Hearty Soups – Recipe
They-stick to your ribs but won’t clog your arteries.
The poet Robert Crawford wrote about a soup “so thick you could shake its hand and stroll with it before dinner.” He was describing a traditional Scotch broth, a delicious concoction of mutton, barley, peas, carrots, leeks, turnips, onions, celery, and cabbage. As its name imples, Scotch broth hails from Scotland, where hardiness is considered a national trait and where hearty soups abound.
You’ll find a version of this delicious broth in our recipes that follow, along with other flavorful soups–some thick, some thinner–that will help keep your soup pot simmering deliciously though the chill days of winter and early spring.
Roasted Garlic Potato Soup (Makes 4 servings)
4 medium red potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 strips turkey bacon, cooked
and crumbled
4 cups Swanson Chicken Broth
With Roasted Garlic
1 cup skim milk
1 cup instant mashed potato flakes
or buds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Place potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, bacon, and broth in saucepot. Heat to boil. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
Stir in milk, potato flakes, and parsley. Heat through.
Per Serving (1 1/2-1 1/4 cups):
Calories: 259 Carbohydrate: 50.1 gm
Cholesterol: 6 mg Protein: 11.4 gm
Sodium: 733 mg Fat: 1.6 gm
Fiber: 5.0 gm
Diabetic exchange: 2 1/2 starches + 1 vegetable + 1/2 lean meat
Scotch Broth Soup (Makes 6 servings)
1 pound lamb shank
2 quarts (8 cups) cold water
1/4 cup pearl barley, prewashed
1/4 cup dried peas soaked in water the
previous night
2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into coins
2 leeks, chopped
1 small turnip, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 small cabbage, shredded (2-3 cups)
1 teaspoon pepper medley
Put meat in large soup pot and add cold water to cover fully. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt (if desired), barley, and peas. Bring to boil. Skim off any fat, etc., which rises to surface. Add vegetables except cabbage to pan. Add pepper medley. Bring to boil again, then simmer over low heat about 2 hours. Cut meat off bone and chop (discard bone and fat). Add shredded cabbage and leave on heat another 20 minutes. Serve.
Per Serving (1 3/4-2 cups):
Calories: 166 Carbohydrate: 20.3 gm
Cholesterol: 77 mg Protein: 15 gm
Sodium: 327 mg Fat: 2.6 gm
Fiber: 5.5 gm
Diabetic exchange: 1 bread + 1 vegetable + 2 very lean meats
Golden Peanut Soup (Makes 4 servings)
1 teaspoon oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound yams, peeled and cut into
chunks
1 large green apple, peeled and cut
into chunks
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 can (6 oz.) apple juice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper medley
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is transparent. Add yams, apple, chicken broth, apple juice, cinnamon, and pepper medley to taste. Cover and bring liquid to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until yams and apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until melted. Puree soup in food processor or blender until smooth. Return to pan and heat through. Serve.
Per Serving (1 1/4 cups):
Calories: 425 Carbohydrate: 46.8 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg Protein: 14.3 gm
Sodium: 392 mg Fat: 20.1 gm
Fiber: 7.0 gm
Diabetic exchange: 3 breads + 2 med.-fat
meats + 1 fat
Spring Spinach Soup (Makes 4 servings)
1 pound fresh spinach or 1 bag
(10 oz.) cleaned spinach
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/16 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
teaspoon salt (if desired)
1/2 teaspoon pepper medley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup egg substitute
Prepare spinach by gathering leaves together and slicing into 1/4″ shreds. Wash several times; drain in colander.
Bring chicken broth and nutmeg to boil in medium-size pot. Heat olive oil in medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add spinach greens and saute until spinach is wilted. Add salt, pepper medley, and cheese. Remove from heat and add egg substitute, mixing well. Slowly pour spinach mixture into boiling broth, stirring with spoon. Simmer 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.
Per Serving (about 2 cups):
Calories: 118 Carbohydrate: 6.9 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg Protein: 9.2 gm
Sodium: 501 mg Fat: 5.9 gm
Fiber: 4.1 gm
Diabetic exchange: 1 1/2 vegetables + 1 med.-fat
meat
Barley and Bean Soup (Makes 4 servings)
3/4 cup dried Great Northern beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-size onion, peeled
and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery, with
some leaves
1-2 carrots, peeled and cut into angled
slices (about 2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
5 1/4 cups water
3 tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup pearl barley
Salt to taste (if desired)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper to taste
Put beans in bowl and cover with 2″ water. Cover with plastic wrap and soak overnight at room temperature. Or bring water and beans to boil in saucepan; remove from heat and let stand 1 hour.
Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, finely chopped garlic, and parsley. Toss several minutes without browning vegetables. Drain beans from water and add to soup pot, tossing to coat. Add water, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and barley. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook gently about 2 hours or until beans are tender. Keep adding water to maintain level of liquid.
When beans are cooked, remove bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup beans and vegetables to food processor or blender. Process until almost pureed. Return it to soup. Add salt and black pepper to taste and heat until warmed, if needed.
Per Serving (1 1/2 cups):
Calories: 361 Carbohydrate: 57.7 gm
Cholesterol: 0 mg Protein: 13.3 gm
Sodium: 322 mg Fat: 8.5 gm
Fiber: 15.6 gm
Diabetic exchange: 3 breads + 1 med.-fat
meat + 1 1/2 vegetables + 1/2 fat
Soup Suggestions
1. To thicken a soup stock, run some of the vegetables through a blender.
2. Keep leftover vegetables and cooking broth in a container. Then store it in your freezer and use to make vegetable soup.
3. Use a metal spoon to skim off foam while soup is cooking.
4. Cut back on salt by using no-salt herbal seasonings.
5. For a creamy soup, use evaporated skim milk instead of cream or half-and-half.
6. Freeze spices from the garden and tie a variety together in bunches for use in soups and stews.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Saturday Evening Post Society
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
