Crustless Broccoli Quiche is a lightened up version of traditional quiche without the pie crust, fuss and extra calories. It tastes amazing freshly baked or cold, for breakfast, snack or even dinner!

Our family absolutely loves crustless quiches like crustless spinach quiche, crustless zucchini quiche and cottage cheese zucchini quiche!

This week I made crustless broccoli quiche and it disappeared during breakfast and snack time! It is fiber and protein loaded, is easy to make and a sure way to get more veggies into your kids.

This broccoli quiche with no crust packs insane amount equal to 4 cups of broccoli. Just like spaghetti squash quiche and crustless zucchini pie, it’s a great way to hide veggies from kids.

Red onion and garlic add flavor without sauteing and disappear in a fluffy egg mixture. Salty feta cheese melts inside and a few handfuls of cheddar add that irresistible golden crust on top. So good!

Ingredients for Crustless Broccoli Quiche

• Eggs: 7 large or I used 9 medium eggs. You can also use egg whites with replacement ratio of 1 large egg = 1/4 cup egg whites.
• Broccoli: 1 pound or 4 cups of fresh or frozen broccoli works. If using frozen veggie, run it in a colander under hot water and drain well. I finely chop even the stalk, especially if it’s organic, and use in dishes like healthy broccoli salad or healthy beef and broccoli.
• Milk: Quiche without milk is not a quiche but rather a frittata. Creamier milk, more flavor dense is the quiche. You can use non-dairy milk, just be ready for more thin flavor.
• Cheese: Feta cheese because it tastes amazing combined with fresh herbs and garlic. And a sprinkle of cheddar on top adds nice golden crust, but is OK to skip or sub with any other hard melting cheese.
• Onion and garlic: Red onion is perfect for quiche because it adds mild flavor without sauteing. Regular yellow onion needs sauteing and you can do that, throw garlic in there too.

How to Make Crustless Broccoli Quiche

• Prep veggies and cheese: I like to chop all veggies before I do anything else. And I start preheating oven at same time. Chop broccoli into bite size pieces as well as stalks, everything will get cooked and soft. Crumble and grate cheeses now too. 
• Whisk egg mixture: No need to whisk eggs first. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes together.
• Add veggies and cheese: Then combine chopped broccoli, onion, garlic with liquid egg mixture and crumbled feta. Once in a pie dish, level with spatula and then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
• Bake until golden in preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 50 minutes. Shake the pie plate and if middle is not jiggly, quiche is ready and set. Cool for 10 minutes and slice. Yum!

Serving Ideas

Crustless quiche is high in protein, fiber and healthy fats. So it’s a low carb meal on its own. Below are a few great pairings if you need more:

• Creamy tomato soup – classic and easy 15 minute soup.
• Avocado salad complements high protein quiche with more healthy fats.
• Fruit salad
• With a crusty bread or high protein bread like cottage cheese bread.
• Tea or coffee.

How to Store and Reheat

Serve quiche warm or cold. Are you like me and one of those people that thinks quiche tastes even better cold?! I recommend to slice it into 8 slices after baking, cover and refrigerate in same baking dish up to 5 days. Makes it such an easy grab and go meal!

Freeze quiche in airtight container for up to 3 months. I absolutely love these reusable 1 gallon silicone bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Reheat quiche in a microwave or in the oven at 375 degrees F which would take about 15-20 minutes.

FAQs

More Favorite Broccoli Recipes

• Chicken broccoli stir fry
• Healthy broccoli cheddar soup
• Broccoli feta soup
• Penne broccoli
• Sauteed broccoli

More Favorite Egg Recipes

• Broccoli cheese egg muffins
• Healthy breakfast casserole
• Sausage egg casserole
• Cottage cheese egg bites

You may also love this collection of healthy egg recipes!

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Crustless Broccoli Quiche

Crustless Broccoli Quiche is a lightened up version of traditional quiche without the pie crust, fuss and extra calories. It tastes amazing hot or cold!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 slices

Calories 175kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Pie dish

Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli florets 4 cups chopped
• 7 large eggs
• 1 cup milk I used 3.25%
• 1 medium red onion diced
• 3 large garlic cloves minced
• 5 ounces feta cheese crumbled
• 2 ounces soft cheese like Mozzarella or cheddar shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Cooking spray I use Misto

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray 9 inch pie baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, add eggs, milk, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and whisk well. Add broccoli, red onion, garlic, feta cheese and stir well with spatula.
• Transfer mixture to previously prepared baking dish, level with spatula and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake for 50 minutes or until the middle isn't jiggly anymore.
• Remove from the oven and let quiche cool for 10 minutes.
• Then cut into 8 slices and enjoy warm or cold!

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate leftovers in airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat (if you have to because it taste absolutely amazing cold) in a microwave. Or in the oven at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
• Freeze: For up to 3 months.
• If using frozen broccoli, place it in a colander, run hot water over it and drain well.
• If you would like to use all or some egg whites, 1 large egg = 1/4 cup egg whites.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 169mg | Sodium: 402mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

The post Crustless Broccoli Quiche appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Learn how to make the juiciest Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe in 25 minutes. It is easy, tender and bursting with flavor!

And for last minute dinner, here is how to cook frozen chicken breast in air fryer.

Time for juicy air fryer chicken breast because we love chicken breast recipes around here! And we do not settle on dry and flavorless chicken!

I’ve already perfected recipes for grilled chicken breast, baked chicken breast, Instant Pot chicken breast and crock pot chicken breast. Now it’s time to perfect it in my latest gadget, the air fryer!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• It’s quick and easy: You can have healthy dinner on the table in about 25 minutes without preheating and dealing with a giant oven.
• You don’t have to brine chicken breasts in salt water!
• Delicious, failproof results: Cooking chicken breast in air fryer results in juicy, tender chicken breast with a light, flavorful crust and tender, moist middle. Every single time!
• The oil amount is minimal: Just enough to help the seasonings adhere and lock in the juices.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Breast

One of the best things about this air fryer recipe is that it is so simple and made up of entirely clean ingredients and pantry staples. You only need 6 basic ingredients!

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts: I use 8 – 9 ounces and around 2-inches thickness breasts. If your chicken breasts are larger or smaller, you may need to adjust the cook time. Please see below.
• Oil of choice: I use avocado oil or olive oil.
• Seasonings: A simple combination of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and smoked paprika. And salt and pepper.

How to Cook Chicken Breast in Air Fryer

Here is a quick overview how to make air fryer chicken breasts. There is full recipe card below.

• Preheat the air fryer and prep chicken: Preheat it to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Add chicken breasts to a bowl and drizzle with oil. Then rub using your hands or toss with tongs to coat.
• Rub chicken with seasonings: Add the spice blend, salt and pepper, and then rub chicken breasts to make sure all sides of the chicken are evenly coated.
• Air fry chicken breast: Spray the basket of air fryer with cooking spray, place chicken breasts in air fryer in a single layer and cook chicken for 16 minutes. No need to flip chicken breasts or shake the basket. 
• Check the temperature: Open and insert meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breasts to make sure it has reached at least 150 degrees F.

How Long to Cook Chicken Breast in Air Fryer?

Air frying time depends on the size of your chicken breasts. For average-sized chicken breast that’s around 2-inches thick, I recommend between 16-18 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the chicken breast reaches 150 degrees F.

As per food safety website, to be safe to eat, chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. However, there’s no need to cook chicken breasts in air fryer until that point. Cook until it’s 150 degrees F and let it rest covered. The residual heat will continue to increase the internal temperature while the chicken rests.

This way, you get to avoid dry, overcooked chicken. It is my secret to juicy and not dry air fryer chicken breasts!

Here is a handy timetable for quick reference:

Serving Ideas

Use this air fryer chicken breast recipe for weekly meal prep. I recommend slicing it against the grain. I love it for lunch with simple spring mix salad!

Or turn it into one of easy healthy dinner ideas for family serving with:

• Roasted cauliflower
• Mediterranean quinoa salad
• Instant Pot mashed potatoes and garlic green beans
• Grilled vegetables
• Sauteed zucchini

Variations

Once you have the basic method down, then you can experiment with different spices, marinades, and more.

• Sauces: Try it with Thai chili sauce or healthy BBQ sauce.
• Fresh garlic: If you have a little extra time, feel free to use fresh grated or minced garlic over the chicken breasts like I do in air fryer lamb chops.
• Add vegetables: If you have enough space in the basket, you can add some veggies directly in with the chicken breasts to cook simultaneously. You could include zucchini, brussel sprouts, red peppers, broccoli and asparagus. 
• For even juicier results: You can marinate the chicken breasts using one of these 5 chicken marinades. When marinated, place the chicken breasts straight into the air fryer basket and cook. There’ll be a little more “cleanup” afterward of the basket but otherwise it couldn’t be more simple.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Make sure to move it to the refrigerator within 2 hours for food safety and keep it whole for the juiciest results.

Freeze: Cool completely before transferring the chicken breasts to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend slicing or shredding the chicken breasts before freezing. That way, it’ll thaw faster and can be added to meals immediately.

You can thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before eating or reheating. 

Reheat: Here is how to reheat chicken breast in air fryer.

Or reheat air fryer chicken breast in a lidded pot with a splash of water or broth to steam them until warm. This will keep the chicken tender and moist compared to trying to reheat them in the oven.

FAQs

More Air Fryer Recipes to Try

• Air fryer chicken tenders
• Air fryer chicken wings
• Air fryer chicken drumsticks
• Air fryer turkey breast

More Chicken Breast Recipes

• Pan fried chicken breast
• Spinach stuffed chicken breast
• Cajun chicken breast
• Baked BBQ chicken breast
• Garlic butter chicken breast
• Baked chicken tenders

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Air Fryer Chicken Breast Recipe

Learn how to make the juiciest Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe in 25 minutes. It is easy, tender and bursting with flavor!

Course Dinner

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes minutes

Resting Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 148kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Air fryer
• Meat thermometer

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon oregano dried
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Cooking spray I use Misto

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat air fryer at 380 F degrees for 5 minutes. In the meanwhile, in a large bowl or dish, add chicken, drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Spray air fryer basket with cooking spray, add chicken breasts in a single layer and not touching.
• Air fry at 380 F degrees for 16 minutes, no need to turn or shake.
• Open the basket and make sure internal read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads minimum 150 degrees F.
• Transfer onto a platter, cover with tin foil and let rest for 5 minutes to allow juices to settle.
• Slice against the grain and serve along any side with a salad. Meal prep for the week, use in salads and casseroles.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Reheat in a lidded pot with a splash of water or broth to ‘steam’ them until warm.
• Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Here is a handy cooking times timetable for quick reference:

• Small Breasts (5 to 7 ounces): 14 minutes
• Medium Breasts (8 to 9 ounces): 16 minutes
• Large Breasts (10 ounces or more): 18 minutes

Thought you had the right time but your chicken came out undercooked? Cook it for extra 2 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 350mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

The post Air Fryer Chicken Breast appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and creamy without heavy cream or flour. Loaded with vegetables and ready in 30 minutes, it’s a staple winter soup recipe in our house!

Cozy soups like this broccoli feta soup and creamy butternut squash soup are our favorites when it’s cold and dark outside.

Healthy broccoli cheddar soup made silky smooth using only simple real food ingredients. Originally posted in 2017, I have re-tested the recipe and updated it with new photos. Then served with no yeast dinner rolls and I had one happy family!

I think the best part is that everyone can load up their own bowl with as much cheddar cheese as they like.:)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Lightened up broccoli cheddar soup: Once blended this soup looks at tastes just like any fast food joint broccoli cheese soup. Just so much healthier and better for you!
• Chock full of vegetables: Not that I’m against flour, butter, cheese and heavy cream in moderation. But the fact that we can replace them with 13 cups of vegetables is mind blowing to me!
• Easy to make: Sometimes healthified recipes are labor intensive. We don’t do that on iFoodReal. This soup is a true one pot meal, ready in 30 minutes and using very simple ingredients.
• No flour: I decided not to make the roux and instead puree starchy vegetables to make soup creamy. So it’s perfect for gluten-free diet followers.

Ingredients for Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is just a photo overview. Full recipe card is located below.

• Broccoli: You will need 2 heads of finely chopped fresh broccoli, no stalk.
• Butternut squash: This bright orange colored vegetable makes soup yellow and adds body.
• Potatoes: Starchy potatoes eliminate the need to use flour and thicken this cream of broccoli soup.
• Onion and garlic: Sauteed in butter for a major flavor boost.
• Broth: If you want a vegetarian soup, use low sodium vegetable broth. Otherwise, low sodium chicken broth is absolutely fine.
• Milk: You can use any milk but keep in mind higher fat % milk will make soup more creamy. I used 3.25% milk. You can use any plant-based milk like unsweetened almond milk etc.
• Cheddar cheese: Use flavorful cheese like sharp cheddar. Since we are using such a small amount, cheese has to be flavorful.
• Salt and pepper.

How to Make Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I like to use a Dutch oven or a large pot you can saute in. It makes it a one pot meal!

• Sauté onion, garlic and carrots in melted butter in well preheated pot on medium heat. Do so for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and softened a bit.
• Add remaining ingredients: Add cubed butternut squash and potatoes, chopped broccoli, broth, milk, salt, pepper and cook covered for 10 minutes, after bringing it to a boil. Just until veggies have softened to puree easily.
• Puree the soup: Using an immersion blender, puree the soup right in a pot until desired consistency.
• Add cheese: Add cheddar and stir until melted.

Serving Suggestions

I like to make a batch of soup and freeze for easy lunches. For lunch, I like to enjoy broccoli cheddar soup with crusty and higher in protein bread like Greek yogurt bread or cottage cheese bread.

For dinner, you can serve it with simple cottage cheese flatbread wrap to up the protein in a meal. Or with healthy tuna melt and a side salad.

How to Store and Reheat

As a mom, I love hearty soups because they refrigerate very well for days. If I have soup in the fridge, I have an answer to the kids’ “I’m hungry” right away.

Store and reheat: Soup will last 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in a small pot over low-medium heat.

Freeze: You can freeze soup for up to 3 months. Because all vegetables are blended and the base is not heavy on dairy, once thawed it will look and taste just like fresh.

FAQs

More Favorite Broccoli Recipes

• Healthy broccoli salad
• Healthy chicken broccoli casserole
• Crustless broccoli quiche
• Broccoli and penne pasta

More Soup Recipes to Try

• Vegetable soup
• Healthy chicken pot pie soup

Print

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is thick and creamy without heavy cream or flour. Loaded with vegetables and ready in 30 minutes.

