Easy, Healthy & Quick Prep-ahead Soups

All the winter weather makes it the perfect time to enjoy a nice bowl of homemade soup. Although making soup from scratch can seem like a lot of work, I'm helping you “Get It Together” with healthy, comforting and easy soup recipes that can be thrown together in just 10 minutes.

The key is prepping the veggies ahead. Either do it at the beginning of the week or use my favorite tip: The time cook setting on your oven! Set the oven to cook your veggies, and it’ll turn itself off when they’re done. So you can come home from work and make your soup in 10 minutes.

Watch the video to learn how I prep both soups at once, and see how easy it can be to get a healthy, comforting dinner on the table, even on the busiest of weeknights.

Once you've had a chance to check out the segment, scroll down for the full soup recipes at the end of the post.

Julep's Favorite Tomato Soup

Ingredients

3 lb fresh tomatoes

6 cloves of garlic (separated, peel left on)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1-2 C Unsweetened cashew milk or unsweetened original almond milk

1-2 C Veggie stock or water (optional)

Lemon (optional)

Rosemary (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Slice tomatoes into thick slices, and arrange them in a single layer on the parchment paper.

3. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add in the garlic cloves wherever there's room on the pan. If using fresh rosemary, add it to the pan before baking, as well.

4. Roast tomatoes in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until they're slightly caramelized.

5. Peel garlic cloves, and add to a high-speed blender. I love my Vitamix for this! Transfer the tomatoes to the blender. If using dried rosemary instead of fresh, this is when you'll add it.

6. Pour the cashew milk into the blender with the garlic, tomatoes, and rosemary. Blend until completely smooth.

7. Transfer the soup to a pot on the stove to warm it up. If you desire a thinner consistency (or want to stretch this soup to feed more people!), add a little veggie stock or water.

8. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt or a little lemon juice to perk it up.

Hearty Roasted Veggie & Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1/2 Large yellow onion, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1 Rib celery, diced

2 C Packed fresh kale leaves

14 oz Can diced tomatoes

15 oz Can cannellini beans

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

4-6 C Veggie stock or water

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.

2. Arrange the squash on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

3. Arrange the carrots, onion, and celery on a separate baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Put both pans into the oven. Set the timer for 30 minutes. Check the mirepoix (carrots, onions, and celery) after about 15 minutes. Make sure the carrots are tender, but the onions aren't burning. If the onions start to cook to much, scrape all the veggies into a pile in the middle of the baking sheet and continue to cook. This will keep them from browning more. Keep checking on the mirepoix and pull it out of the oven once all the veggies are tender.

5. Once the butternut squash is tender and slightly caramelized, after about 30 minutes, remove it from the oven as well.

6. Store the roasted veggies in glass jars in your refrigerator until you're ready to make your soup.

7. To assemble the soup, add the mirepoix, squash, tomatoes, beans, and kale to the pot.

8. Fill the tomato can with water and add it to the pot, along with veggie stock or more water.

9. Simmer the soup for 10-15 minutes, until flavors are melded and beans are tender.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite go-to soup recipes are! Your thoughts and ideas are an important part of this community. Thanks for sharing!