SOUPER Satisfying Dinners

Think of soup as winter’s salad alternative – these recipes allow you to turn one box of soup into four hearty and healthy, balanced meals.

Everyone loves a hot bowl of soup when the weather cools off, but sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy to start from scratch.  Using these four recipes, you can serve up satisfying meals from a box of soup and a few simple additions in no more than 15 minutes.  The best part?  Even with all the additions, the soup is still low in calories and nutritionally balanced to provide a serving of whole grain or starchy vegetable, lean protein, and at least two servings of vegetables.

Begin with roasted red pepper and tomato soup as the base (Campbell’s Select, Pacific Natural Foods, or Trader Joe’s are all nationally available brands).  Then create one of the following soups, with no more than five additional ingredients:

1. White bean Florentine: 
    Additions: Baby spinach, white beans, roasted red peppers, Parmesan cheese, white pepper

2. Wild mushroom and rice: 
    Additions: Wild rice, mushrooms, cubed tofu, chopped cashews to garnish

3. Fiesta turkey chili:
    Additions: Cooked lean ground turkey, black and/or kidney beans, corn, bell peppers, season with chili 
    and garlic powder to taste

4. Mediterranean vegetable: 
    Additions: Onions, roasted red peppers, spinach, garnished with feta cheese and chopped black olives

The final addition to your soup should be a healthy source of carbohydrate.  For a really simple choice,  add a small whole grain roll or peice of toast.  Or,  toss  1/2 cup of one of these five whole grains right into your soup!  Make a few servings so that you can use the leftovers to add to a different soup or use as  a side dish to another meal.

Five Great Grains

1. Wild rice (actually a grass)
2. Barley
3. Brown rice
4. Wheat Berries
5. Quinoa