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 237kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Large pot
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

• 2 large garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 cup carrots shredded or 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 cups butternut squash cubed
• 3 cups potatoes cubed
• 6 cups broccoli 2 heads, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cups vegetable broth low sodium
• 2 cups whole milk or any milk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on medium heat and melt butter. Add garlic, onion, and carrots, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add butternut squash, potatoes, broccoli, vegetable broth, milk, salt and pepper. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Add cheese and stir until cheese has melted.
• Serve hot sprinkled with more cheese.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 648mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g

The post Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Aromatic Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is everything you love about Mexican food in a
one pot meal ready in 30 minutes. Delicious and healthy, it’s loaded with juicy chicken, tender veggies and crispy tortillas!

Love Instant Pot like us? Try Instant Pot white chicken chili or Instant Pot taco soup.

Making a big pot of one of my Instant Pot soup recipes like this Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup comes in handy when I’m feeding my hungry husband and 2 hockey playing boys.

If you don’t have the Instant Pot, you can make this healthy chicken tortilla soup on the stovetop or in a crockpot instead. As the flavors settle overnight in the fridge, enjoy it even more the next day for a quick lunch or easy dinner!

Love soup? You might also like my Instant Pot Thai chicken soup or similar creamy chicken enchilada soup.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Major flavor: This soup has boldly spiced broth mixed with tender chicken, chunky beans and corn, crispy tortilla strips, and creamy avocado.
• On your table in 30 minutes: Which makes it a perfect weeknight dinner or a weekend soup to ward off the chills!
• Easy to make: Other than a bit of sauteing, you just dump majority of chicken tortilla soup ingredients in Instant Pot and walk away. You can even shred chicken right inside the pot! Also a one pot meal makes for easy cleanup.
• Leftovers and freezer friendly: It’s one of those soup recipes when the flavor gets better as the soup sits. Freezing it means you can have it again in a few weeks!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

• Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or any part of chicken works. Either way, the recipe stays the same!
• Black beans: I use Instant Pot black beans that have been batch cooked or sometimes I cook dried beans on the stove. You can also use Instant Pot kidney beans or pinto beans. Canned beans work as well, just be sure to buy low sodium or no salt added beans.
• Corn: I use frozen corn and no need to thaw it. Canned corn that has been drained works too.
• Tomato sauce: You can also use passata or crushed tomatoes. It is the same tomato sauce with a different name based on your location. Or pulse diced tomatoes in a blender.
• Chicken broth: Here is how to make chicken broth or Instant Pot chicken broth recipe. If you don’t have broth on hand, just use water and add more spices to taste. I have done this many times.
• Chipotle in adobo sauce: Look for it in small cans in the International food section. Replace with smoked paprika or extra chili powder to taste.
• Cumin and chili powder: A traditional combination of spices in Mexican cuisine.
• Tortillas: I recommend using corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas for the best texture. You can also use corn tortilla chips to thicken the soup and for serving.

How to Make Chicken Tortilla Soup in Instant Pot

• Saute the garlic and combine ingredients: Saute garlic in oil right in the Instant Pot. Add half of the tortilla strips, chicken, corn, black beans, chipotle in adobo, cumin, chili powder, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Don’t stir.
• Cook the soup: On the Instant Pot Duo, press Pressure Cook and select High pressure, and on Instant Pot Lux press Manual button for 20 minutes.
• Saute the other half of tortilla strips: I find the pan on the stovetop yields crispier tortilla strips that don’t break. This is for garnish. You can add a bit of crushed garlic as well.
• Shred the chicken: After soup is done cooking, do the Quick release (after 5 minutes) or Natural release to release remaining pressure. Open the lid and shred chicken with 2 forks right in the pot. Stir to combine and we are ready to top off the soup with our favorite garnishes.

Toppings Ideas

• Tortilla strips: Fry the other half in a separate ceramic non-stick skillet while your Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup is cooking. Crispy tortilla strips add such a fun contrasting texture!
• Or simply use tortilla chips: Scooping up some soup on a crunchy chip is also a bonus!
• Lime: A squirt or drizzle of lime adds a vibrant citrus finish that is amazing.
• Cilantro: Or parsley, or green onions.
• Red onion: Sweeter than white onion, and very popular in Mexican-inspired cuisine. It’s not too pungent but adds great taste and a slightly crispy component.
• Avocado: Sliced or diced avocado on top adds a creaminess without adding any dairy.
• Sour cream, Greek yogurt, and freshly shredded cheese: If you’re not concerned about keeping it dairy-free, add some of this good stuff.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or right in the pot with a lid for up to 5 days.

Freeze: This chicken tortilla soup is freezer-friendly because there are no tender vegetables. Freeze cooked and cooled down soup leftovers in an airtight container or resealable silicone bags leaving room for expansion for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 6 hours.

Reheat: Reheat the amount of soup you will consume at that time by simmering on low heat in a pot. Shouldn’t take more than 5-7 minutes. For quick thawing, place frozen soup into a pot and simmer on low, covered, and stir occasionally.

FAQs

More Instant Pot Soup Recipes to Try

• Instant Pot chicken rice soup
• Instant Pot chicken noodle soup
• Instant Pot chicken wild rice soup
• Instant Pot Thai chicken soup
• Instant Pot white chicken lasagna soup

Print

Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Aromatic Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup is everything you love about Mexican food in a one pot meal, ready in 30 minutes. Delicious and healthy!

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 363kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Ceramic skillet

Ingredients

• 8 small corn tortillas cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil divided
• 4 large garlic cloves minced
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs
• 15 ounces can low sodium black beans rinsed & drained
• 1 1/2 cups corn fresh or frozen
• 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
• 2 15 ounces cans tomato sauce low sodium
• 2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin ground
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Avocado, red onion, cilantro and lime for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• On Instant Pot, press Saute and wait until display says Hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and garlic; saute for about 1 minute. Press Cancel.
• Add half of tortilla strips, chicken, black beans, corn, broth, tomato sauce, chipotle in adobo, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
• Close the lid, turn pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 20 minutes.
• While soup is cooking, preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to coat. Add tortilla strips and cook for 5-7 minutes or until crispy, stirring occasionally. Or skip this step and use tortilla chips.
• After Instant Pot has finished cooking, release pressure immediately or let it subside on its own. Open the lid and shred chicken with 2 forks right in the pot. Stir to combine.
• Serve soup hot with tortilla strips and garnishes.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or right in the pot for up to 5 days. Reheat amount you will consume at that time by simmering on low heat in a pot for 5-7 minutes. 
• Freeze: Freeze in a glass container or resealable silicone bags leaving room for expansion for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 6 hours.
• Instant Pot size: 3 quart Instant Pot half the ingredients but keep same cooking time. In 8 quart Instant Pot you can double the recipe, keep same cook time.
• Sauteing tortilla strips: I tried to saute them for more flavor in my 8 quart Instant Pot and they stuck badly – I would worry about Burn. But my 6 quart, sautes better. So, if you can – saute them all in there, if not – saute garnish part on a skillet.
• You can use frozen chicken: Cooking time will not change. Your Instant Pot will take a few minutes longer to come to pressure. If using a couple of chicken breasts, make sure they are separated.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1257mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g

The post Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Other meal prep salads we love are this chickpea tuna salad and Mexican tuna salad.

It took me a few years to come up with a healthy tuna salad recipe I like. I am more of a canned salmon salad girl but my kids love tuna, so I kept trying.

I tried all healthy versions of tuna salad. Tuna salad with avocado is delicious but it lacks the familiar creamy texture. And using only Greek yogurt without any mayonnaise yields a tart salad.

I already struggle with the whole concept of “tasty classic tuna salad”. So, it took a few tries to come up with what I consider a tuna salad that is a lighter option yet tastes super creamy!

