I don’t know about you, but I love having a nice hearty soup waiting for me in the fridge, especially on weeknights. I find myself making large pots of soups on Sundays which in turn carry me through the week with leftovers for lunches and an easy dinner.  I love soups just like this Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup with Spinach, full of wholesome protein and vegetables – basically everything you need for a good quick meal in a bowl.

This vegetarian Lentil Soup recipe is especially great for those of you who are trying to incorporate more meatless meals into your daily diet. It’s very filling and satisfying and you can even give it a little more protein and texture by adding broken pieces whole wheat spaghetti or pasta to it (whole wheat pastas are a great way to bump up protein). I love to serve it with grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated if you have it or use my favorite shredded Parmigiano Reggiano from Costco).

Are lentils healthy?

Lentils are not only a staple in an Italian kitchen, but also a vegetarian one. They are a complex carbohydrate and are high protein as well as fiber. They are also naturally gluten-free. It’s no secret they are an absolute powerhouse when it comes to nutrition. If you are looking to boost your protein intake, lentils make a great choice!

More healthy lentil recipes to try:

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili

Lentil Salad with Carrots and Cilantro

So delicious.

This Italian Lentil Soup recipe makes a lot of soup – about 15 cups of soup and about 8-10 servings, based on serving size. I like to freeze my leftover soup in 4 cup glass Pyrex containers like these (affiliate link). To defrost, set in refrigerator overnight and warm slowly in a pot over medium heat or in individual bowls in microwave. Add additional liquid if needed.

Ingredients for Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup

How To Make Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and add diced carrots, celery, onion, pepper and minced garlic. Season with 2 pinches of salt and fresh ground pepper. Saute vegetables in oil for about 7-10 minutes until soft and fragrant.
2. Add lentils, diced tomatoes, vegetable or chicken stock and water to vegetable mixture. Add 2 more pinches of salt.
3. Bring soup to a slow boil over medium high heat for a few minutes, then back down to a simmer over low heat. Simmer, with lid half on, for about 35-40 minutes stirring occasionally, until soup starts to thicken.
4. Taste for salt and pepper as its cooking and add more water if it gets too thick. The lentils will absorb most of the liquid in the soup while cooking but you’ll still want it to have liquid once done cooking.
5. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add fresh spinach leaves to soup and gently stir to combine.
6. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and lots of it!

Healthy Soup Recipes

Soup is one of my go to meals when I’m trying to trim some pounds or just generally feel healthier. Some soups I tend to make often are  Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Italian Vegetable Beef Soup and Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 24 reviews

Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup with Spinach

• Author: Aggie Goodman
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minites
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 8-10 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: Vegetarian

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2–3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1lb dried lentils
• 2 15 oz cans diced Italian tomatoes, with liquid
• 4 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock
• 5 cups water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 pinches kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, divided
• 10 oz bag fresh spinach
• fresh grated Parmesan, for serving

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Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and add diced carrots, celery, onion, pepper and minced garlic. Season with 2 pinches of salt and fresh ground pepper. Saute vegetables in oil for about 7-10 minutes until soft and fragrant.
2. Add lentils, diced tomatoes, vegetable or chicken stock and water to vegetable mixture. Add 2 more pinches of salt.
3. Bring soup to a slow boil over medium high heat for a few minutes, then back down to a simmer over low heat. Simmer, with lid half on, for about 35-40 minutes stirring occasionally, until soup starts to thicken.
4. Taste for salt and pepper as its cooking and add more water if it gets too thick. The lentils will absorb most of the liquid in the soup while cooking but you’ll still want it to have liquid once done cooking.
5. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add fresh spinach leaves to soup and gently stir to combine.
6. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and lots of it!

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Notes

This recipe makes about 15 cups of soup and about 8-10 servings, based on serving size. I like to freeze my leftover soup in 4 cup glass Pyrex containers like these (affiliate link). To defrost, set in refrigerator overnight and warm slowly in a pot over medium heat or in individual bowls in microwave. Add additional liquid if needed.

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My kids have been telling me to post our healthy baked potato soup recipe for a long time. This healthy potato soup made with cauliflower might be one of the most requested dinners every time I ask my family the question – what do you want for dinner this week? How do I say no to that??

Any time I can get my family to eat a healthy soup is a win in my book. This Slow Cooker Cauliflower Potato Soup aka Baked Potato Soup is one of the best weeknight meals since it comes together simply and can be reheated easily for those of us who are in a season of life where dinner time is a bit staggered due to sports practices and other activities with our kids.

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Pin this Mexican Chicken Soup recipe here.

