This is a recipe for a healthy soup broth that’s thick and creamy like everybody’s favourite Cream of Chicken Soup, but with a mere 45 calories per serving!! It’s super tasty, ultra easy, and there’s no weird ingredients in it.
So what’s the secret? PEELED ZUCCHINI. Neutral flavour that’s easily disguise-able with seasonings. Purees smooth – and white. This is life changing – imagine the possibilities! {Gluten free, low carb, nutrition dense}
45 calorie Creamy Healthy Soup broth
This recipe isn’t one of those healthy food hacks that calls for an enormous amount of effort, or weird ingredients, or where you sacrifice flavour for the sake of less calories.
It is, quite simply, my Creamy Zucchini Soup made using PEELED zucchini to make it white rather than keeping the skin on which makes the soup green.
So it’s not a desperate recipe creation designed to drastically strip calories from my life. That’s the side benefit. It is genuinely a creamy, silky white soup broth that’s extremely tasty that happens to be unbelievably low calorie, gluten free, low carb and packed with hidden nutrition!
What it tastes like
Like a savoury, creamy soup broth like Cream of Chicken Soup. It doesn’t taste like zucchinis. They’re pretty neutral in flavour anyway, easily overpowered by flavour additions! It doesn’t have that mouthfeel of richness that cream and butter provides in typical creamy soups. But it’s tasty in its own right!
Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup
For the sake of putting the broth into practice, I’m sharing the creamy white soup broth in the form of a healthy Cream of Chicken Soup today. So I’ve added little bits of chicken, carrot, celery, capsicum/bell peppers and peas. Not an enormous amount because it’s not supposed to be a chunky, fully loaded soup – though you absolutely could if you wanted to.
I’m making it just like Heinz canned soup – except with a fraction of the calories, preservative free, made from all natural ingredients! 🙌
The neutral flavour of zucchinis makes it ideal to use as a base for a super low cal savoury white soup broth!
Creamy healthy soup broth ingredients
Here’s what you need for this magical low cal creamy broth. See? No weird health food ingredients. That’s just not how I cook!
How to make the creamy healthy soup broth
I find that many “healthified” recipes tend to require an enormous amount of effort. Soaking, salting, squeezing out excess liquids, lots of pureeing.
Not this one.
The broth part is just a peel-chop-15 minute simmer-blitz job.
The soup part involves sautéing the veggies slowly to bring out the flavour, then adding our magic low cal creamy soup broth.
Isn’t it so nice to come across a healthy soup recipe that’s so incredibly simple??
Healthy Soup Add Ins – Cream of Chicken Soup
And here’s what you need to make the healthy version of Cream of Chicken Soup.
Yes, there’s a smidge of butter there. We need a bit – or oil – to sauté all those veggies slowly to bring out the sweetness and intensify the flavour. Little trick for getting the most flavour out of veggies, especially essential when you want to make healthy food using less oil and more vegetables!
Thick and creamy!
I really wanted to show you how thick and creamy the soup really is but found it hard to capture in photos. You will see it in the recipe video below – but as for photos, I found the best way was to use bread!! Which I realise contradicts the whole point of sharing a healthy recipe though I would totally understand / applaud if you chose to use your calorie credits on warm crusty bread slathered in butter to dunk into that creamy soup…..😂
The possibilities! Soups / stews / pasta bakes / casseroles
The neutral, savoury flavour of this creamy low calorie soup broth makes it ideal to use as a healthier, more nutrition dense option in place of richer creamy white soup broths that are typically made with butter and flour. Some examples include:
But why stop there? Use it to make rice casseroles. Make pasta bakes. Make white stews. Broccoli au gratin.
Oh the possibilities!! Tell me what you’re thinking! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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45 Cal Creamy HEALTHY Soup!
Ingredients
Healthy Creamy Soup Broth:
- 700g/ 1.2 lb zucchinis (4 largish), peeled and cut into 1.5cm / 3/5" slices
- 1/2 large onion , roughly chopped (brown, white, yellow)
- 2 garlic cloves , whole
- 2 cups (500 ml) chicken broth (or veg broth)
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1/2 tsp each garlic and onion powder (or 1 tsp of one of them)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (250 ml) 0% fat milk (or other milk of choice)
Soup Add Ins:
- 1 tbsp (15g) butter or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 large onion , finely chopped
- 1.5 cups carrot , peeled and finely diced
- 1.5 cups celery , finely chopped
- 1 small red capsicum/bell pepper , finely chopped
- 1.5 cups cooked chicken breast , diced
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
Garnish:
- Fresh thyme (high recommended, or sub chives)
Instructions
Healthy Creamy Broth:
- Place all Broth ingredients EXCEPT milk into a pot, cover with lid and bring to energetic simmer over medium high heat.
- Lower to medium and simmer for 15 minutes until zucchinis is very soft.
- Remove from heat, add milk. Use a handheld blender to blitz until smooth. Add salt to taste. Marvel at creamy broth with so few calories!
