27 Budget-Friendly Vegetable Soups
Make a hearty and comforting meal with these vegetable soup recipes. We pack these soups with budget-friendly ingredients like canned or frozen vegetables and pasta. Feel free to add in or swap out proteins if you have any leftovers on hand. The best thing about recipes like Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup and Ravioli & Vegetable Soup is that they are delicious and versatile.
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Ravioli & Vegetable Soup
Fresh or frozen ravioli cook in minutes and turn this light vegetable soup into a main course. Look for whole-wheat or whole-grain ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of the supermarket. Tortellini can be used instead of ravioli as well. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.Ā Source: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016
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Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup
Make a big batch of low-calorie veggie-packed soup with ease in this load-and-go crock pot recipe. After simmering away in the slow cooker, portion it into individual serving containers and store in the fridge or freezer for fast, healthy lunches or an easy, satisfying snack. This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it's an easy way to eat more vegetables.Ā Source: EatingWell.com, November 2017
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Southwestern Three-Bean & Barley Soup
Serve this zesty bean and barley soup garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime, if desired.Ā Source: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016
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Slow-Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup Freezer Pack
Your favorite restaurant soup just got easier and healthier with this freezer-to-crock-pot recipe. If you keep a special bottle of olive oil on hand for stand-out dishes, this is the recipe to pull it out for. The headiness of the fruity olive oil truly elevates the flavors in this Italian meal-prep slow-cooker soup.Ā Source: EatingWell.com, February 2018
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Alphabet Soup
Recite your ABC's while you enjoy this kid-friendly soup that you can feel good about serving--it's packed with healthy vegetables. If you can't find alphabet noodles, any small pasta (like orzo) will work.Ā Source: EatingWell.com, June 2018
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Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto
This fragrant, Italian-flavored soup takes advantage of quick-cooking ingredients--boneless, skinless chicken breast, bagged baby spinach and canned beans. It features a simple homemade basil pesto swirled in at the end to add a fresh herb flavor. If you are very pressed for time, you can substitute 3 to 4 tablespoons of a store-bought basil pesto. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.Ā Source: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016
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Quick Tomato Soup
This is a great “pantry soup”--that is, it comes together in minutes from ingredients that you can keep on hand all the time.
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Italian Wedding Soup
This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is Italian comfort food at its best, and this easy soup recipe lends itself to countless variations. Substitute spinach, chicory, chard or any other leafy green for the escarole or kale, and any leftover cooked (or canned) beans for the white beans in this healthy Italian wedding soup recipe.Ā Source: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016
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Vegetarian Black Bean Soup
Packed with protein and fiber, this soup doesn't need meat to be satisfying. Soaking and cooking the beans yourself, rather than opening a can, ensures you'll have wonderful flavor and texture. (And the slow cooker does most of the work!)Ā Source: Diabetic Living Magazine
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Minestrone with Endive & Pepperoni
Considering that this minestrone soup incorporates mostly frozen vegetables, it is remarkably savory and aromatic. Look for frozen soup or stew vegetables with potatoes, carrots, celery and onion in the mix to give the soup the best flavor. Although pepperoni isn't traditionally part of minestrone soup, you'll find it's a great shortcut to add spicy, complex flavor. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2009
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Kielbasa & Cabbage Soup
This Eastern European soup (called kapusniak in Polish) is traditionally made with sauerkraut. To keep the sodium in check in this healthy recipe, we use fresh cabbage and save the sauerkraut for a deliciously salty-sour garnish.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Garden Tomato Soup
Use your slow cooker to make a fresh tomato soup with plenty of tasty vegetables.Ā Source: Diabetic Living Magazine
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Pea Soup
A simple pea soup makes an elegant start to a spring meal. It's also a great way to use frozen vegetables when the produce section is looking bleak.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Sweet & Sour Beef-Cabbage Soup
This wholesome sweet-and-sour soup combines beef, caraway seeds, sweet paprika and cabbage--ingredients that star in a number of German dishes. It is particularly nice served with crusty rye bread. For an even heartier soup, add diced cooked potatoes along with the cabbage. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.Ā Source: EatingWell Soups Special Issue April 2016
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Double Celery Soup
Roasting celery and celery root intensifies their flavors in this silky-smooth, healthy soup recipe. Serve topped with a swirl of yogurt and herbs or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2016
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Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup
A big bowl of this veggie-packed minestrone will leave you satisfied for hours without consuming a lot of calories--plus it's an easy way to boost your vegetable servings for the day. Top with a dollop of pesto before devouring this delicious skinny vegetable soup.Ā Source: EatingWell.com, November 2017
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Broccoli-Cheddar-Chicken Chowder
In this healthy broccoli-Cheddar-chicken chowder recipe, heavy cream is replaced with milk and flour-thickened chicken broth and we keep sodium amounts reasonable with lower-sodium broth. By making your own homemade creamy broccoli, Cheddar and chicken chowder, you'll save up to 300 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat and 500 milligrams of sodium per serving compared to many store-bought or restaurant chowders.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
This satisfying vegetarian sweet potato soup is inspired by the flavors of West African peanut soup. We like the added zip of hot green chiles, but they can sometimes be very spicy. It's best to take a small bite first and add them to taste. Try chopped peanuts and scallions for a different garnish. Serve with a mixed green salad with vinaigrette.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Carrot Soup
This easy carrot soup recipe is a great way to use up a bag of carrots that were forgotten in your produce drawer. The carrots cook together with aromatics like onions, garlic and fresh herbs before being puréed into a silky smooth soup that's delicious for dinner or packed up for lunch.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Southwestern Vegetable & Chicken Soup
Who wouldn't want to eat their vegetables when they're tucked into a fragrant broth with bits of tasty chicken and spiked with a shot of fresh lime and cilantro? This healthy chicken vegetable soup seems even richer with the smoky flavor from roasted poblano peppers and garlic. Serve this healthy chicken soup recipe with tortilla chips.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Cauliflower Soup with Smoked Gouda
This healthy cauliflower soup recipe gets its great flavor from two smoked ingredients--paprika and Gouda. A hearty serving of crunchy croutons makes it filling.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, January/February 2016
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Russian Tortellini Soup
Many cultures have a version of dumplings; for Russians, they're called pelmeni. One of the ways they're often served is in a cabbage soup. We substitute easier-to-find tortellini in this healthy soup recipe with great results, but if you can find pelmeni, go ahead and use them.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2016
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Autumn Chicken Stew
This simple chicken stew stars three of fall's best crops--apples, carrots and parsnips. Serve with toasted sharp Cheddar cheese sandwiches and a brown ale.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2010
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Creamy Watercress Soup
Classic steakhouse flavors--horseradish, watercress and blue cheese--are combined in this pureed soup. The spicy, bold flavor of watercress pairs well with the rich flavor of beef, so we use beef broth as the base for the soup. Vegetable broth works, too, if you want to make a vegetarian version.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2010
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Classic Chicken Soup
Classic chicken noodle soup gets a healthy upgrade with low-sodium chicken broth, whole-wheat egg noodles and tons of vegetables. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients. But you're short on time, feel free to use pre-cooked chicken and start the recipe at step 2.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Celery & Parmesan Minestrone
This simple healthy minestrone soup recipe cooks in less than 30 minutes and uses celery stalks, leaves and dried celery seed to flavor the delicious Parmesan-laced tomato broth.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook
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Ribollita Soup
Ribollita, a traditional hearty Tuscan soup, typically uses day-old bread to add body and thicken the broth. This ribollita recipe uses a bean mash, which keeps the soup gluten-free and adds fiber. Garnish with extra-virgin olive oil or pepper and grated Parmesan.Ā Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook