Since January is National Soup Month, I wanted to try different and healthy soups that I've either never had before or haven't had in a long time. Out of all the soups I tried the following 10 were my favorite! They are comforting, full of vitamins, easy to make and delicious (in my opinion). Each soup recipe is also very flexible so if there is an ingredient you don't have you can either omit or replace most ingredients with something and it won't affect the taste much, if at all. And if you are a meat lover, you can add pretty much any meat to any of the soups and vice versa if you are vegan: any of the meat/dairy recipes you can either replace with a plant-based version or completely omit.
1. Caribbean Black Bean Soup with Mango Relish (https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/vegan-soups-stews/caribbean-black-bean-soup-with-mango-relish). I'm not a mango lover for it's taste or texture but try to incorporate it in my diet due to it's health benefits and this recipe hits the spot. It has a tad bit of spice to it and the mango compliments it with it's sweetness just perfectly. Also note that I did not have the chiles and did my own version of pumpkin spice (just added cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) and it still tasted great.
2. Moroccan Lentil Soup (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/238522/moroccan-lentil-soup-with-veggies). Red or green lentils worked with this recipe. And for the quick version, you can try this soup mix.
3. Sweet Wild Venison Bean Soup ( https://www.thehandycupboard.com/blogs/recipes/venison-chili ). We have have a stockpile of deer meat since we have friends and family who hunt around the area. If you prefer beef this goes well with it and if you are vegan you can either replace the meat with something or completely omit and it's still just as good.
4. Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp (https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a10458/tuscan-bean-soup-with-shrimp). I omitted butter and used cooked frozen shrimp that I added at the end. You can omit shrimp and tastes good too.
5. Chickpea Red Lentil Noodle Soup (https://www.thehandycupboard.com/blogs/recipes/chickpea-red-lentil-noodle-soup). If you like the taste of chicken and dumplings but want the healthy version of the classic comfort food, try this recipe out.
6. Ukrainian Borshcht (https://www.thehandycupboard.com/blogs/recipes/ukrainian-borshct-recipe). This meal was my obsolute favorite while I lived in Ukraine. Meat is scarce there so it is originally plant-based. The few times I did have meat in it, chicken or pork went really well. This is the red borshcht version that is a mixture recipe from my host mother and the Peace Corps cookbook. There is also a green borshcht but I as much of a fan of that variety.
7. Hearty Veggie Lentil Soup (https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/hearty-vegetable-lentil-soup). I haven't played around with this recipe as much, the only change I have ever made to it was make it vegan by replacing the bacon with a plant-based bacon seasoning.
8. Garlicy Bean Soup (https://www.budgetbytes.com/vegetarian-15-bean-soup). I added a little more garlic but loved this recipe.
9. Protein Potato Soup (https://www.thehandycupboard.com/blogs/recipes/big-pot-potato-soup-protein-version). There are so many different types of potato soups out there but this one is my favorite since you not only get the comfort of a good potato soup but this one has some protein and more health benefits added from the greek yogurt and chia seeds. To make it even more protein you can also add a can or two of cannellini or garbanzo beans and mash them with the potatoes. To make it vegan, replace butter with ghee (or other butter equivalent) and you can omit the yogurt with beans.
10. Hearty Chickpea Soup (https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/hearty-chickpea-soup/#recipe). I didn't know the meaning of tomatoes pelati when I first tried this recipe and our local grocer didn't have any so I just used a local brand of peeled tomatoes. I also used chickpea turmeric pasta to add a little extra protein/fiber.
Let me know what you think of this list and any of your favorite soups!
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