Did you know that January is National Soup Month? Makes sense to us! It’s cold and dreary out, and sometimes nothing can beat a nice, warm bowl of soup this time of year. So cozy up with us, and check out these rich and hearty soup recipes from WebMD®. BCBSKS members can find similar recipes and more by signing into WebMD through the BlueAccess® portal.  Enjoy!

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups chopped broccoli (or 10-ounce pkg. frozen broccoli)
• ¼ cup diced celery
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups nonfat milk
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 dash ground thyme
• ¼ cup grated swiss cheese

Preparation:

1. Place vegetables and broth in saucepan.
2. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender (about 8 minutes).
3. Mix milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and thyme; add to cooked vegetables.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until soup is lightly thickened and mixture just begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional information:

Per cup serving:  115 calories, 3 g fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 255 mg sodium.

© 2015 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

 

Mushroom-Beef Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 ½ cups chopped celery
• 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 1 pound boneless sirloin, or flank steak, trimmed, cut into ½ -inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 large turnip, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole-wheat egg noodles, cooked
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley, or dill for garnish

Preparation:

1. Place porcini in a bowl; add boiling water and soak for 10 minutes to soften. Line a sieve with a paper towel, place over a bowl and strain, reserving the liquid; finely chop the porcini and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook celery, carrots and garlic, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add cremini and onion; cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl.
3. Add steak to the pot and cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes; add tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add wine and Worcestershire and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Stir in the porcini and liquid, reserved vegetables, broth, turnip, bay leaf, thyme, pepper and salt; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in noodles. Garnish with herbs, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional information:

Per 1 2/3 cup serving: 212 calories, 18 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 34 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 537 mg sodium.

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Chicken & Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 7 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup instant brown rice
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and celery and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add rice, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken and peas and gently simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, vinegar and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional information:

Per 1 ½ cup serving: 175 calories, 15 g protein, 4 g fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 709 mg sodium.

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Baja Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds butternut or other winter squash (1 small to medium)
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ – ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives, or chopped parsley

Preparation:

1. Preheat over to 350° F.
2. Cut squash in half and seed. Place the halves on a baking sheet, cut-side down. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out flesh when cool enough to handle.
3. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the squash flesh, cumin, chipotle to taste and cloves. Add broth and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 20-25 minutes.
4. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches) until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a drizzle of yogurt and sprinkle of chives (or parsley).

Yield: 10 servings

Nutritional information:

Per ¾ cup serving: 60 calories, 2 g protein, 1 g fat, 12 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 768 mg sodium.

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.