MEXICAN CHICKEN SOUP

We had a cold snap this weekend (nothing compared to everywhere outside of Florida) and with the colder weather I knew I was making soup on Sunday. Let’s be real though, I like to make soup almost every week no matter the weather or season. I also love making soup in my Instant Pot – it has been a game changer as far as hands-off cooking goes. I put the ingredients in, set the cook time and walk away to do the things I need to do. Next thing you know, dinner is ready.

I’m really starting to believe in the Instant Pot Magic I’ve been hearing so much about.

I love a good chicken and vegetable soup and this time around I was craving Mexican spices so I made this quick and easy Mexican Chicken Soup recipe in the Instant Pot based on mostly pantry ingredients with a few staple veggies I always have in the fridge. The best part is I’ll be having leftovers all week for lunch.

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First post of 2019! I’m excited to finally share with you a reader favorite slow cooker recipe of mine that I updated into an Instant Pot recipe. This Slow Cooker Lentil and Quinoa Chili has been one of the most popular and most cooked recipes from the blog, I love that everyone enjoys it so much! Now you can make it in the Instant Pot!

I’ve had my Instant Pot well over a year now and cook a lot of basics in it (chicken, pork, spaghetti squash, hard boiled eggs and now rice), but I don’t make enough full meals in my Instant Pot. I am going to change that this year, that is my goal – starting with this Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili recipe.

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Click here to Pin this paleo slow cooker Italian sausage and kale soup recipe!

Originally published August 31, 2017. This soup is one of my favorites to make especially when I need a reset after a holiday weekend.

It never fails, the first couple weeks after school start and the sickness begins. Last week and weekend we had 2 streps and 1 virus hit us and we were literally at the doctor 3 different days with 3 different kids. It all started in preschool, which sounds about right and thankfully did not end with the parents although my allergies have been going a little haywire lately and my sinuses are acting up. Soup is always my go-to when I feel like this and although my 2 boys don’t typically partake in it, my daughter and husband do and I felt extra good about them eating a bowl of this Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes from my friend Natalie’s new cookbook, The Big Book of Paleo Slow Cooking. Nothing but good stuff in this soup.

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My sister in law sent me a pin of this recipe that she made and loved recently and I couldn’t get it out of my mind, it looked like my kind of soup. Of course, I don’t usually have the ingredients I need to make recipes when I’m ready to make them – let’s just say that I’m a natural and determined improviser when I’m hungry or in the mood to cook.

This Beef and Tomato Vegetable Soup is the perfect example of using whatever ingredients you have on hand to make something delicious and good for you too.

Cooking with Swiss Chard

I have been swooning over all the pretty Swiss chard I’ve been seeing in the grocery store and decided to add it to this soup. Swiss chard reminds me of my grandpa, he introduced it to me from his garden – he grew a ton of it every summer. I love how versatile it is, I tend to treat it like I do spinach or kale by adding it to soups like this or simply sautéing it as a side dish.

To prepare swiss card, simply fold longways and cut away the leafy part away from the stem. From there you can roll up the large chard leaves and slice into ribbons. Chop the stems separately. (Check out this post for a visual graphic on how to prepare swiss chard!)

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There are affiliate links in this post – see my disclosure policy.

It’s a good day when I make a soup that everyone in my family will eat (not counting my youngest – we aren’t there yet with him). This Tomato-Spinach Tortellini Soup from the new Skinnytaste One & Done Cookbook (affiliate link) comes together quickly and easily in the Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker) and has been requested several times by my daughter since we first had it. (If you don’t have a pressure cooker, there are stove-top cooking instructions included in the recipe below as well.)

I wish I could say we are in soup weather season here in Florida – we’re not. But, for me, soup is always in season. Lately I’ve been craving soup more than ever, mostly because it’s easy to heat up for lunch or dinner throughout the week making meals a little easier.

Skinnytaste One & Done Cookbook

This latest Skinnytaste cookbook released at the right time for me – I am trying to get reacquainted with my Instant Pot after not using it for a long time. So there are a few recipes in Gina’s cookbook specifically for the Instant Pot that I want to try like the Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls and Turkey Cheeseburger Soup.

TheSkinnytaste One & Done Cookbook (affiliate link) isn’t just for the Instant Pot. The book’s theme revolves around cooking in one vessel, whether it be a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer, sheet pan, skillet or Dutch Oven. Genius, right? I love it.

A few recipes from One & Done that I know my family will love are Giant Turkey Meatball Parmesan, Shepherd’s Pie Stew and Weeknight Chicken Souvlaki. My friend Brittany who also has the cookbook recently tried Mom’s Skillet Chicken Pot Pie and loved it – that is on my list too!