I am finally happy to share the best healthy tuna salad I can eat too! There just has to be a touch of mayo for me, personally. You can omit it though, it is a very small amount!

Ingredients for Healthy Tuna Salad

Here are 10 simple ingredients necessary to make this low calorie tuna salad.

• Canned tuna: You will need 4 cans of tuna, regular size of 4 ounces each. Please see below on more info which canned tuna is best to use for this salad.
• Mayonnaise: I like to use mayo made with avocado oil. You can use your favorite or omit it completely.
• Greek yogurt: Use Greek yogurt with at least 2% fat for the creamiest results. 0% yogurt will not taste good in this particular salad recipe.
• Dill pickles: Add a briny taste with sweet and sour notes.
• Celery and red onion: Crunchy celery and zesty red onion add both crunch with bold earthy and sweet taste.
• Fresh garlic: Because garlic is always a must in any dish, hands down.
• Lemon juice: Adds tang and brightness.

How to Make Healthy Tuna Salad

This tuna salad recipe takes only 15 minutes of prep. Simply mix the ingredients, then place in the refrigerator to chill.

• Drain a can of tuna: Holding onto the lid of open can, flip the can and drain into the sink while pressing hard on the lid.
• Flake the tuna: Using a fork, remove tuna from a can into a mixing bowl and flake with a fork. You can also add all 4 cans into a large bowl and flake with a hand mixer.
• Combine all ingredients: Add pickles, celery, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, yogurt and mayo to your bowl with tuna.
• Stir well with a fork and refrigerate. 30 minutes would be enough but longer is better.

What Is the Best Canned Tuna to Use?

There are many types of canned tuna on grocery shelves but it mostly comes down to the type of fish and your budget.

• Albacore tuna: White tuna has less “fishy” taste, white color and a firm texture. According to US FDA, it is higher in mercury than other tuna species because it eats more fish that might contain mercury.
• Light tuna: Is a mix of smaller tuna species like yellowfin tuna, skipjack tuna and yellowtail tuna. It is tan to pink in color, has softer texture, more flavor but also more strong fish taste. It has lower mercury levels than albacore.

I always buy chunky light tuna packed in water because it is the most affordable. When I want a bit of a different texture, I splurge on albacore tuna.

Variations

I am sharing just a basic recipe for a tuna salad. You can jazz it up to satisfy your taste buds.

Here are a few variations I tried or think would be good:

• Curried salad: Add desired amount of fresh curry powder. I used the same yellow curry powder I make yellow chicken curry with and salad turns out so flavorful!
• Pasta salad: Mix with cooked whole wheat macaroni for healthy tuna pasta salad.
• Avocado and eggs: Love avocado? Substitute mayo with mashed avocado. Add a few chopped hard boiled eggs. This is when I would add a squirt of Dijon mustard too.
• Fresh herbs: You can always add 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh dill, parsley or green onion. I like to keep salad basic for you, so you can make it anytime, but I add herbs if I have them on hand.

Serving Ideas

Tuna salad may have salad in its name, but it can be enjoyed in so many more ways.

• Low carb meal: Swap out the chicken for tuna and make lettuce wraps or lettuce cups. Or serve over a bed of salad greens. You can also make a sandwich with these low carb almond flour Greek yogurt bagels.
• Open faced sandwich: Make tuna salad sandwiches with a few slices of cucumber under it, so good and fresh! Or go diner style and grill with a slice of cheese for a tuna melt.
• Breakfast or lunch toast: Top your whole grain bread, high protein cottage cheese bagel or Greek yogurt bagel with it for a healthy meal of fiber, fat and protein! Or make tuna avocado toast by smashing an avocado on toast and topping it with a scoop of tuna salad.
• In an avocado: Scoop out the avocado seed and fill the empty avocado halves with the salad! A restaurant quality healthy lunch.
• With crackers or pita chips: Choose some healthier prepackaged snack crackers such as organic Triscuits or sweet potato crackers.

How Long Does Tuna Salad Last?

Salad can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. It is perfect for meal prep. I like to make salad in a large Pyrex glass bowl, then just pop a lid on and refrigerate. You can also keep it in an airtight container.

FAQs

More Tuna Recipes to Try

• Healthy tuna melt
• Tuna egg salad

More High Protein Salad Recipes

• Healthy chicken salad
• Healthy shrimp salad
• Cottage cheese egg salad
• Shrimp avocado salad

And if you love seafood, you have to check out these reader-favorite shrimp tacos!

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Healthy Tuna Salad

This Healthy Tuna Salad Recipe has fewer calories and fat by using Greek yogurt. It is lighter yet super flavorful, creamy and packed with protein!

Course Salad

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 110kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Ingredients

• 4 x 6 ounces cans tuna packed in water
• 2 small dill pickles diced
• 1 large celery rib diced
• 1/4 cup red onion minced
• 1 garlic clove grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2%+ fat
• 1/4 cup mayo I use avocado oil mayo

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Drain cans with tuna well. I usually press hard onto the lid while draining the can completely.
• Transfer to a large bowl and separate into flakes with a fork.
• Add pickles, celery, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, yogurt and mayo.
• Stir well with a fork and refrigerate.
• Serve cold in a sandwich or over lettuce leaves.

Video

Notes

• Make ahead: Tuna salad tastes best cold. For best results, refrigerate 30 minutes before eating.
• Store: Refrigerate tightly covered for up to 5 days.
• What canned tuna to buy? I buy canned light tuna packed in water. Albacore tuna has less “fishy” taste and white “meaty” texture or yellowfin/skipjack/light tuna is tan to pink in colour and has more strong fish taste. I always buy chunky one vs. whole because it’s cheaper.
• Mayo + plain Greek yogurt:  I used mayo made with avocado oil and Greek yogurt with at least 2% fat for the tastiest results. You can omit mayonnaise though.

Nutrition

Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 384mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

The post Healthy Tuna Salad appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Easy and low fat Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe that is a must for hot summer days, healthy lunches and quick dinner. Low in calories and sodium with Greek yogurt and a touch of mayo, this lightened up version retains all the flavor of a classic chicken salad.

We also love this avocado chicken salad and curry chicken salad!

My goal with this healthy chicken salad was to keep it super simple, so we can pull it off any time. Cold salad with creamy texture, crunchy celery and red onion, this healthy salad recipe is flavorful, protein packed and tasty!

During our Southern California road trip I had chicken salad for quick lunch at Legoland. While an 8 ounces serving cost US $10 and made my teeth cringe from sodium, it was extremely satisfying in 115 degrees F heat. Of course, I kept thinking we can do better, of course.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Authentic taste: Swapping plain Greek yogurt with just a touch of mayo for all mayonnaise makes this a healthier chicken salad that has authentic taste while at the same time easy on your waistline!
• Healthier: No guilt here as this salad only contains 145 calories and 11 grams of fat compared to 310 calories and 25 grams of fat in the original chicken salad per 1/2 cup serving! Also reduced sodium because we use homemade chicken.
• Fresh ingredients: Herbs such as parsley or dill add loads of flavor you would be missing if you used dried.
• Easy: By using leftover chicken like baked chicken breast or Instant Pot whole chicken, this chicken salad can be on the table in 15 minutes.
• Budget friendly: I omitted grapes as they tend to be a costly fruit and you can use whatever nuts you have on hand in your pantry!

Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Salad

You will need just a few simple ingredients to make this salad.

