Healthy Italian Soup Recipes

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.

This thick soup is full of chickpeas, tomatoes, fresh rosemary and pasta. Convenient pantry items makes it the perfect solution for harried weeknights. To make this soup vegetarian simply swap reduced-sodium vegetable broth for the beef broth.

Italian egg-drop soup, Stracciatella, is traditionally a light soup made with just chicken broth, eggs and herbs. We added pasta, chickpeas and arugula to turn it into a meal. Serve with: Garlic bread and Caesar salad.

A well-stocked pantry is a good starting point for making a hearty homemade soup like this one--just add some fresh vegetables, bread and cheese and you've got dinner (and tomorrow's lunch).

Vegetables and lean meatballs streamline a traditional Italian meatball soup to make it lighter while keeping all the great flavor. Save some of the meatball soup to make a delicious casserole for later.

This version of the Italian classic vegetable and bean soup is made in the slow cooker and mixes in flavorful sausage and squash. Use any variety of winter squash.

Inspired by Tuscany's legendary pappa al pomodoro, this soup is a great way to use stale bread. The traditional version doesn't contain kale or a topping of squash and grape tomatoes, but why not?

The farro­­an ancient whole grain rich in iron and fiber--and butternut squash make this slow-cooker soup hearty and filling. If you're looking for an easy way to work whole grains into your diet, this is it.

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.

This is the classic Italian soup recipe (pasta and beans in a tomato base), though we've reduced the sodium and swapped in whole-grain pasta. Tailor it to your taste with anchovy and crushed red pepper as desired.

Italian wedding soup gets its name from the marriage of meat and greens. Use lean ground beef, pork, or lamb.

San Francisco's Italian immigrants developed this stew to use the abundant local seafood. We've opted for farm-raised tilapia and scallops, but feel free to experiment with whatever is fresh.

Minestrone is sort of a catch-all Italian term for soup, but it's always a welcome meal, especially when it's fortified, as it is here, with plenty of vegetables and protein-packed chickpeas. If you want a little more bite, consider substituting mildly bitter escarole for the chard.

This quick and easy vegan lasagna soup has all the classic flavors of lasagna, with plenty of tomatoes, veggies and lasagna noodles broken into bite-size bits. Plant-based meatless crumbles stand in for the sausage, and you won't miss the cheese with the fresh basil puree dolloped on top as a finishing touch.

This creamy rye and butternut squash soup recipe is a healthier take on a traditional squash and rye bread soup from the Valle d'Aosta region of Italy, usually made rich with milk and cheese. This healthy butternut squash soup variation gets its richness from the creamy starches released by the bread and winter squash. If you like caraway, be sure to use rye bread with caraway seeds.

Using basic canned goods and a few other staples, you can make this comforting soup in just minutes. The trick to achieving a full-bodied homemade flavor from canned chicken broth is to freshen it up with a handful of herbs, some garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. For a meatier flavor, add a little crumbled cooked Italian turkey sausage to the soup.

Cioppino is a fish stew traditionally made by Italian fishermen who settled in the North Beach/Fisherman's Wharf section of San Francisco. It was originally made on fishing boats with whatever fish were at hand. This cioppino comes to us from California chef and cooking teacher John Ash, who has been an advocate for sustainable-food issues for years and has served on the board of advisors of Seafood Watch--the advocacy arm of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Ash chose a variety of shellfish for this recipe, all of which are Seafood Watch Best Choices or Good Alternatives.

Compared to beef, turkey is lower in calories and saturated fat, which is why the Turkey Meatball is the star of our mouth-watering Turkey Meatball Minestrone soup recipe.

Chunks of chicken and vegetables share the bowl with lightly cooked, iron-rich leafy greens and plump, cheesy tortellini in this healthy dinner soup recipe.

According to legend, this seafood soup originated in San Francisco, the creation of Italian-immigrant fishermen who were as skilled with a soup kettle as they were with a net.

Pantry staples like cannellini beans, frozen spinach and chicken broth make this soup a snap to throw together on a busy weeknight. Make it a meal: Serve with crusty whole-grain bread and sliced tomatoes.

Pureed artichokes and beans become luxuriously rich and creamy in this quick and simple soup. Make it a meal: Garlic-Tomato Toasts and a simple salad turn this blender soup into a tasty dinner.

Make this low-calorie side-dish soup using vegetables you have on hand. This recipe gives you lots of options.

Chopped tomatoes, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese update canned tomato soup.