Italian Vegetable Soup – 125 calories

Italian Vegetable SoupThis is the final soup recipe for my collection of 12 Super Soups.  All these recipes can be found in my book 5:2 Healthy Eating for Life as well as here on this site.

I make a lot of soups as they are a great way of getting to eat more vegetables! 

A lot of people think that cheese is too high in calories to use on a fast day, but if you use a little strong cheese, it is amazing what a difference it can make to both the flavour and the texture. Because parmesan is a little salty too, it helps to balance your electrolytes  – when you may have been drinking a lot of fluids on a fast day, you do need some salt to replace what may have been lost or is missing because you haven’t eaten. So whereas on non-fast days I rarely use salt in cooking, on fast days I like to make sure that something salty is part of our menu. That could be capers or pickles, air dried ham perhaps, or the stock that I use in soup.

Italian Vegetable Soup
A little pesto and a sprinkle of parmesan bring a taste of Italy to a straightforward vegetable soup. There is lots of scope for varying the vegetables according to the season.
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. ½ tbsp olive oil
  2. ½ large onion, chopped
  3. 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  4. 1 stalk celery, chopped
  5. ¼ cauliflower florets (150g)
  6. 1 medium carrot, chopped
  7. ¼ sweet red bell pepper, chopped
  8. 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
  9. 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
  10. 1 tsp pesto
  11. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
  1. A few basil leaves, roughly torn
  2. 10g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in large pan and gently sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, until a little softened.
  2. Then add the celery, carrot and red pepper and cook gently for a further 10 minutes, adding a little water if necessary to prevent them sticking.
  3. Add the cauliflower, parsley and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the cauliflower is tender.
  4. Add the pesto and adjust the seasoning to taste.
  5. Serve in warmed bowls with some basil leaves and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Notes
  1. Per serving: kcals 124
  2. Carbs 14g Fat 6g Protein 5g
  3. You could add some pasta or cannelini beans to make a more substantial soup for a non-fast day.
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/

5:2 in the Summer – Tuscan Zucchini Soup

This is a simple soup that makes a good light lunch or first course at under 90 calories per serving. Add another 70 calories for 3 grissini breadsticks. 

Ideal if you have a glut of courgettes and it freezes well too.

Tuscan Courgette Soup with breadsticks

Tuscan Zucchini Soup
Serves 6
A light and delicious soup that makes the most of courgettes/zucchini and freezes well
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1kg courgettes, diced
  2. 1 tbsp olive oil
  3. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  4. handful basil leaves
  5. freshly ground black pepper
  6. 10 g marigold swiss vegetable bouillon powder
  7. 1.2 litres water
  8. salt to taste
  9. 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  10. 40 g parmesan, finely grated
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan.
  2. Add the courgettes, garlic, basil and black pepper.
  3. Cover and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
  4. Make the stock with boiling water and bouillon powder.
  5. Set aside a couple of tablespoonfuls of the courgettes for garnish.
  6. Add the stock to the pan and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes.
  7. Whizz to a purée with a stick blender.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  9. Stir in parsley and most of the grated parmesan.
  10. Serve with a little grated parmesan on top and some pieces of courgette.
Notes
  1. You can use any shape of courgettes or soft-skinned summer squash.
  2. This soup freezes well.
Adapted from Cooking to Impress without Stress by Annabel Langbein
Adapted from Cooking to Impress without Stress by Annabel Langbein
Focus on Flavour https://www.focusonflavour.com/