• Cooked chicken: You can use any leftover cooked chicken. If you have Instant Pot, cooking chicken in batches for weekly meal prep becomes a simple task. Follow this Instant Pot chicken breast recipe for fresh chicken, or this Instant Pot frozen chicken breast if you forgot to thaw chicken.
• Mayo and yogurt: Regular yogurt adds creaminess with less calories. I recommend to use more than 2% fat for better taste. And IMHO, a bit of mayo makes healthy chicken salad recipe real. Buy organic or avocado oil mayo and a little goes a long way.
• Celery and red onion: These veggies add crunch and flavor. White onion or green onions are OK too.
• Nuts: I used pecans and toasted them lightly on a skillet to add more crunch and flavor. You can use any nuts like cashews, almonds, pine nuts and walnuts.
• Seasonings: Dijon mustard or regular prepared mustard. Then any acid like white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice. Truly any! Salt and ground black pepper.
• Fresh herbs: Fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh basil leaves or even fresh cilantro add a lot of flavor while making missing mayo unnoticeable.

How to Make Healthy Chicken Salad

Here is a quick overview how to make it step by step. Find full recipe card with measurements below.

• Cook chicken breasts if you don’t have leftovers already from meal prepping. Air fry chicken breast or make Instant Pot shredded chicken breast. If you love dark meat, you can use baked chicken thighs.
• Toast nuts in a small skillet on low-medium heat just until fragrant and brown-ish. You will smell them. Then cool a bit and chop.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl: Toasted pecans, chicken, celery, onion, parsley, yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix and adjust salt to taste, if necessary.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours as this salad tastes best cold.

Serving Recommendations

Prepare the best chicken salad in the world and serve it in one of our favorite ways. Sky is the limit!

• Healthy chicken salad sandwiches: Serve between slices of bread, Greek yogurt bagels or protein bagels with lettuce. My favorite bread is sprouted whole grain bread like Ezekiel.
• Over salad greens: On a bed of lettuce, spinach or kale leaves. Or add a scoop to spinach salad recipe or lettuce salad.
• Low carb: On Swiss chard leaves or any lettuce kind of like chicken lettuce wraps or try it will grilled romaine lettuce! Make a sandwich with a low carb almond flour Greek yogurt bagel.
• Whole grains: Serve with cooked quinoa or brown rice or in a whole grain tortilla.
• Soup and salad: A classic restaurant combination with lentil spinach soup.
• Cold pasta salads: As part of a picnic spread with healthy pasta salad or tomato pasta salad.
• With a vegetable platter: Fresh raw veggie such as carrots, peppers, snap peas, cucumber with healthy veggie dip or hummus.

How to Store

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. I like to place it in a glass container or bowl with tight plastic lid.

I have not tried freezing it but I don’t think creamy chicken salad freezes well. It has a lot of fresh veggies to go limp once thawed. But maybe because they are coated in mayo and yogurt… Let me know if you try. We never have any leftovers to freeze.

FAQs

More Healthy Chicken Recipes to Try

• BBQ chicken salad
• Chicken egg salad
• Grilled chicken salad
• Thai chicken salad
• Asparagus stuffed chicken breast

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Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

Easy and low fat Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe that is a must for hot summer days, lunches and quick dinner. Low in calories and sodium with Greek yogurt and a touch of mayo this lightened up version retains all the flavor of a classic chicken salad.

Course Salad

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 180kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked chicken cubed (3 cups)
• 3/4 cup celery stalks diced (3 large)
• 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley or dill finely chopped (optional)
• 1 cup pecans, almonds or cashews
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt 2+% fat
• 1/4 cup mayo I used avocado oil mayo
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon any vinegar except balsamic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a small skillet, add pecans and toast on low-medium heat until fragrant and brown-ish, stirring often. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool a bit and chop coarsely.
• In a medium bowl, add toasted pecans, chicken, celery, onion, parsley, yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix and adjust salt to taste if necessary.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours as salad tastes best cold.
• Serve with greens, quinoa, brown rice or make a chicken salad sandwich with whole wheat bread.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I have not tried freezing the salad and am not sure fresh veggies and herbs will hold up well to it.
• How to cook chicken for salad: Here is how to bake chicken breast. If you have Instant Pot, you can make Instant Pot frozen whole chicken or Instant Pot whole chicken and use breasts from it. Or just make Instant Pot chicken breast.
• Onions: White or green onion would work well in place of red.
• Sweet addition: Add sliced grapes or chopped apple if you wish. Grapes are pricey often, so I keep them out.
• Use any mayo: I use avocado oil mayo because it is healthier and we always have it on hand. Olive oil mayo or vegenaise work as well.
• Please do not use 0% yogurt: It tastes chalky and salad will taste flat. Plain regular or Greek yogurt with fat content 2% and higher work.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

The post Healthy Chicken Salad appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

These Cottage Cheese Bagels contain 11 grams of protein, made fluffy with 5 simple ingredients, and are easy to make even for novice bakers!

I used the same dough to make cottage cheese pizza crust and it came out fantastic!

These cottage cheese bagels turned out way better than I expected! So good, that I now also make Greek yogurt bagels and almond flour Greek yogurt bagels as well. All these high protein bagels are so easy to make and taste delicious!

Today we seem to add cottage cheese to anything and I’m enjoying this wave because I actually love its taste and extra protein content. I have also made this cottage cheese bread and cottage cheese flatbread that you guys love!

And more to come, so be sure to check my cottage cheese recipes category regularly!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy: No yeast, waiting for the dough to rise or boiling the protein bagels.
• Simple: 5 ingredients, could be even 3 ingredients without toppings.
• High in protein: 11 grams of protein content per bagel.
• Tasty: These bagels with cottage cheese actually taste like a bagel my kids want to eat!
• Looking good: They also look like regular bagels! If you are wondering, cottage cheese curds melt during baking and not a trace of them is left.
• Make gluten-free bagels: With cup for cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour.
• Perfect for meal prep: Make ahead my healthy tuna salad or chicken salad, place on top of a bagel and enjoy healthy lunch all week!

Ingredients for Cottage Cheese Bagels

To make this bagels recipe you will need 5 simple ingredients. 3 ingredients without toppings or even 2 ingredients if you have self-rising flour on hand.

• Cottage cheese: I use 2% fat cottage cheese. Good brand is Organic Meadow or Good Culture. You can also use 0% and 4% cottage cheese or lactose free cottage cheese.
• Flour: I tried this bagel recipe with all-purpose flour and this Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour. I know there is also this one, and I think it will work, I just don’t love its chickpea taste or texture. For bagels with whole wheat flour, try to use 3/4 cup.
• Baking powder: To help bagels rise. Skip if you are using self-rising flour.
• Egg: One egg or egg white for an egg wash to make bagel golden brown and help toppings stick.
• Everything bagel seasoning: I used it as a topping. You can omit or use anything else.

How to Make Cottage Cheese Bagels

Here is a quick overview how to make these high protein bagels in as little as 1 hour of which 25 minutes is resting time. Full recipe card is located below.

• Make self-rising flour: In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder, and whisk very well until combined.
• Make the dough: Add cottage cheese. No need to strain or blend it. Mix with spatula and then with your hands until a ball of dough forms. It should be not too sticky and not too dry. Mix until it barely sticks to your hands.
• Let dough rest: Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let bagel dough rest for 10 minutes. Do not skip this step!
• Divide it: Transfer dough onto a floured surface, roll into a log and divide into 4 equal pieces.

