cilantro brighten up this spicy soup, making this Mexican-inspired one-dish meal the perfect family dinner. Accompany with a fresh fruit salad and warm crusty bread.

This Asian-inspired dinner is ready in under an hour and will have your family asking for more! The Thai-flavored cilantro-lime coconut soup--full of rice noodles, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms--pairs perfectly with the sweet-&-spicy mango and cucumber salad.

Nothing beats homemade vegetable broth and this recipe is as easy as it gets! Just start with a gallon-size sealable plastic bag containing the onions, celery and carrots and pop it in the freezer. Over time, add your vegetable scraps to the bag and once it's full, place the contents in a pot, add water and some spices and simmer away. It's a great way to reduce food waste and have delicious homemade broth ready whenever you need it. For the clearest and most flavorful stock, simmer gently--and don't stir.

Skip the frying pan and make a full meal out of store-bought dumplings with this quick and easy 30-minute soup. Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine used in Chinese cooking. Look for it in Asian specialty markets or with other Asian ingredients in large supermarkets.

This easy soup recipe cooks up quickly thanks to the use of an electric pressure cooker or multicooker, like the Instant Pot. It packs in tons of filling veggies without packing on the calories. Plus, it happens to be entirely plant-based. If you aren't eating vegan, top it with a little Parmesan cheese or pesto to add even more flavor.

Prep the ingredients for this soup months in advance for a total hands-off meal that's ready when you are. Vegetarian lentils and vegan coconut milk make this soup creamy and pack in plenty of plant-based protein and a hearty amount of fiber. To keep it vegan, opt for vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

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.

French green lentils and black lentils hold up well to long, slow cooking without becoming mushy. Save the rinds from used-up blocks of Parmesan in a resealable plastic bag or tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. They give soup broths a rich, savory flavor.