Because I love sharing new cookbooks with you, I’m giving away a copy of the new Skinnytaste One & Done cookbook along with a $50 gift Amazon gift card (see below) to put towards purchasing a new cooking vessel like the ones in the cookbook. I recently purchased new sheet pans and it made me happy. Sometimes new kitchen items are just what we need to get cooking.

Some of my favorite cooking tools are:

You can find all these kitchen tools on Amazon (affiliate links below, if purchased through these links I make small earnings that do not cost you more).

Slow Cooker (this one from Crock-Pot with stove-top browning has been a game changer for me)

Sheet Pans

Instant Pot

Toaster Oven

Blender (I’m a big Blendtec fan, I’ve had a refurbished one for 6 years strong)

Nonstick Skillets

Dutch Oven (it’s an investment but so worth it – it’s my favorite pot)

Covered Braiser (another investment, but I love it so much)

Giveaway:

Thank you to Skinnytaste for providing a cookbook for the giveaway. The Amazon gift card is sponsored by Aggie’s Kitchen. Good Luck and thank you for entering below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skinnytaste cookbook recipes I’ve reviewed in the past:

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese from The Skinnytaste Cookbook (affiliate link)

Zoodles with Shrimp and Feta from Skinnytaste Fast and Slow (affiliate link)

What’s in Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup?

All you need to make this tortellini soup is:

• butter
• chopped celery, carrots and onion
• reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 2% milk
• crushed tomatoes
• fresh basil
• bay leaves
• three-cheese fresh tortellini
• Pecorino Romano cheese
• kosher salt and ground pepper
• baby spinach

How do you make Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup in the Instant Pot?

1. Press the saute button on an electric pressure cooker. Add the butter when it has melted, add the celery, carrot and onion. Cook, stirring until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth, milk, tomatoes, basil and bay leaves.
2. Seal and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Quick or natural release, then open when the pressure subsides. Discard the bay leaves and puree the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth (or in a regular blender, in batches).
3. Press the saute button and bring the soup back to a boil. Stir in the tortellini, 1/3 cup of the pecorino, the salt and pepper to taste. Cook according to the pasta package directions, adding the spinach at the last minute. To serve, ladle into 8 bowls and top with pecorino, if desired.

How do you make Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup on the stove-top?

1. To make this in a large pot or Dutch oven, saute over medium-high heat in step 1. Add 1/4 cup water with the broth. Bring to a boil, then cook, covered, on low heat and double the cook time.
2. Add the tortellini at the end, cooking according to package directions.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews

Tomato-Spinach Tortellini Soup

• Author: Gina Homolka, Skinnytaste One & Done
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 40minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: Italian

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This Tomato-Spinach Tortellini Soup is hearty, yet light. It’s the perfect soup to dig into on a cool winter night or weekend.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (9 ounce) package three-cheese fresh tortellini
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups (about 2 1/2 ounces) baby spinach

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Instructions

1. Press the saute button on an electric pressure cooker. Add the butter when it has melted, add the celery, carrot and onion. Cook, stirring until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth, milk, tomatoes, basil and bay leaves.
2. Seal and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Quick or natural release, then open when the pressure subsides. Discard the bay leaves and puree the soup right in the pot with an immersion blender until smooth (or in a regular blender, in batches).
3. Press the saute button and bring the soup back to a boil. Stir in the tortellini, 1/3 cup of the pecorino, the salt and pepper to taste. Cook according to the pasta package directions, adding the spinach at the last minute. To serve, ladle into 8 bowls and top with pecorino, if desired.

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Notes

To make this in a large pot or Dutch oven, saute over medium-high heat in step 1. Add 1/4 cup water with the broth. Bring to a boil, then cook, covered, on low heat and double the cook time. Add the tortellini at the end, cooking according to package directions.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
• Calories: 222
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 3.5g
• Carbohydrates: 29g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 11g

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Click here to pin this Smoked Sausage and White Bean Soup with Spinach recipe!

Soup is one of my go-to foods when I feel that I need to reset and recharge my eating habits. It’s filling, it’s healthy (if you make it healthy, of course) and it’s usually really easy to pull together any day of the week.

One of my favorite soups to make is this Smoked Chicken Sausage and White Bean Soup with Spinach.

This soup is filled with staple ingredients that I almost always have in my pantry and fridge. Beans and basic veggies like carrots, celery and onions are really essential ingredients to almost all of my soups so I try to always have them on hand. I love using this chicken apple sausage and usually have a few packages in the freezer (it takes no time at all to defrost!).

It really does make for a perfect weeknight soup and leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

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This post was last published in November, 2015. It is still one of my favorite soups that can be made with lean ground beef and all the veggies in your fridge (specifically zucchini, green beans and carrots). Although we are still experiencing 90+ degree weather in Florida, I crave this light, yet hearty, soup all the time. It’s perfect for light lunches and dinners – it’s nice to make ahead so that you have something to quickly reheat when you are short on time.