• Make an egg wash: In a small bowl, whisk the egg or an egg white and set aside. You will need just a little bit or you can also skip this step.
• Form the bagels: Roll each piece of dough into a rope and form into a bagel shape, pinching the ends together. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat the process with remaining 3 pieces of dough.
• Top and bake: Brush top of each protein bagel with egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning or leave plain. Bake on a middle rack at 350 F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let bagels rest: Remove bagels from the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes. It is super important step for fluffy bagels with cottage cheese!

Toppings Ideas

To be perfectly honest, everything bagel seasoning is completely optional when making these protein bagels. The egg wash makes them nice and golden brown though. It’s great to make plain bagels.

But if you want to experiment with different toppings, here are a few ideas:

• Everything bagel seasoning
• Poppy seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Onion flakes or garlic flakes
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Store cottage cheese bagels in an airtight bag or container in a cool dry place for up to 3-4 days. Just like regular bagels. But I bet they won’t last that long, they are so delicious!

Freeze: Bake and cool bagels completely. Transfer to a gallon size resealable bag, let out as much air as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw bagels on a counter for a few hours. Or to save time, I like to pop frozen bagels in a microwave for a minute or two, then slice in half and toast.

I would suggest you to slice them before freezing to be able to place frozen bagel into the toaster, but I think sliced bagels will dry out in the freezer. Unless you are planning to consume them within a few weeks.

FAQs

More High Protein Breads

• Greek yogurt bread
• Cottage cheese banana bread
• Cottage cheese zucchini bread
• Zucchini cheddar cottage cheese scones

More Cottage Cheese Recipes to Try

• Cottage cheese waffles
• Cottage cheese egg bites
• Cottage cheese pudding
• Low carb breakfast casserole
• Cottage cheese egg bake
• Cottage cheese scrambled eggs
• Cottage cheese overnight oats
• Baked cottage cheese

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Cottage Cheese Bagels

Cottage Cheese Bagels contain 11 grams of protein, made fluffy with 5 simple ingredients, and are easy to make even for novice bakers!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine North American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 bagels

Calories 168kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• Everything bagel seasoning

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add flour and baking powder; whisk well to combine.
• Add cottage cheese and stir with spatula to combine, then proceed to mix with your hands until a ball of dough forms. Knead it about 20 times. Dough should be not sticky but not dry. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Transfer dough on a counter, form a log and cut into 4 even pieces. Flour the surface, place one piece of dough, roll into a rope and then into a bagel shape, pinching the ends together. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with remaining dough.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg. Brush bagels with an egg wash and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion flakes or leave plain.
• Bake on a middle rack for 25 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes (do not skip!). Slice, spread and enjoy protein bagels with your favorite toppings.

Video

Notes

• Store: Keep in an airtight container in a cool dark place for 3-4 days.
• Freeze: Freeze in a resealable Ziploc bag for 3 months. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or pop into microwave or toaster.
• Air fryer: You can also air fry bagels at 280 F for 15-20 minutes, depends on air fryer.
• Gluten free: I tried bagels with this Bob’s Red Mill gluten free baking flour. I know there is also this one, and I think it will work, I just don’t love its chickpea taste or texture.
• Don’t skip resting the dough and bake bagels as per recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bagel | Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 285mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

The post Cottage Cheese Bagels appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Other soups we love are this healthy tomato soup and salmon tomato soup.

There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of creamy tomato soup that’s silky smooth, dairy-free, and creamy without heavy cream! Quick, light comfort that warms you from the inside out.

I first made this recipe back in 2016, and now it’s updated with fresh new photos. I made sure it still tastes as amazing as ever and made no changes to the original recipe.

This one’s top notch and perfect for using up a garden’s bounty mid-winter!!!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy comfort: It literally takes 20 minutes, so you can have a filling meal even on the busiest days. Plus, it’s one of the easiest soup recipes!
• Big flavor: It’s packed with flavor without the need to roast tomatoes. The sun-dried tomatoes add a tangy twist that takes the classic to the next level.
• Versatile: You can easily customize it with different toppings, grains, or veggies to make it your own!
• From garden to table: Use up your summer harvest and enjoy a taste of summer in the colder months.

Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Soup

• Fresh tomatoes: From your garden or the grocery store. I used Roma tomatoes, but any fresh tomatoes like beefsteak or tomatoes on the vine will work just as well.
• Sun-dried tomatoes: I recommend using the ones packed in oil as they are already soft. Or you can soak dried ones in hot water first and then drain.
• Coconut milk: I used full fat coconut milk to make soup more creamy and filling but you can also use light coconut milk.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must! It gives a depth of flavor that dried or powdered garlic just can’t match.
• Broth or water: You can use any broth, but to keep it vegan go with vegetable broth. Water will work too, though it will be a bit less flavorful.
• Fresh basil: Gives your soup a fresh, fragrant touch with a hint of sweetness and peppery zing.
• Salt and pepper: The classic duo that brings out all the best flavors.
• Oil: Extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil for sauteing the garlic.

How to Make Creamy Tomato Soup

This creamy tomato soup recipe takes just 20 minutes to make. Slightly longer than canned soup, but so much better!

• Saute the garlic: Preheat a medium pot on low heat and swish the oil around to coat the bottom. Add the garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally.
• Saute the tomatoes: Then, add the tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, increasing the heat to medium and stirring occasionally.
• Combine and simmer: Add the sun dried tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Give it a stir, cover with lid, and let it simmer on low for 5 minutes.
• Blend: Once everything’s cooked, use a blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender. Just work in batches, blend on low or pulse, and let the soup cool a bit if possible.

Tips for Best Results

Here are my top 4 tips to make this super easy soup recipe even better!

• Leave some chunks in: Set aside a few tomatoes before blending, then stir them back in if you prefer your soup a bit chunky.
• Use non-reactive pot: Don’t use an aluminum, cast iron, or copper pot as it can react with tomatoes and give the soup a metallic taste. Use a non-reactive pot or Dutch oven like stainless steel, enamel-coated cast iron, ceramic, or glass.
• Don’t burn the garlic: The garlic can turn bitter and give the soup an unpleasant taste.
• Double the recipe: This soup is enough to serve 4 people once. If you would like leftovers for meal prep, double the recipe in a large pot.

Serving Suggestions

Ladle tomato soup into bowls, garnish with fresh basil and drizzle with coconut milk, yogurt thinned with water or heavy cream. Feel free to sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese or red pepper flakes if you’re in the mood!

I’m all about pairing my creamy tomato soup with some good bread, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a quesadilla.

A slice of Greek yogurt bread or cottage cheese bread gives the meal a nice protein boost. Honestly, any crusty bread is perfect for dunking, or you can add some crunchy sourdough croutons on top!

Or how about serving it with a Caesar salad or spinach avocado salad for a lighter combo.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Pour any cooled leftovers into an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Once your soup is fully cooked and cooled down, transfer it to an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, just thaw it in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: Warm it up on the stove over low heat with the lid on, or you can pop it in the microwave.

FAQs

More Soup Recipes to Try

• Minestrone soup
• Stuffed pepper soup
• Vegetarian pasta fagioli
• Creamy pumpkin soup
• Creamy butternut squash soup
• Borscht

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Creamy Tomato Soup

Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup made dairy free with coconut milk, enriched with sun dried tomatoes, and ready in 20 minutes.

