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Weight loss soup is the perfect recipe for a healthier you in 2024! If you are looking to drop a few pounds this low-calorie, nutrient-rich, high-fiber soup is healthy, flavorful, and fills you up!
Weight loss soup is a combination of a couple of weight loss soup recipes that have been around for years – Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup and the Cabbage Soup Diet Recipe. We added kidney beans for protein to help you feel fuller for a longer period of time. Feel free to add or subtract vegetables to your taste.
We call this soup “magic” because we have all incorporated it into our diets at one point in another with terrific results! It’s so much more than a bland cabbage soup or vegetable soup. It is a low-carb, hearty soup that is full of flavor and keeps you satisfied and on track with healthy eating.
Ingredients for Weight Loss Soup
- Chicken broth – Low-sodium chicken broth gives a flavorful base for the soup. It adds liquid and moisture to the soup.
- V-8 juice – This is a flavor enhancement filled with all the nutrients from eight ingredients everyone loves.
- Diced tomatoes – Italian diced tomatoes from a can are poured into the soup. Tomatoes have a rich flavor with a great source of vitamins.
- Onion – Slice and chop the onion into small pieces.
- Garlic – Minced garlic cloves have their own health benefits.
- Mushrooms – Slice the mushrooms into thin slices.
- Vegetables – Carrots, zucchini, and squash are peeled and sliced in uniform sizes to help them cook and soften at the same time.
- Green beans – Fresh or frozen green beans work well.
- Kidney beans – Drained and rinsed thoroughly in a strainer. Add more types of lentils for more protein.
- Cabbage – Shredded cabbage softens and adds flavor to the base of the soup.
- Italian seasoning – Adds flavor and seasoning to the weight-loss soup.
How to Benefit from Weight Loss Soup
You still need to get a healthy amount of calories (about 1,200 a day) to lose weight at a healthy rate. For best results follow this diet plan we have found to work!
- Breakfast – Eat a healthy breakfast in the morning, focusing on lean proteins.
- Lunch – Eat a bowl of Weight Loss Magic Soup for lunch.
- Snack – Have another bowl of the delicious vegetable soup for an afternoon snack.
- Dinner – Then, at dinnertime, eat a bowl of the weight loss soup along with a serving of lean protein and a serving of whole grain, for example, a 4-ounce chicken breast and ½ cup of brown rice.
- Water – Drink plenty of water during the day to stay hydrated.
- Work out – Exercise at least 30 minutes 5 or more days a week for maximum results.
Will I Gain All My Weight Back Afterwards?
It’s important to note that we don’t recommend following this strict diet for more than seven days. After a week, be sure to maintain a healthy diet, having this soup intermittently until you reach your desired weight. I like to think of this as a positive kick-off to my diet, a way to shed pounds and gain some confidence as I continue with my lifestyle change.
A great way to help with portion control is to eat a bowl of soup before you eat your regular meal. The soup will fill your stomach with healthy vegetables, and you will feel less hungry during your meal.
Substitutions for Weight Loss Soup
Vegetables – You can substitute any vegetable. Just try to avoid starch ones like potatoes, peas, or corn if you can. Kale, spinach, and celery are delicious and filling substitutions.
Chicken broth – Beef broth or vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth. Feel free to use low-sodium broth or make your own.
Protein – We use kidney beans in our recipe to add some protein to this soup. White beans, pinto beans, black beans, or red beans can also be used and the calorie count will stay the same. You can also use lean ground beef or ground turkey, but keep in mind that the calorie count will go up.
Instant Pot Weight Loss Soup
We received a comment from Samantha, who made this soup in her Instant Pot. Thank you for sharing this, Samantha! Read her review on how she made the weight-loss soup in the instant pot!
“I did it in the instant pot! I sauteed the onions, garlic, carrots, green beans, and mushrooms in olive oil. Then, I added broth and gave it a good stir to scrape up bits. I added Kale instead of cabbage and cooked it for 5 minutes. Quick release, add zucchini and stir. Add tomatoes last and don’t stir. Cook another 5 minutes and quickly release. I didn’t add beans or tomato juice. I sprinkled it with parmesan and it was wonderful!”
Spices and Herbs to Use for Seasoning
In addition to the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and the seasonings in the diced tomatoes and V-8 juice, you can add any of the following additional seasonings!
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Sage
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning
“Wow!! Just made this! I’ve never made soup before and it tastes AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!”
