The most AMAZING Vegetable Soup!! Thick and creamy, loaded with tender vegetables, it tastes luxurious and rich but it’s a SUPER HEALTHY soup recipe with 90% LESS calories than the usual creamy soups!
Magic super low calorie creamy Vegetable Soup!
Though my recipe feed doesn’t exactly scream “healthy eating” by any stretch of the imagination, the more discerning may have noticed that most of my dinner recipes actually have a sensible level of calories.
I don’t often cook with cream. I control my use of butter (sometimes reluctantly). And I am pretty sure I can count the deep fried recipes on this blog on one hand.
I believe that food is for enjoying not just survival. I don’t believe in butchering great dishes of the world for the sake of drastic calorie reduction and compromising taste. I’d rather eat a smaller serving of something super tasty and bulk up on vegetables.
However, I do have a thing for creating seriously tasty, super low cal meals that are filling. I have a few friends I often brainstorm with for calorie controlled food intake ideas. (Well, they brief me on exactly what they’re after and I do the brainstorming).
This is the product of one such session – a Healthy, Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe that’s just 124 calories for a big bowl and it’s seriously delish!
Secret ingredient: Pureed peeled zucchini
This recipe is sort of an extension of my Creamy Cauliflower Soup. Which I initially used as the soup broth for this healthy creamy Vegetable Soup and while tasty, it had a distinct cauliflower flavour which was not what I was after. I was specifically trying to make a super low cal cream of vegetable soup, so I wanted the white soup broth to have a fairly neutral but seasoned flavour.
The solution? Two zucchinis in the bottom of my fridge past their used by date. Peel off the green = almost pure white flesh. I knew it would thicken the soup and add silkiness just like in my Creamy Zucchini Soup – except this soup would be white.
Bingo.
Flavour!
The soup broth is also flavoured with onion and garlic which is cooked with the cauliflower and zucchini in vegetable broth and water until soft, then whizzed up until silky smooth. Pour it into the pot loaded with even more veggies, simmer to bring it all together and this is what you end up with – a big pot of HEALTHY creamy Vegetable Soup that looks like it’s been made with tubs of cream.
I’m not going to lie to you. Is it as good as making a real Cream of Vegetable Soup made using a big chunk of butter and 1/2 cup of flour to thicken milk? And let’s add a nice swish of cream while we’re at it, and we’d be mad not to sauté the veggies for the soup in more butter, because after all, butter = flavour.
Then we must, oh we MUST serve it with big hunks of grilled cheese on toast, and don’t hold back on the cheese please, and while you’re at it, please slather the bread with butter before topping with cheese.
No, this Healthy Creamy Vegetable Soup is not “as good” as that.
But does it stand on its own as a seriously delicious soup for a ridiculously low amount of calories for a gigantic VERY filling bowl?
YES IT DOES.
I know some people would use all the calorie credits for a little sweet treat. Not me. Bring on the grilled cheese. – Nagi x
Soup Dippers
More creamy cream-less soups
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup – bid Heinz goodbye!
Browse all Soups
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Magic healthy low cal creamy Vegetable Soup!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower , about 600 – 700g / 1.2 – 1.4 lb (Note 1)
Low Cal Creamy Soup Broth:
- 500g / 1 lb zucchinis (2 large), peeled and cut into 1.5cm / 3/5″ slices
- 1 large onion , roughly chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , whole
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1 cup (250 ml) 0% fat milk (or other milk of choice)
- 1/2 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder (or 1 tsp of one of them)
- Pinch black pepper
Soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 onion , chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 2 large carrots , cut into 1.25cm / 1/2″ pieces
- 3 celery sticks , cut into 0.75cm / 1/4″ slices
- 2 red capsicum / bell peppers , cut into 1 cm / 2/5″ pieces
- 500g / 1 lb zucchinis (2 large), peeled and cut into 1.25cm / 1/2″ slices
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or other herb of choice)
- Salt and pepper
- Finely chopped parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
Cauliflower:
- For soup – Break off 1/4 of the cauliflower into small bite size florets and put aside to use in the soup.
- For broth – Break up the rest of the cauliflower into medium florets. If you have a small cauliflower, use the stem too – peel then rough dice.
Broth:
- Place cauliflower for broth in a large pot. Add zucchini, onion, whole garlic cloves, vegetable broth and water. (Note 2)
- Place lid on, bring to boil then adjust heat so it’s simmering energetically. Cook for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is soft.
- Transfer to blender (Note 3), add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and milk. Place lid on, place tea towel on lid and hold down very firmly, then whizz to puree soup, starting on low then getting faster.
- Remove lid. Marvel at super low cal ultra creamy soup broth.
Soup:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots and celery, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add thyme, capsicum and zucchini. Cook until softened, around 2 minutes.
- Pour in soup broth. Adjustment consistency with water to achieve desired thickness. Add reserved cauliflower.
- Simmer 5 minutes to bring flavours together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve, garnished with parsley. Or splurge your calorie credits on a piece of grilled cheese to dunk into the soup!!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
A familiar sight: a furry head peeking around the bench to check out if anything of interest (to him) is going on in the kitchen….. In this case, no, just raw cauliflower!