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine North American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 359kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Large pot
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds any fresh tomatoes (I used 8 roma tomatoes) cut in large chunks
• 5 large garlic cloves coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes sliced, packed in oil & drained
• 14 ounces can coconut milk full fat
• 1 cup low sodium vegetable broth or water
• 1 tablespoon oil for frying
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Fresh basil for garnish

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat medium or large pot on medium-high heat and swirl oil to coat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
• Add tomatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add sun dried tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Stir, cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
• Turn off heat and using an immersion blender, puree until smooth.
• Serve hot garnished with basil along with bread or grilled cheese.

Video

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat on a stovetop covered on low heat or in a microwave.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 494mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g

The post Creamy Tomato Soup appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

Do you love meatballs? We sure do! I make Mexican meatballs, porcupine meatballs in slow cooker and even Thai meatballs. And soup with meatballs is a childhood favorite!

I posted this turkey meatball soup a while back, but since then “Martha Stewart” part of me grew up. This soup is great any time of the year! I have a vivid memory of my grandma making it during hot summer days.

We would play outside all morning, then she would call us for lunch. You come in the kitchen and here it is – a bowl of this soup, chicken noodle soup, buckwheat soup or borscht. Steam going up in the air, the smell of fresh herbs, with a piece of fresh and soft Ukrainian rye bread. Take me back!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• One pot meal: You brown the meatballs and cook the soup in same pot!
• Quick and easy: Prep time is only 15 minutes and hands on cooking time is another 15 minutes, perfect for weeknight dinners. Although it’s not true 30 minute meal, I feel like you get a lot of food in short amount of time.
• Lasts for days: My absolutely favorite part about this soup is leftovers. I usually double the recipe and we eat it for a few days. Usually twice on the day I make it. Kids love this soup and have some right away after school and later for dinner.

Ingredients for Turkey Meatball Soup

• Meatballs: Ground turkey, chicken, beef or pork. Onion adds flavor and makes meatballs juicy. And egg holds meatballs together.
• Veggies: Carrots, celery, potatoes.
• Pasta: Any short pasta works and can be white, whole wheat or gluten free pasta. I love using brown rice pasta for when making a soup because I feel like kids are eating brown rice and not pasta.
• Broth: You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth, homemade or from a carton. Or grandma also always made soup with water.
• Fresh herbs: Fresh parsley or dill are my top two flavor boosters for broth based soups. They add another layer of flavor. Green onion is good too!

How to Make Turkey Meatball Soup

I am using 5-6 quart Dutch oven because it makes this soup a one pot meal. Alternatively you can use a skillet for frying and then a large pot for soup.

• Make meatballs: In a food processor or blender, puree onion, egg, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively, you can use grater to grate an onion. Then mix with ground turkey and fry meatballs for 1 minute per side in batches, removing onto a plate and setting aside.
• Saute carrots and celery: Add a bit more oil and saute veggies in the meat drippings, this will make them more flavorful.
• Deglaze the pot with broth: Now we want to add broth and bring it to a boil. First of all, to incorporate delicious drippings and brown bits. Secondly, we always want to add veggies and pasta to a boiling liquid in order to cook properly.
• Add potatoes, meatballs and pasta: Once you add them to a boiling broth, you want to wait for mixture to boil again. Then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 12 minutes.

• Let soup rest and add fresh herbs: Turn off heat, so cooking slowly subsides. Let it rest for 10 minutes for flavors to marry each other and then add fresh parsley or dill.

Variations

• Spinach: Like with lentil spinach soup or chicken lentil soup recipe, you can throw in a few handfuls of fresh or frozen spinach at the end, stir and it will wilt. My kids are not fans and my grandma never had it on hand, that’s why I skipped this time.
• Orzo: You can use orzo pasta that will make this soup an Italian wedding soup. especially if you add spinach and Parmesan cheese.
• Skip browning meatballs: Original recipe I had posted for a while didn’t call for browning the meatballs. You can totally skip it in a rush, I like a bit more flavor. In a step where broth is boiling with veggies, drop meatballs carefully as you roll them into boiling broth.
• Leftover cooked grain: Skip pasta and add about 3 cups of any leftover cooked grains you have in the fridge. Like quinoa, buckwheat kasha, couscous or even cooked pasta.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you have room in the fridge, store right in the pot. Pasta does get more soggy with time and soaks up liquids. You might have to add more broth or water and a bit more seasonings to taste to compensate for added liquid, when reheating.

Freeze? Because of soggy pasta, I do not recommend to freeze this soup. If you plan on freezing, you can cook pasta separately and add to individual bowls.

Reheat: Reheat desired amount of soup in a small pot by simmering on low for 5-7 minutes. Don’t let soup boil vigorously to disturb already delicate structure of potatoes and pasta.

More Meatball Recipes to Try

• Chicken meatballs
• Instant Pot meatballs
• Sweet and sour meatballs
• Cranberry turkey meatballs

You may also love to browse these 45 ground turkey recipes!

More Favorite Soup Recipes

• Turkey noodle soup
• Turkey taco soup
• Turkey and rice soup

Check out this collection of healthy soup recipes.

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Turkey Meatball Soup

Turkey Meatball Soup with pasta and vegetables is super easy to make and is healthy. Kids love anything with meatballs, so this soup should be a crowd pleaser.

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine Ukrainian

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 324kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Dutch oven

Ingredients

For Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground turkey extra lean
• 1 small onion
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying

For Soup:

• 2 large carrots chopped
• 2 large celery stalks chopped
• 2 cups potatoes cubed (11 ounces)
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth low sodium
• 2 teaspoons oil for frying
• 2 cups short pasta like shells or macaroni uncooked (6 ounces)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, dill or green onions finely chopped

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Make meatballs: In a food processor or blender, puree onion, egg, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively, you can use grater to grate onion and mix with other meatball ingredients.
• Transfer to a medium bowl along with ground turkey and mix well with your hands.
• Preheat 5-6 quart Dutch oven or skillet on medium heat and swirl 1 tbsp of oil to coat. Alternatively you can use skillet for frying and then large pot for soup. Dutch oven makes this soup one pot.
• Using a small scoop or tablespoon, form golf size meatballs and add in a single layer to the pot with oil, leaving some room between balls for easy flipping.
• Fry for a minute or so or until browned (happens fast), carefully flip with small silicone spatula, and fry for another minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat this step with remaining meat and adding more oil. Set meatballs aside.
• Make soup: Add 2 teaspoons of oil, carrots and celery; saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add broth, cover and bring to a boil.
• Add potatoes, meatballs, pasta, bay leaves, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to very low and cook for 12 minutes.
• Turn off heat and let soup sit for 10 minutes covered. Flavours will really "marry each other" and soup will thicken a bit and pasta "get there".
• Add parsley, stir and serve hot.

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat desired amount by simmering on low heat while covered.
• Freeze: I do not recommend to freeze this soup because it contains pasta. If you plan on freezing, you can cook pasta separately and add to individual bowls.
• Other meat: You can also use ground chicken, beef or pork instead of turkey.
• Pasta: I used brown rice pasta this time. Any pasta works! Even long pasta like spaghetti can be broken and used. You can use orzo pasta that will make this soup an Italian wedding soup.
• Soup thickens with time: It is normal to see the soup thickening more in a few hours and next day. You can always add more broth to thin it out.
• Skip browning meatballs: Original recipe I had posted for a while didn’t call for browning meatballs. You can totally skip it in a rush, I like a bit more flavor. 
• Leftover cooked grain: Skip pasta and add about 3 cups of any leftover cooked grains you have in the fridge. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 469mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g

The post Turkey Meatball Soup appeared first on iFoodReal.com.