-Kristen
Frequently Asked Questions
This weight-loss soup recipe makes about 20 cups of soup, so you will have plenty to eat all week long. It stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to seven days and freezes beautifully. Make a double or triple batch and store it in the freezer for up to three months.
It is always good to have a variety of meals each day. This is a great way to start a healthy new year and diet but is also good to have variations of meals for more nutritional value.
The amount of weight loss varies for each person. There are several variables to consider when using this weight-loss soup. Some examples are exercise, hydration, and body structure or type. These can all have an effect on the amount of weight you can lose and how quickly you lose it.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
Weight Loss Soup
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounces chicken broth you may use low-sodium
- 3 cups V-8 juice *see recipe notes
- 28 ounces Italian diced tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 yellow squash diced
- 2 cups green beans fresh or frozen
- 14 ounces kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 3 to 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, saute garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
- In a large crockpot, combine sauteed garlic and vegetables with the remaining ingredients.
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until vegetables are fork-tender.
- FREEZING INSTRUCTIONSThis makes a large batch of soup. If you would like to freeze portions of it to use later, undercook the vegetables just a little. Pour the soup into freezer Ziplock bags and let as much air out as you can. Lay the bags flat on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the soup is frozen flat, it is easy to layer in your freezer and won't take up much room. To thaw, place the bag in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheat.
I was allowed to be a picky eater as a child, so now as an adult I have a hard time with a lot of veggies (due to taste or texture) or even getting up the nerve to try them. Tip I’ve been using to sneak them in to my food is to mince the ones I do not like and not use the full amount, I can usually deal then. I’ll be adding in other veggies to make up for the lesser amounts of what I do not like. Making tomorrow for my husband and I to take to work all week. Will probably only use as a side soup with dinner, but can’t wait to try. Hopefully my picky taste buds will play nice
Do you really cook on HIGH 2-3 hours? That is a LONG time to cook vegetables but especially on high!
The directions say to cook in a crock pot. As everyone knows that uses a crock pot – it takes time for it to heat liquids, so I don’t think 2-3 hours on high is too much. It was also mentioned – that you could also cook this on your stove top (3-4 hours on medium heat). Choose which method you want. If the soup is cooking too fast for you, TURN THE HEAT DOWN – for crying out loud – use your common sense! And PLEASE – read all of the comments here BEFORE you ask your question that has already been asked a zillion of times!!
Why frozen green bean?
Hi, is it a requirement that you sauté the garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms? I prefer to just throw everything in the crockpot to cook, but just wondering if there was a reason to sauté first? Thank you!
I make a soup, chili or stew like this every week and they are great. (Mostly from the South Beach Diet). I will try the 7 day step and see if I lose weight a little faster. When I add meat, I add lean turkey or chicken. Even my kids love it. I am a veggie lover and think that these soups are nutritious and delicious!
I can’t wait to try this!! Would this be considered a “low carb” meal?
Simmering on the stove now, smells wonderful. I’m 52 years old and needing to lose at least 50, closer to 70 lbs. I will be using this soup as a quick start tool for a week and then as a filler with a sensible diet. Thanks for posting, found on facebook. Good luck to all of us!!!
I am deathly allergic to tomatoes. What can I use instead?
You can just use broth and omit tomatoes…
Can you add chick peas and shrimp to this recipe?
Of course! You can add whatever sounds good to you! 🙂
thanks for sharing. I am off to the store tomorrow. Need to lose 50lbs. Looking forward to the e-book.
Magic or not, this soup is good. Im not even dieting, but i love a good veggie soup, paired with a grilled cheese its yummy. Forget about the diet aspect of it, veggie soup is good anytime and this one is a keeper. I would take it to a pot luck.