Click here to PIN this Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe!

. . . . . .

Are you all turkey’ed out or what? I know I am. I had a few good leftover turkey recipes swirling in my head over the weekend (my daughter wanted me to make a turkey pasta salad, mmm), but honestly, I just didn’t get around to any creative leftover creations. We had a lot of turkey paninis and just straight up Thanksgiving plate reruns. It’s all good.

Moving on from turkey…I’m bringing up this Italian Vegetable Beef recipe from the archives. I originally posted this recipe back in December of 2009. Crazy how long ago that was! I remember I made this soup to take to my daughter’s preschool teacher who had just had surgery. When she got back to school, she told me her and her daughters loved the soup so much and wanted more. Yea, a compliment like that pretty much always makes my day. 🙂 Since then, I have made this soup quite a few times. It’s a great change from my typical chicken based soups, the lean beef (or bison) makes it a little extra hearty but still easy on the calories.

I’m sure most of you will agree that a bowl of good homemade soup is total comfort.  Soup has a way of warming up the body while nourishing it with so many health benefits at the same time.  I’m more of a broth base soup person, so I’m not really referring to the heavier creamy soups…not that those are bad, but they just don’t make me feel the same as a soup filled with lots of herbs and vegetables in broth.

Whenever I find that I have lots of vegetables in the veggie drawer that need to be used up, I usually make soup.  This particular day I had a nice variety of veggies….zucchini, squash, carrots and green beans. 

Add some dried herbs, lean ground beef and chicken broth and you’ve got Italian Vegetable Beef Soup.

Healthy Italian Vegetable Soup

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
2. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
3. Add green beans and cooked ground beef.
4. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes.
5. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4 from 1 review

Italian Vegetable Beef Soup

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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Break out the vegetables for this light and savory Italian Vegetable Beef Soup recipe. It’s loaded with great vegetables like zucchini, squash and carrots. Healthy (and easy) comfort food!

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Ingredients

• 2 tb olive oil
• 2 zucchinis, quarter chopped
• 2 squash, quarter chopped
• 2–3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1–2 cups green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• good pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 32oz can of Italian diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 – 1.25  lb lean ground beef or bison, cooked and crumbled
• Parmesan cheese, optional

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Instructions

1. In large stock pot, heat 2 tb olive oil and add zucchini, squash, carrots, garlic and onions. Cook for about 8 minutes until starting to soften. Add seasonings, tomatoes and chicken broth to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add green beans and cooked ground beef. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta if you like.

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Notes

Note:  amounts of vegetables can be varied.  Use what you have on hand.

Healthy Soup Recipes

Soup is one of my go to meals when I’m trying to trim some pounds or just generally feel healthier. Some soups I tend to make often are  Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Kale Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Italian Tomato and Lentil Soup and Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup. I’m ready to try this Beef Taco Quinoa Soup and Fall Vegetable Quinoa Soup!

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes on Pinterest.

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I hope you don’t mind another recipe from the archives…I’m looking for soups to make this week and this one has always been a favorite of mine. I posted it two years ago and thought you might enjoy it right now with the cooler temps approaching.

My family is currently in a busy season and I feel since all the Hurricane Irma madness I haven’t been able to catch up with my routine of cooking and sharing with you here. I’ve been cooking, but mostly quick throw together meals I don’t have to think too hard about.

Click here to Pin this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup recipe!

I originally posted this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup recipe  in January of 2015.

Oh split pea soup…it’s definitely not the prettiest in the category of soups but as far as nutrition goes, it ranks up pretty high in my book. It’s full of fiber, some protein and lots of other vitamins from the peas itself along with all the other veggies added in – and I think it tastes delicious. Anyone else love split pea soup like I do??

I love having soup in the fridge to heat up for quick lunches or for light dinners on busy nights. I really try to make a pot (or crockpot) of soup once a week, and when I don’t I definitely miss it.

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

This Split Pea Soup recipe for your crockpot is vegetarian based and made with vegetable broth, though it could also be made with chicken broth and a bit of ham, if that’s what you prefer. I love it just like this, full of garlic, carrots, celery and some tomatoes. The tomatoes are not a traditional ingredient for split pea soup but I’ve always added them.

A nice bowl of this vegetarian split pea soup for lunch or dinner definitely fills you up (in a good way!) and is really perfect for this time of year when most of us are trying to get back on track post-holiday. I don’t know about you, but my clothes are feeling a bit snug this week and I am really making an effort to chug water, eat a ton of fruits and veggies and not mindlessly pick on snacks and sweets that I got into the habit of picking on all throughout the holiday.

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