Healthy Cream of Chicken Soup:
- Melt butter in a pot or large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic, onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 3 minutes, then add capsicum. Cook for another 2 minutes until onion is translucent and sweet.
- Add Broth, chicken and peas. Bring to gentle simmer for just 2 to 3 minutes or until peas are cooked.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with a pinch of fresh thyme leaves. Devour, and marvel at how such a creamy, totally delicious bowl of soup has so few calories!!
Recipe Notes:
3. Nutrition per serving for broth only (about 1.5 cups per serving).Nutrition Information:
More soups to soothe the soul
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Superb broth tastes even better day after. Shared with friends and family. Absolutely worth making. Thank you. ♥️
That’s fantastic Millie! I’m glad you enjoyed it!! N x
Sorry Nagi I misread cooked chicken breast. Please disregard my previous post.
Hi Nagi
I follow you on Facebook and love your recipes. I’m just wondering how the chicken is fully cooked in this soup as it not long enough time.
Try removing some of the liquid before pureeing it. You can always ad it back in, if the soup is too thick. That’s what I always do with any type of creamy soup.
It’s soup time again here in Argentina and the moment it gets the littlest bit chilly I make this soup. I love it. It’s great-tasting, creamy and lasts me for days. Thanks for the recipe!
It’s getting chillier here as well – I am looking forward to busting out the soup pot! N x
Well, well, well….looked at this and thought hmmmm, surely it couldn’t really have the texture of creamy soup with no cream. I’m here to admit I am wrong. This texture is amazing. I added a bit of chicken stock powder and thyme on tasting but it is the texture I am astounded with. I’m looking forward to using this idea as a springboard to other creamy concoctions. The ideas are endless
You’ve got to trust me on these things!! N x
Hahahahahaa Yes, yes I do. D
This was incredibly amazing.
Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Today is my first time making this soup. The broth is vey thin. It doesn’t have the body of what I see in the video. All suggestions welcome, include others that find it a thin broth. If you have managed to get a thick broth, what changes if any did you use?
Try removing some of the liquid before pureeing it. You can always ad it back in, if the soup is too thick. That’s what I always do with any type of creamy soup.
Hey nagi, what are your thoughts about using white zuchinni (very pale skin) for the soup, and to use it with the skin on for this recipe? I’m thinking of the benefits of the nutrients from the skin.
First time I made this soup, I was hooked and have been making it weekly for a few months now. The flavour is so ceamy and the veggies add that ‘texture’, I call it crunch. Thanks so much.
This soup is Amazing!!! I could just eat it without anything added, so flavorful! But options what you can add are endless!!! Thank you!
Made this today. My goal this year is to eat more vegetables. This soup was Devine. Followed the recipe but added some chilli flakes as I like heat. You never fail to disappoint Nagi.
Eating this as I type. OMG! So delicious! I didn’t have low fat milk, only 1/2 and 1/2, so I used half cream and half water. So, not as HEALTHY as yours but still wonderfully full of veggies.
How about chopped broccoli instead of peas?
Sure! Broccoli has a stronger flavour though but if you like it it should be fine! N x
Thanks Nagi,
Looking forward to making this! Do you think it would still taste as good if I omitted the chicken? If so, would I have adjust measurements of the other ingredients? And can I use lactose free or skim milk instead? Thanks Nagi!
I dont put chicken in mine and just have the recipe as is. Love it.
I’ve never had a bad meal from this blog, and this soup is no exception. So simple, yet so delicious!
Really great! I made a couple of modifications (used all broth and no water, plus a little extra chicken bouillon; instead of peas, I added frozen mixed veggie blend – the one with green beans, lima beans, carrot, peas, corn). I love how creamy this broth is, considering it’s mostly zucchini. I will definitely make again.
This is a great low calorie cream of chicken veggie soup. I made it as per recipe and would recommend changing the broth using a total of 4 cups of chicken broth and no water as it was a bit bland. I ended up adding a generous Tbsp. of chicken flavored bouillon. It needed the thyme for sure to give it that chicken flavored soup we all love. Will definitely be making it over and over again. Genius use of zucchini!!!
I have followed you for a long time now and love everything. I made this soup this afternoon and it was another delicious recipe! Thankyou
Nagi!
This soup was excellent! My garden is producing zuchinni faster then I can bake and this soup allowed me to use up an overgrown zuchinni which is a bonus. Love that this soup is jam packed full of vegetables. I did increase the chicken by a full cup as I had roasted chicken to use up. Served it up with homemade bread. I didn’t have fresh time for that finishing touch, will have to try that next time. Homemade garlic croutons might be nice too!
Thanks!
Holly x
So good! Thanks so much Nagi 🙂
Hello.
I’m new to your website but loving your recipes so far. Is it possible to include weights for ingredients as well as cup measures. Being British I have never used cups to measure ingredients like meat and vegetables, we always weigh things. Also can you tell me why you peel the courgettes for the soup base, aren’t the nutrients in the skin ?
Thanks.