Low Fat Vegetable Soup

A low-calorie all-vegetable soup, packed with flavor but made without any added fat. This soup is similar to the famous Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup. It's a Weight Watchers favorite but tasty for everyone, not just those who follow Weight Watchers.

Fresh & Flexible. Low Fat. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. Weight Watchers Friendly. Whole30 Friendly. Freezes Well. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Great for Meal Prep.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "This is great soup!" ~ Dorry

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The Annual Downsizing.

Is anyone else feeling less than svelte after indulging during the holidays? If we’re like millions of people, our resolutions for the new year call for less food and more exercise.

As we downsize, this soup will satisfy our yearning for filling, full-flavored fare. It keeps well in both the fridge and freezer so keep plenty on hand for fast lunches and light suppers.

Does Vegetable Soup Need Oil? A Taste Test.

This recipe has no added fat – and needs none.

When making it for the first time a long while back, I employed the standard trick to reduce fat while enriching the flavor in soups and stews.

It’s a simple thing, no "trick" really: simply sauté the garlic and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil (typically less than specified) to a deep gold color rather than until pale and translucent, the typical instruction. Doing so releases the onion’s natural sugar and can make a big difference in perceived richness. In fact, I use this very technique in my master recipe for vegetable soup, How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup.

In this soup, however, side-by-side taste tests yielded no difference at all.

• In Pot One, I threw in all the ingredients, no oil, no cooking.
• In Pot Two, I sautéed the garlic and onion in oil first.

The results: No difference.

So nix the oil. Not one drop is needed. "Fat free" goodness doesn’t happen often so with each swallow, let’s just enjoy.

And feel mighty virtuous.

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LOW FAT VEGETABLE SOUP

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time-to-table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 13 cups

• 3 15-ounce cans fat-free (about 5-1/2 cups) vegetable broth
• 3 15-ounce cans diced or stewed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered (about 2 cups)
• 3 zucchini, chopped (about 4 cups)
• 2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 russet potato, skin on, chopped (about 1-3/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a four-quart Dutch oven or very large heavy pot on medium heat. Add the vegetable broth and tomatoes. Add all the remaining ingredients as they're prepped. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer 3 cups of the cooked vegetables to a blender or food processor. Add about 1/4 cup cooking liquid to the blender and purée until smooth. Return the purée to the soup pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender (affiliate link), just sticking it into the hot soup right in the pot and spritzing a few times, just enough to thicken the soup using the vegetables themselves, no flour, no added thickener.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

ALANNA's TIPS This recipe makes a bunch, so make sure your pot is big enough. I usually use two Dutch ovens, rather than dragging out the big stockpot. If you're reducing carbs as well as calories, substitute chopped turnips for the russet potato. CSA members and farmers market shoppers will appreciate the ingredient flexibility of Master Recipe: How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Cup: 44 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 40mg Sodium; 9g Carb; 2g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 0 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 2 & Freestyle 0 & myWW green 0 & blue 0 & purple 0 CALORIE COUNTERS 100-calorie serving, 2-1/4 cups (6g protein); 50-calorie serving, generous 1 cup.

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More Low-Point Soup Recipes

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~ more soup recipes ~
~ more Weight Watchers recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ more Weight Watchers vegetable recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ tomatoes ~
~ mushrooms ~
~ zucchini ~
~ carrots ~
~ potatoes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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