A vegetarian diet has many benefits. It is low in calories and easy to digest, but it must also be balanced. It should provide the body with an adequate dose of nutrients and vitamins. Despite appearances, a highly nutritious meat-free diet is not at all complicated. Below we present some ideas for vegetarian soups. On winter days they are the best way to warm up!
Soups in a vegetarian diet
Soups are extremely simple meals to prepare. You can sneak in a lot of vegetables and protein, mainly from legumes. What’s more, the nutrients from cooked vegetables are absorbed much faster. Soups contain unsaturated fatty acids. Just add a tablespoon of olive or flax oil to them. Below are recipes for highly nutritious soups with high protein content
Vegetable soup with lentils and peas
This soup contains lentils and peas. The ingredients give it a sweet flavor, plus they are rich in vitamins and vegetable protein
Ingredients
60 g red lentils,
100 g shelled peas,
500 g zucchini,
1 potato,
small carrot,
parsley,
a piece of leek,
parsley,
salt and pepper to taste.
Method of preparation
It is necessary to boil half a liter of water. After boiling add dry lentils and peas, cook for about 20 minutes until the ingredients are completely soft.
Meanwhile, cut zucchini, potato, carrot, parsley and leek into small cubes
Add all the vegetables along with parsley to the cooked lentils and peas. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes
Once cooked, set aside to cool for 30 minutes. After this time, blend the soup to a smooth cream. Add salt and pepper
The creamy soup is recommended to be served with croutons or crusty bread
>> See also: What to pack sandwiches for work and school?
Warming pumpkin soup with grana padano cheese
Pumpkin has many valuable nutritional values. First of all, it contains zinc, which is necessary for the functioning of the body. It has very few calories and lowers blood sugar levels. In turn, grana padano cheese is an interesting addition, which will diversify the taste of the soup
Ingredients
1 large pumpkin (preferably hokkaido),
1 l of vegetable stock,
1 small onion,
clove of garlic,
50 g grana padano cheese (can also be parmesan),
2 cm of grated ginger,
spices: half a teaspoon of chilli, half a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of black pepper,
oil or sunflower oil for frying.
Preparation
Wash the hokkaido pumpkin, remove the flesh, and then slice it. The skin of this pumpkin is edible, so there is no need to peel it. For other pumpkins, peeling is necessary
Slice the onion and sauté in olive or oil for 2 minutes
Then add pressed garlic and diced pumpkin to the onion. Simmer everything until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes
In the meantime, make broth and pour it over stewed vegetables. Boil the whole thing for 10 minutes
At the end add half a teaspoon of chili and ginger to the soup. Stir and cook for 2 minutes
After cooking, set the dish aside to cool for 15 minutes. Then blend to a smooth cream
Serve with plenty of grana padano and cumin
Roasted Pepper Cream Soup with Mascarpone Cream
Peppers are an extremely valuable source of many nutrients, such as vitamin C and E, and B vitamins. It provides a large amount of potassium, phosphorus, iron and magnesium. Moreover, the vegetable aids in fat digestion and is a good source of fiber
Ingredients:
1 kg red peppers (about 6 pieces),
small onion,
5 cloves of garlic,
4 tbsp olive oil,
4 tbsp mascarpone cheese,
seasonings: half a teaspoon of salt, black pepper, a teaspoon of thyme, a teaspoon of basil.
Preparation
Wash the peppers, cut them in halves and remove all the seed sockets. Then brush it with olive oil and put into a preheated oven. Roast the peppers with the fan for 60 minutes at 190 degrees
In the meantime, peel the onion and cut it into halves. Peel the garlic and then wrap individual cloves in aluminum foil
After the peppers have baked for 30 minutes, turn them over and place the garlic wrapped in aluminum foil and the onions next to them
When the skin of the bell pepper begins to brown, remove it. Put the vegetables into a glass bowl, cover with cling film and set aside for 30 minutes
When the peppers have cooled down, peel them. Put it into a pot along with the onion and garlic
Pour in vegetable broth and cook for 10 minutes
After cooking and cooling, add mascarpone cheese to the soup. Then blend it to a smooth cream. Optionally serve with croutons and herb butter
