If you’re a foodie like me, then you know that preparing and cooking food feels like an art form sometimes. Each dish you create can be refined and iterated upon until it ends up to your liking. And soup is no different. In fact, I would say it is among the most experimental foods you can make. Breakfast soup is great for you because it kickstarts your immune system and water intake for the day, among other cool health benefits. There are plenty of ingredients you can use for your soup and whatever you choose will play a role in how it ends up tasting. Zesty is my favorite flavor, but I’ve seen others enjoy hearty, brothy, spicy, and traditional flavors as well.
To get started with soup-making, you need a few key ingredients, a pot for boiling water, and a ceramic/wood dish. This is all that is required for basic soups, but you can go further depending on which ingredients you use. If you need help figuring out what ingredients you can put in soup, I have a list prepared in a later section of this post.
But first, we need to talk about why you should be eating soup in the first place!
The Health Benefits of Breakfast Soup
Soup hydrates your body, especially when you feel sick. Hydration is important to enable chemical processes to occur within the body. And when you are sick, you need more water than usual so that your body can produce disease-fighting mucus. Soup provides your body with not only plenty of water, but also lots of healthy nutrients from the meat and veggies you add in to it.
What also helps a lot for sickness is the heat of the soup. Sniffing the fumes of a hot soup eases your nasal passages and aids mucus production. Your body needs heat and water when you are sick and eating soup helps you in both areas. There is simply no food that destroys the common cold and flu better than a good, warm soup.
They are dense in nutrients and low in calories. For weight watchers, breakfast soup is a safe and healthy low-calorie food. Veggie and broth soups in particular contain antioxidants, fiber, protein, and micronutrients such as zinc and the essential vitamins. Because soup is a versatile food, you can add whatever ingredients you want without changing the soup’s consistency too much.
Warm soup can boost digestion and treat stomach aches. As stated earlier, soup contains plenty of fiber thanks to the veggies, pasta, and meat you put into it. Soups are similar to tea in the fact that they calm upset stomachs. This is thanks to a combination of warm liquid, high fiber, and plenty of antioxidants. I have always found that for severe stomach pains and headaches, a good soup with lemongrass added in helps cure my pain instantly. Soup may also be helpful for reducing menstrual cramp pain in women.
Soup is an easy way to get in your intake of raw fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies, like carrots, onions, spinach, and squash, are common soup ingredients. For most of us who have very busy days, it can be bothersome to eat a cup of veggies/fruit per day (even though we absolutely should do this to stay healthy!). Breakfast soup helps us get our nutrients in for the day because it’s so easy to just throw a cup of mixed veggies into a boiling pot. On top of that, steamed veggies usually taste better than raw veggies, so eating your soup in a single sitting shouldn’t be a problem depending on your portion sizes.
Hearty, brothy soups are high in soluble fiber. Fiber is important to have when you wake up because it helps provide a gradual energy source for your stomach. Plant-based foods, and meats like steak bits and chicken cubes, provide a healthy amount of fiber. Trust me when I say that you’ll feel a lot happier and energized when you are able to digest food very easily.
How To Create Your Own Breakfast Soup
If you’ve never actually made soup from scratch before, it is easier than you may think. There are several key steps to follow when making your own breakfast soup.
Get out a pot and choose a base
The base will be the foundation of how your soup feels, not tastes. You should center your base around what you want from your soup. Do you want protein, flavor, creaminess, or are you simply trying to cure a cold? It’s important to think about this before throwing stuff in.
Common soup bases include chicken, tomatoes (blanched and blended), potatoes, pasta, shrimp, and more. All soup is best served fresh and warm, right out of the pot.
Add vegetables and other plant sources.
Zucchini, butternut squash, diced tomatoes, potatoes, scallions and celery are just a few of the delicious ingredients you can put in your soup. You could reasonably throw in any plant food and it would still taste great. Keep in mind that fruit is sweet, so it could change the taste of your soup by a wide margin.
Choose a primary protein source
Meat and poultry are usually the primary choices for easy soup protein. Fish like clams, squid, shrimp, and mussels also work great. For vegetarians, beans, lentils, and tofu are two plant-based foods that are packed with protein. Tofu is a primary ingredient in many vegan dishes such as miso soup and tofu scramble.
Protein is important for your breakfast soup, because you want a morning complement for the high fiber that soup already has. Both soluble fiber and protein work together to keep your energy levels and satiety high throughout the day.
Add some toppings to round it out and enhance the taste
Your choice of protein will comprise the bulk of your breakfast soup. But it’s the toppings that give the overall soup an extra punch in flavor. You don’t need too much, though, since a few good toppings are all that is necessary in most cases.
Common soup toppings include herbs like parsley and dill, drizzles of oil, grated cheeses of any flavor, spices like red pepper and garlic, and coconut flakes. You can also get creative and use other household ingredients that you don’t have a use for. For example, the end of a loaf of bread isn’t good for making sandwiches, but works great for a soup topping since you can whittle it into bread crumbs.
Cook the soup over a stove
Soup is best served piping hot with fresh ingredients. Start by setting a pot over a stove set to high heat. Add your choice of liquid, which can be tomato sauce, chicken broth, water, or even fruit juice. Wait for the liquid to boil, and then set the stove to medium heat. At this point, you may add protein and plant ingredients. Broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach are a few examples of ingredients that taste great when boiled.
