Have you been feeling like all the food you’re eating is just too solid? Well here are three soups to solve that problem. As an avid maker and consumer of soups, I’ve found three diverse recipes that are hearty, flavorful and nutritious. The ingredients are also very inexpensive and accessible, so there’s no reason to not be making these. Each recipe makes about five servings, so it’s great for meal prepping or sharing with your roommates. 

Dominique D’Lima / Daily Nexus

Veggie Chili 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cup veggies of choice (my favorites are bell peppers, carrots, celery or zucchini)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne 
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 3 15-ounce cans of beans of choice (my favorites are kidney, black and pinto)
  • 1 15-ounce can coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pot and add the yellow onion. Sauté for a minute and then add garlic. Let cook for an additional minute.
  2. Add your veggies with the tomato paste to the pot and saute for about 3 minutes. 
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, then fill the can up with water and add it to the pot. Add salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, brown sugar, beans and coconut milk.
  4. Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Let it simmer for 15 minutes. 
  5. Turn the heat off and let sit for 15 minutes. 
  6. Optional: Use an immersion blender and pulse the chili until desired consistency is achieved. This will make the chili creamier, which I prefer. 
  7. Serve and enjoy! I ate mine with avocado and toast, but cheese and sour cream are also great toppings!

Dominique D’Lima / Daily Nexus

Creamy Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 medium carrots, diced
  • 4 medium celery stalks, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato pasta
  • 3 cups vegetable stalk
  • 1 cup green lentils
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½  teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 15-ounce can coconut milk

Directions:

  1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pot, dice the yellow onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and let the mixture cook for an additional minute.
  2. Dice the carrot and celery, add them to the pot with the tomato paste and sauté for about 3 minutes. 
  3. Rinse the lentils and add to the pot with veggie stock. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon and coconut cream. 
  4. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. 
  5. Serve and enjoy! I ate this with a side of quinoa, but it also goes great with bread or on its own.

Dominique D’Lima / Daily Nexus

Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients: 

  • 1 block firm tofu
  • 16 ounces pasta of choice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium carrots
  • 3 medium celery stalks
  • 5 cups vegan chicken stock or vegetable stock. Vegan chicken stock provides a more authentic flavor, but I also think this tastes great with regular vegetable stock.
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Optional: 1 cup frozen peas. This isn’t usually in chicken noodle soup, but I like the additional sweetness it adds. 

Directions: 

  1. Press the block of tofu. Don’t skip this step because it allows the tofu to soak up the flavors of the soup later!
  2. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package.
  3. In a separate large pot, heat up the olive oil and the yellow onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and let cook for an additional minute.
  4. Dice the carrot and celery and add them to the pot. Sauté for about 3 minutes. 
  5. Add the vegan chicken stock, salt, oregano, paprika, black pepper and nutritional yeast. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes. 
  6. Add the cooked and drained pasta and frozen peas to the pot, and crumble in the tofu. Let sit for an additional 5 minutes. 
  7. Serve and enjoy! I topped mine with nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes and fresh basil. 

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All of these soups will keep nicely in the fridge for a week. You can also double or triple the recipe and keep leftovers in the freezer for even longer. Feel free to adjust the water level on any of these to your liking; I tend to like mine on the thicker side.  

A version of this article appeared on p. 11 of the February 3, 2022 print edition of the Daily Nexus.

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