3 Heart Healthy Soups for Fall

The leaves are starting to change colors and the weather is becoming cooler, meaning fall is just around the corner! The changing of the seasons often comes with a change in diet – fresh fruit was great in the summer, but colder weather is meant for hearty, comfort food. If you’re looking for a tasty meal, curl up with a big bowl of one of these heart healthy soups.

Crockpot Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Soup

Ingredients

1 and a 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup quinoa

1 (-4 cups) small butternut squash

1 can kidney beans

1 can corn

1 can petite diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 packet fajita seasoning mix

5 cups chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: fresh parsley, sour cream, cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Remove the fat from the chicken.
2. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve to remove the bitter saponin coating.
3. Peel, seed and chop the butternut squash into small bite-sized pieces (or buy pre-chopped butternut squash for an even faster prep).
4. Rinse and drain the kidney beans and corn.
5. Lightly grease your slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add in the chicken, quinoa, chopped squash, kidney beans, corn, undrained tomatoes, garlic and fajita seasoning packet.
6. Pour in the chicken broth and give everything a good stir.
7. Cover and cook on high for 3–4 hours or until the quinoa is cooked through and the squash is very tender.
8. Optional: can remove some of the squash and mash it with a potato masher then put it back in the soup.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste and any other seasonings you desire. Garnish with fresh parsley.
10. If desired, stir in some sour cream (we use reduced fat or fat free) and some freshly grated cheddar cheese.

NOTE: slow cookers are known for cooking at different speeds. If yours tends to cook faster, your chicken and squash could be down earlier than 3 hours, and alternatively, everything may take longer to cook in a cooler slow cooker. The longer this cooks, the more liquid the quinoa absorbs.

Creamy Pumpkin Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or a generous amount of cooking spray)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin filling)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn kernels, drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 jar of chicken broth

3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1–2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

Optional: fresh cilantro, avocado slices, shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips/strips

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium to high heat.
2. Add onion to heated pot, stirring and cooking for about 3 minutes, until soft. Stir in garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
3. Add pumpkin, black beans, corn, tomatoes and chicken broth. Give everything a good stir and then add in your seasoning and chicken. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Taste and season accordingly with additional seasonings as needed.
4. Just before serving, stir in Greek yogurt.

Optional: Serve garnished with fresh cilantro, avocado, cheese and tortilla chips.

Vegetable Turkey Soup

Ingredients

1 lb. ground, skinless turkey breast, broken up

3 large carrots (peeled and sliced)

3 medium zucchini (sliced)

1 small onion (chopped)

1 can “no salt added” tomato sauce

1 can “no salt added” cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)

2 medium garlic cloves (minced)

1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning (crumbled)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

To save for later:

In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the broth. Transfer the soup to a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag. Place the bag flat in the freezer and freeze.

To cook:

Thaw the bag overnight in the refrigerator. Pour the contents of the bad into a slow cooker. Pour in the broth, stirring to combine. Cook, covered, on low for 8 hours, or until the turkey is no longer pink.