54 yr. old male. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Will be making shortly and without having had it I can from my experience tell it will be very adaptable and delicious. Approximately a year and a half ago I bought a book by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Though I did not have heart disease I was concerned about being overweight and my health I as I aged. Your soup is a perfect fit with what he recommends. My father is a retired cardiologist by the way. The premise is that fat is the biggest issue in the western diet. So I followed his recommendations; no avocado, no nuts, no food with added fats, no meat, no dairy/cheese etc. If it had a face or a mother I did not eat it. I truly ate like a horse. Pancakes with no butter for breakfast, really good cereals with lots of fruit, and I love Silk Soy Milk. Lunches/supper were rice and different types of beans, great salads, veggie hot dogs (I found many that were oddly enough quite good. For many recipes I learned to puree apple sauce with the appropriate seasoning and substitute that for the fat in saute cooking and oddly enough in beans. My wife laments the very well stocked spice cabinet, but does not complain when I use it. My 20 year old son eats much of what I do. Did it work? Yes, and no… Let me explain. YES: I lost on average 5 lbs. per week for 5 weeks. I ate well, and oddly enough to allay worries about carbs, I had beer, wine, and the occasional bourbon during the whole process; lots of bread, rice, pasta, just not the added fat. You MUST READ LABELS, and RESEARCH for yourself. NO ONE CAN DO THIS FOR YOU, but support is nice! It is a lifestyle change. NO it did not work; In that one day my son said let’s go to Sonic. One cheeseburger and it was pretty much over. The real benefit is that now I tend to overall make better choices. I am swinging SLOWLY back to the regimen mentioned. Why? In one to two days following the plan, heartburn and indigestion disappeared, constipation was non-existent, weight begins to melt off, and the craving for fatty, salty, sugary (by that I mean refined simple carbs, not complex,) goes away. I am not vegan/vegetarian, but the benefits from eating that way were tremendous. Thank for the Magic Weight Loss Soup recipe!
Thank YOU for this comment Milton! Lots of good information there. I like how you said “if it had a face or a mother I did not eat it” haha good way of explaining that! 🙂
Can you specify the ounces of broth. I may have missed you answering this question previously. Thanks
All the cans are the regular (14 to 16 oz.) size
About 30 years or more ago, my husbands doctor put him on a diet using almost this same recipe. During the years I lost the recipe so was glad to see this, cause it was great. So full of vitamins that we all need! I never used any beans in it. No just eating soup as anyone knows will not make u lose weight, but you can get your protein by boiling chicken, grilling fish, and walking or some type of exercise. The grill fish or boiled chicken you can use as your other meals with steam veggies. And it does work, and is great for people that have heart problems. You can change the taste around by using different spices. My husband lost over 100 lbs. and once in a while I would give him a treat of banana pudding, using sugar free sugar such as splenda to make the sauce with (they didn’t have splenda back then but I use it now and cant tell the difference. Being as apples have there own content of sugar, I would bake them with the sugar substitute. I didn’t need to lose any weight but I ate the same thing he did and felt it made me healthier. By the way we changed our way of cooking food and the types of food we ate. This soup is addicting. Thank you again for the recipe. As far as sodium content you can make substitutes.
Thank you for this comment Pamela! Great suggestions! I am so glad to hear you like the soup. I actually made a batch yesterday 🙂 I love it too! -Erica
I have suffered from low thyroid problems for many years. All of my life I have been very thin which has always stumped the doctors. They have always told me I should weigh around three hundred pounds. I always laughed it off and chalked it up to good fourtune that I didn! But now I am in my middle fifties and the weight is pileing on at break neck speed! Can this soup help even the people that have medical issues ? I am very interested in the results and will try it. Thank you for sharing something that is healthy and not trying to push those dangerous pills
Hi Bev– If you have concerns, the best thing to do would be to talk to your doctor.
I really hate cooked squash and zucchini how bad would it be to add potatoes instead.
You can just leave them out.. if you MUST have potatoes you can add them, but it makes the soup MUCH more starchy.
Erica you are a Saint with an Outstanding amount of patience!
I’m NOT going to ask any questions cuz you’ve answered them all a bazillion times! LOL!
I was looking to substitute fresh spinach for the cabbage. How much fresh spinach would I use?
You can sub the spinach for the same amount as the cabbage lists.
I sometimes substitute Bok Choy-leaves and stalks- for celery and cabbage. Hubby and I both love it.
I would like to try the soup but there are some problems: 1) I don’t like V8 or any kind of tomato juice (but I do like tomatoes), 2) I hate onions, 3) I do not like kidney beans (or any kind of beans like them, I like green beans) and 4) I never feel full after I eat soup. It doesn’t matter what kind of soup.
I have 3 suggestions 🙂
1. You could blend tomatoes and sub them out for the V8.
2. Feel free to leave out the onions or beans.
3. Use the soup as a filler before eating a low fat meal to help you take in less calories and get your vegetables in. 🙂
Do you mind if I share this on my website? It’s http://www.igniteyourbodyandsoul.com
Just be sure to credit us back, and we prefer they come to our site for the full recipe. Thanks!
Boyfriend and I just made this soup today, it is soooo yummy. I will be posting my progress throughout the week! 😀
We are so glad you like it! We are looking forward to hearing how it works for you!