I am wanting to do a soup diet to lose weight. What are some of your favorite soup recipes???

I make soup all the time- usually at least one batch every weekend!  My son has a lot of orthodontia, so has trouble eating sandwiches (bread is too soft and gets stuck), so he takes soup in a thermos to school every day.  His favorite is an Italian-type soup that I can pretty much make in my sleep now- it's very healthy as well as filling.  I can't give you exact measurements, since I don't measure when I make it, so you might have to play with the amounts, but here's the basic recipe:

Sautee in olive oil over medium heat: sliced onion, diced carrots and celery (I usually do about equal amounts of onion and celery, and twice as much carrots) until onion has softened.

Add one boneless skinless chicken breast, sliced thin into bite-sized pieces, and one mild italian turkey sausage, removed from casing.  Stir and cook until meats are cooked through, breaking up sausage into chunks as you cook.

Add in 1-2 cloves garlic, minced, a couple pinches of rosemary, chopped/crushed, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Add chicken broth, 4-6 cups, enough to cover soup ingredients by about 1 inch.

Add about 1/2 can of crushed tomatoes (or more if you like), and one can of drained/rinsed cannelini beans.  If you can't find cannelini beans, you can use great northern or kidney beans.

Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Add about 4 cups fresh spinach, sliced up (don't worry if it sounds like too much- it cooks down a lot).  You could also use frozen chopped spinach- just thaw and press the water out before adding.  Add about 1/2 cup of that, or more to taste.

Season with salt/pepper.  This is delicious served with a bit of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

Thanks Lesley! That sounds yummy! We love soup around here and I am wanting to make something different.

that does sound great Lesley

yum - that sounds great Leslie - will have to try it.

here's some of my favorites: I think I submitted all three for the cookbook.......

Hearty Potato Soup

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 6 celery ribs, chopped
• 8 cups water
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups milk
•  
• In a large kettle, cook potatoes, carrots and celery in water until tender, about 20 minutes.
  Drain, reserving liquid and setting vegetables aside. 
• Meanwhile, in another pan, saute onion in butter until soft. Stir in flour, salt and pepper;
  gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Gently stir in cooked vegetables.
  Add 1 cup or more of reserved cooking liquid until soup is desired consistency.
• Yield: 8-10 servings (about 2-1/2 quarts).

• Chipotle Tortilla Soup
•  
• 1 sm onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 T butter
• 2 ½ T flour
• 1 c milk
• 1 c grated cheddar cheese
• 3 oz cream cheese, chunked
• 2 c chicken broth
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (or equivalent fresh tomatoes)
• 1 c fresh or frozen corn
• 2 (+) T ground paste of Chipotle and adobe sauce*
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 ½ c cooked and cubed chicken
•  
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• lime
• sour cream
• avocado
•  
• Saute onion and garlic in butter. Add flour and milk.
  When sauce is very hot, stir in cheese and cream cheese.
  After cheese is melted, add remaining ingredients.
  When serving, stir in cilantro. Top with sour cream and avocado slices.
  Serve with lime and seasoned tortilla chips.
•  
• Seasoned Tortilla Chips
• Brush corn tortillas on both sides with oil.
  Sprinkle one side with Fiesta fajita seasoning and a sparing dash of cayenne pepper. Cut into thin strips.
  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until crispy, but not too brown.
•  
• *recipe note: put the whole can of chipotle’s and adobe sauce in the blender. The paste keeps in the refrigerator for months, or you can freeze it until your next use. I bought a small can at the local Wal-Mart.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

• 1 ham bone left over from a holiday bone-in ham or
        1 bone-in picnic ham (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 4 bay leaves 
• 1 pound split peas (2 1/2 cups), rinsed and picked through
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 2 medium carrots, chopped 
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• pinch granulated sugar 
• 5 new potatoes, diced
• Ground black pepper 
•  
• 1. Bring 3 quarts water, ham and bay leaves to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer
  until meat is tender and pulls away from the bone, approx 2 - 2 ¾ hours.
• 2. Take ham out of water and set aside to cool. Add split peas and thyme to water and simmer
  until peas are tender but not dissolved, about 45 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, when ham is cool enough, shred meat and set aside. Give rind and bone to the dogs.
• 4. While peas are simmering, heat oil in large skillet over high heat until shimmering.
• Add onions, carrots, and celery. Saute, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid evaporates and
  vegetables begin to brown, 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter, garlic, and sugar.
  Cook vegetables, stirring frequently, until deeply browned, 30-35 minutes; set aside.
• 5. When peas are tender, add potatoes and shredded ham to soup; simmer until potatoes are tender
  and peas dissolve and thicken soup; about 20 minutes more. Add vegetables. Season with ground black pepper.
• 6. The finished soup will thicken as it stands but can be thinned with water when reheated.
• Optional: Minced red onion and splash of balsamic vinegar can be added when serving soup.
•  
• Serves 6-8

Recipies for a small planet...it is called cabbage  soup for a meal and is basically chopped potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and garlic in a tomato base with grains like cooked brown rice and whole wheat berries. You then top each yummy bowl with a dollop of home made yogurt...complete meal for sure...cheap and filling./ makes a great winter meal!

here's one from the latest Cook's Illustrated newsletter

• Easy Minestrone
• 
  Small pasta shapes such as orzo and ditalini work best in this hearty, easy-to-make soup. Look for an "Italian Blend" of frozen zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and beans in your supermarket's frozen section.
  
  Serves 4 to 6
•  
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup pasta, dry (see above)
• 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen vegetables (see above)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

1. Bring broth, beans, and tomatoes to boil in large saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture and pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetables and basil and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional olive oil for drizzling.

There's a chicken and rice soup recipe on here. Her recipes are always good.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Dear Cajun Friend:  I saved a column from the weekly newspaper about a "Fat Burning Soup Diet".  It was built around the "Basic Fat Burning Soup".  Ingredients were 6 large green onions, 1 or 2 large cans tomatoes, 1 large head cabbage, 2 green peppers, 1 bunch celery, 1 package Lipton onion soup mix, or bouillon, seasoned with salt and pepper, bay leaf, thyme, basil, dried vegetable flakes, hot sauce, and bouillon.  (If you're like the Cajuns I knew ("pepperbellies"), any recipe with hot sauce in it will appeal to you.  After you make a big batch of this soup, the columnist gave instructions for the next 7 days...."Day One" through "Day Seven".  She wrote  "On the end of the seventh day, if you have not cheated following the plan, you will have lost at least 7 to 12 pounds."  Her name is Darlene Dixon and her column was "Kitchen Delights."  She said that she thinks the most requested column she did has been this "Fat Burning Soup. Diet."