Hello Nagi – we’re trying the 5:2 fasting diet and have just made your lovely cauli cream soup! It’s delish and your helpful addition at the bottom i.e. calories was super helpful. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Mary! N x
I can’t wait to try your cauliflower zucchini soup base. Looking forward to checking out more of your recipes. 🙂
Thanks so much Anita! N x
Eeeekkk. Now I’m under the pump. I used chicken OXO cubes (hides face in shame)
I’ve made this twice now and love having it on hand. Eating 2 cups is shockingly filling! I like to add in red pepper flakes for some heat, or a dash of hot sauce. I also feel like it is missing some “umami” and this time added in some MSG and it really hit the spot. If you aren’t sensitive to it I really recommend adding in just a dash as it rounds it out well
Hi Katharoni – sorry you found it lacking, it could just be the stock you’re using. 🙂 N x
This is a wonderful recipe. It has turned out beautifully, and is perfect for batch cooking. The base of courgette and cauliflower works so well and is a perfect lower fat alternative to cream. Thank you very much for sharing it, I’ll definitely be using it as a base for many different soups in the future. Great! I’m looking forward to exploring your other recipes too : )
Thanks so much for the great feedback Celeste!! N x
Excellent base with zuchchini.
I added chicken too with some chillie flakes…a hit ! And not forgetting some turkish bread grilled with cheese and butter to dunk
Yum! Perfect Sabi! N x
This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! You need to figure out how to can this. 🙂 I made the broth today and chopped up the veggies for tomorrow night. I’m already thinking through other vegetables to use, thanks again!
It’s life changing Cheryl!! So many possibilities…
The best low cal soup recipe ever. Loved every last drop. Creamy. You can add various spices to change flavors. So glad I found it.
Yes, it’s so versatile Valerie!!
Another excellent recipe! Amazing texture! I thought it was great as is, but it would be really easy to use as a base for your own spin on things. Go team Dozer!
My brain may just be tired this morning but I am confused. The description and the ingredients have you using zucchini as the broth base, but the video and instructions are for cauliflower? Do you just follow those instructions but use zucchini?
Ok. Yes. It is settled, I have lost my mind. Video and recipe clearly have zucchini in them….just no cauliflower in the ingredient list. I think the snow must be getting to me. 🙂
Amazing soup! Couldn’t believe how really creamy it turns out without loads of calories – and very filling! Add some chicken and it makes a main meal
Hey Kendra! This is probably a little too late, but the cauliflower is at the very top of the ingredient list (above the blue “Low Cal Creamy Soup Broth”). I’m not sure why the recipes are written this way, but I have noticed it is a common thing in her recipes. I always double-check above the rest of the ingredients.
Hi April and Kendra! Yup, Cauliflower is at the top 🙂 The way I write recipes is typically in the order in which they are used or prepared in the recipe! N x
I recently discovered your blog, and it has been so fun to try out your recipes. I make at least one or two every week! Today was a very cold and cloudy day, so I decided to make this creamy veggie soup. It was fantastic! My husband gave it a 9 out of 10 (high praise from him) and he didn’t know it was mostly vegetables. He was much more impressed after I told him! I added shredded chicken and skipped the milk to make it dairy free. It was fantastic. This is definitely going in the rotation for sure!
Good, hearty, tasty soup – texture may not be everyone’s cup of team and it definitely needs some salt. A bit of cream or sour cream would add some flavour.
Hi Candy, yes always season to taste – everyone’s tastes are different 🙂
Has anyone tried this substituting almond or rice milk instead of the dairy?
Yep! Any non dairy milk will be fine here 🙂 N x
I made a big double batch of this for my January diet and it turned out great. I added more veggies: peas, asparagus, and mushrooms. To make it more hardy for dinner I sometimes added a few precooked shrimp (low cal) to my soup bowl or topped it with crispy balsamic beets (salad topper) which gave it a really nice savory kick for only 30 extra calories.
Perfect for the January cleanse Rich!!
This soup was delicious although hubby doesn’t like cauliflower but I convinced him to give it ago and he loved it as well. The base would be perfect for pasta dishes, Its very versatile. Thanks Nagi !
I love that he gave it a go Annette!!
Delish! Healthy comfort food – best of both worlds!
It’s so good isn’t it Bree?!
I never comment on recipes – honestly – but I really felt the need to say how great this turned out ! I can’t believe how creamy this soup tastes, and so flavorful for what is basically 95% veggies! I’m already brainstorming what I can steal the zucchini “cream” broth base for. Thank you!
YES! It’s so great isn’t it Sarah!!!
What a fabulous recipe; a great soup for a rainy, cold November Ottawa evening.
Thanks for such an awesome soup! ❤️
YES!!
This is one of the best soups I have ever made and I have made a lot in my 73 years. But I still love learning! I’m not sure how you ever developed the recipe for the broth but it was everything you promised and more! I will eliminate the carrots next time as I thought it added sweetness the soup didn’t need but still used the red bell pepper, but that is just personal taste. I might suggest in your notes that you may need to do the blender step in two steps. I had too much broth for one time in the blender. I just divided the milk and spices in half for each blending. But ‘no big deal’. My question is can I use this broth for cream of mushroom soup? I’m watching calories so what better way to eliminate the normal flour/butter/cream way of making broth by using this broth recipe. Thank you again!
Hi Margaret, I’m so glad you loved it!! I use a stick blender here, I find it safer for hot soups. Great idea regarding the cream of mushroom soup – I’ll have to give it a go! – N x
How long would you suggest cooking this if using a crock pot?