We absolutely love-love-love easy and satisfying lentil soups like Instant Pot lentil soup, chicken lentil soup and lentil spinach soup.

This slow cooker lentil soup is made up of 100% vegetables. You would never guess this soup is vegan because it’s so flavorful and filling. My kids call it “the best soup ever” and that is before I top their bowls with tortilla chips!

It’s like vegetable soup that cleans out your produce drawers. And just like borscht, the longer it cooks, the better it gets!

Be sure to browse my slow cooker recipes or Instant Pot soup recipes to make healthy soups all season long.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy to make: No ingredients list a mile long here, simple ingredients are actually what makes this crockpot lentil soup stand out! 
• Budget friendly: Lentils are a low priced plant based protein.
• Nutritious: Lentils are high in fiber, low in fat and packed with a host of nutrients like folate, iron and potassium.
• Set and forget: Prep it in the evening and just plug in the slow cooker as you head out the door in the morning. Then come home to a dinner ready to be served.
• Meal prep: Refrigerate up to 5 days, freeze for 3 months or even make a freezer meal to cook later.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

• Green or brown lentils: Lentils are just so easy to cook, are full of fiber and protein, and come out delicious with simple seasonings. You can use red lentils, just keep in mind they will fall apart a lot.
• Vegetables: Carrots, celery, corn (adds a touch of sweetness) and hearty potatoes.
• Seasonings: Garlic powder, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves. My secret ingredient is soy sauce (I use Bragg liquid aminos) which gives an umami flavor to the soup.
• Broth: Vegetable broth or organic vegetable bouillon cubes.
• Garnishes: Green onion, cilantro, parsley, Greek yogurt, cheese, tortilla chips…really whatever you like or have on hand.

How to Make Lentil Soup in Slow Cooker

There is a full recipe card below.

• Prep: The only prep work is to dice the vegetables. Transfer them to a crock pot as you chop. You don’t even have to sauté the onions.

• Combine: Dump veggies, lentils, seasonings and water/broth into a large slow cooker. No need to stir but if you do, that’s fine!

• Cook: Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 4-5 hours. The longer, the better as flavor develops with time and green lentils hold their shape quite well.

• Blend: Make this soup creamy using an immersion blender. First, remove the bay leaves and peppercorns. Then pulse a few times until you get the desired texture.

Tips for Best Results

• Saute onion with vegetables and seasonings for 2-3 minutes on the stovetop to bring out depth of flavor.
• Don’t use keep warm function after cooking time to deter overcooking your lentils.
• Thick and creamy really is best for this slow cooker lentil soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, remove 1 cup of soup from slow cooker, blend in a blender, then stir back into soup. You could do this until you reach desired creaminess.
• Cornstarch slurry: Alternately, if you do not have any type of blender, you can make a cornstarch slurry with cold water and cornstarch, stir into soup and let thicken.
• Use small food processor to save time chopping. Use pulse function so your vegetables are chopped in larger pieces.
• Broth: Alternatively you can use 2 organic low sodium vegetable bouillon cubes and 9 cups of water.
• Red lentils: You can use red lentils, just keep in mind they will fall apart a lot, you may not even need a blender.
• Size of a crockpot: I used a standard size crock pot, around 6-7 quart. If you only have a smaller sized crockpot, cut recipe in half.

Variations

• Tomato paste, fire roasted tomatoes or petite diced tomatoes could all be added for another layer of flavor. Choose low sodium or no salt added.
• Use sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes.
• Broth: Chicken broth or beef broth can be substituted.
• Lower carb: Use 1/2 cauliflower, 1/2 potatoes for a still hearty lentil soup.
• Add some greens: Chopped spinach or kale can be stirred in at the very end.
• Use fresh ground black pepper instead of peppercorns.
• Mix and match your spices: Smoked paprika, marjoram or Italian seasoning would all taste great.
• Parmesan rind: If you are not vegetarian or vegan, adding a Parmesan rind to the slow cooker can add so much flavor!
• Additional protein: Cooked and diced ham, chopped cooked bacon or sliced turkey, chicken or kielbasa sausage could all be added to cook with this crock pot lentil soup.

Serving Recommendations

Garnishes and soup finishers can really take this soup to another level! A squirt of lemon or red wine vinegar, finely chopped parsley or cilantro, Greek yogurt and freshly grated Parmesan are just a few options.

Here are also serving suggestions:

• Bread: Whole grain crusty bread helps soak up all the soup’s creaminess! For higher protein try with this cottage cheese bread or Greek yogurt bread.
• Vegetables: A side of roasted cauliflower really adds to the cozy, comfort vibes of this soup.
• Salad: A classic pair that is restaurant quality would be lemon kale salad.
• Sandwich: Another classing pairing, serve with grilled cheese, an open faced chicken salad sandwich or healthy tuna melt.

How to Store and Make Ahead

Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Lentil soup freezes well for up to 3 months.

Make ahead: I love that you can prep this slow cooker lentil soup ahead of time. Just add all the ingredients, except for the garnishes, into a container or Ziploc bag, or slow cooker insert. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Then cook as per recipe’s instructions.

Make It a Freezer Meal

Yes, you can make this into a freezer meal!

• Combine: In a large Ziploc bag, add all the ingredients except for the broth or water and the garnishes.
• Freeze: Make sure to release as much air out as possible, seal the bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• Thaw: When you are ready to enjoy this soup, just thaw the freezer bag in a bowl or sink of hot water for 10 minutes.
• Cook: Transfer to a slow cooker, add broth or water and cook as per recipe’s instructions
• plus 1 hour.

FAQs

More Lentil Recipes to Try

• Red lentil soup
• Green lentil curry
• Lentil casserole with mushrooms
• Chicken and lentil casserole
• Instant Pot dal

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Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Set-and-forget vegan Slow Cooker Lentil Soup is high in plant-based protein, fiber and easy to make in the crockpot.

Course Soup and Stew

Cuisine North American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 277kcal

Author Olena Osipov

Equipment

• Slow cooker
• Immersion blender

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions diced
• 3 large celery stalks diced
• 3 large carrots diced
• 4 cups potatoes diced
• 2 cups corn frozen
• 1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils rinsed & drained
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons oregano dried
• 1 teaspoon thyme dried
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce I use Bragg liquid aminos
• 3 bay leaves
• 5 whole peppercorns
• 9 cups vegetable broth low sodium
• Green onion, cilantro, parsley, Greek yogurt, cheese, tortilla chips for garnish and serving

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• In a large slow cooker, add onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, corn, lentils, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns and vegetable broth. No need to stir.
• Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or on High for 4-5 hours (with this soup longer is better).
• Discard bay leaves and peppercorns. Using an immersion blender, pulse a few times until desired texture – I like creamy with chunks.
• Garnish with herbs and Parmesan cheese, plain yogurt, tortillas chips and serve hot.

Notes

• Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
• Freezer Meal: In a large Ziploc bag, add all ingredients (except broth (water) and garnishes), release out air as much as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in a bowl/sink with hot water for 10 minutes, transfer to slow cooker, add water and cook as per instructions + 1 hour.
• Lentils: You can use red lentils, just keep in mind they will fall apart a lot.
• Thick and creamy really is best for this soup. If you do not have an immersion blender, remove 1 cup of soup from slow cooker, blend in blender, stir back in soup. You could do this until you reach desired creaminess.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 416mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 6g

The post Slow Cooker Lentil Soup appeared first on iFoodReal.com.