Spices and seasonings like salt and garlic should be added last, when the dish is prepared. Wait for the breakfast soup to cool-don’t make the mistake of burning your tongue, it can definitely feel uncomfortable.
(Optional) Pair the soup with a healthy snack
Side snacks like granola bars, apples, and oatmeal can work well with breakfast soup, under normal circumstances. Because soup is already fibrous, you don’t necessarily need a large portion size for your snack. Too much fiber can be bad for you, especially if you need to go somewhere important in the next few hours, like work or a business meeting.
If you are low on protein, choose a food that will give you a nice energy boost for the day ahead. Scrambled eggs are great to have as a side, as well as a protein smoothie. Sometimes, I like to rip off chunks of bread and dip them, either in my soup or in a serving of sunny side up eggs. Perfect for cleaning off the dish!
Breakfast Soup Ingredients To Use-A Quick List For Your Convenience
Protein sources
Broths, like chicken and beef broth, are best to use. Use vegetable broth or vegetable juice if you are vegan/vegetarian. If you need more taste, add small tidbits of shaved beef, chicken pieces, and cod, among other meats. Other great protein sources include legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils.
Plants
They are a must-have, since they will provide most of the fiber and vitamins in your recipe.
Common vegetables include carrots, onions, celery, brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, leeks, eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, and more. The sky is the limit when it comes to veggies, since they all have a distinct flavor that enhances the feel of your soup.
Pasta or bread
Staple pasta/bread sources include spaghetti, croutons, ziti, pulled bread, bread crumbs, mostaccioli, and more. Bread tastes good and putting a few in won’t hurt. It strengthens the texture and taste of your soup. The most popular soup pairing is instant noodles with chicken, and this creates chicken noodle soup, for example.
Spices and herbs
Herbs like oregano, parsley, and dill can bring unique flavor to your recipe that no other ingredient can do quite as well. They also are popular for helping ease digestion and stomach cramps.
Spices like onion, garlic, and mushroom spice achieve a similar result with a longer shelf life. If you want your breakfast soup to taste great, adding these auxiliary ingredients in is a no-brainer. Of course, they are optional though, and what really matters are the solid ingredients you put in.
Source of liquid
The liquid mixture that you use will be the biggest determining factor for the thickness of your soup. Plain water is good for basic recipes like chicken noodle soup, but there are other liquids you can use as well.
Stock and broth
Although not optimal for vegetarians, they add much-needed zest to your soup. Natural broth sources also have protein to boost your soup’s nutrition. Generally, you want to use stocks and broths with ingredients that are either neutral or non-sweet like green onions, carrots, or chicken.
Milk and cream
Milk and cream soups come out savory or sweet depending on what kind of milk source you use. For maximum flavor, use whole milk as it has the highest fat content. Half-and-half is a reliable cream mixture that helps with thickness. Milk soup works best with bread ingredients like noodles and croutons. As for vegetables, you can use broccoli, pumpkin, asparagus, cauliflower, and more. But, do not use ingredients like mashed tomatoes since they can create an unpleasant taste contrast (from my experience).
Juice
Fruit and vegetable juices are versatile, working well with pretty much any soup ingredient. Tomato juice is the most common, but lemon juice, apple juice, and carrot juice are also used frequently. This is the safest and most reliable liquid source for vegans, since juice soups are almost always fully plant-based.
Wine
And finally, it doesn’t hurt to add a little booze to your breakfast soup. The most common wine base in soups is white wine. It enhances the taste and mixes well with broths. Usually you would add around 500-750ml of wine to a soup, maximum. Other wines you can use include pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and grenache. If you’re having family over to your house and you want to show off your class, just serve them some elegant wine soup and you’re good to go!
Savory Tomato Soup (Vegan-Friendly)
Equipment
- 1 large soup pot with cover
- 1 wooden spoon for stirring
- 1 electric mixing device (blender, food processor, etc.)
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes 20-28 oz can
- 1 can white/black beans 12-16 oz can
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 minced garlic cloves
- 2 green onion shallots, chopped
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- pinch of salt/black pepper
- ½ cup mixed herbs oregano, dill, basil, etc.
- 1 tbsp butter/margarine
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- grated parmesan cheese/nutritional yeast optional
- 1 tsp white wine optional
Instructions
- Grab a large soup pot and heat it on a stove over medium heat. Add olive oil, shallots, and garlic, and sauté until softened. Stir with a wooden spoon for best results.
- Stir in the tomato paste, red pepper, and garlic. Let them simmer for about a minute.
- Add canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, beans of choice, and salt + pepper. Cover the pan with the lid (if available) and stir periodically to allow the soup flavors to meld. This process can take anywhere from 5-20 minutes, depending on how much quality you want in your soup.
- Once finished, add in the herbs, parmesan, butter, and balsamic vinegar. Stir well.
- Grab a food blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Puree the soup in your processor until very fine and smooth. Be sure not to cover the lid completely while blending so that you can allow trapped gases to exit the soup.
- Dispense soup batches into bowls and enjoy!
How to store your breakfast soup
Depending on what kind of soup you make, shelf life on soups can vary widely. Plant based soups require the most attention since they may start to rot in as little as a week.
Soups shouldn’t be frozen, but they can be refrigerated. Make sure to cover any soup dishes you have in tight plastic wrap. When it is time to eat again, simply microwave it. You may bring breakfast soup on the go as long as you have portable food carriers with tightly shutting lids.
