24 Brothy Mediterranean Diet Soups to Warm You Up

By

Danielle DeAngelis

Published on December 6, 2022

Reviewed by Dietitian

Jessica Ball, M.S., RD

Slow-Cooker Cabbage Soup with Sherry — Photo: Victor Protasio

Snuggling up with a brothy soup on a chilly night sounds like a delicious way to keep you warm, and these recipes are perfect for just that. These bowls have balanced ingredients like lean protein, whole grains and ample veggies, so they fit well into the Mediterranean diet, one of the healthiest eating patterns around. Recipes like our Chicken & Kale Soup and Rainbow Minestrone are healthy and tasty soups that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner.

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Chicken & Kale Soup

chicken kale soup

This easy chicken and kale soup will keep you warm on a cold and rainy day or any day that calls for a simple, hearty soup. For convenience, you can make this soup with frozen kale without the need to thaw it beforehand.

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Potsticker & Vegetable Soup

Skip the frying pan and make a full meal out of store-bought dumplings with this quick and easy 30-minute soup. Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine used in Chinese cooking. Look for it in Asian specialty markets or with other Asian ingredients in large supermarkets.

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Clean-Out-the-Fridge Vegetable Soup

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Vegetable Soup — Eva Kolenko

This recipe is purposefully flexible so you can incorporate just about any veggie into it. Top with a dollop of pesto and/or a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

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Chicken & Bok Choy Soup with Ginger & Mushrooms

Chicken & Bok Choy Soup with Ginger & Mushrooms — Photographer: Dera Burreson, Food stylist: Josh Hake

This healthy and nourishing chicken and vegetable soup is the perfect winter meal.

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Slow-Cooker Cabbage Soup with Sherry

Slow-Cooker Cabbage Soup with Sherry — Victor Protasio

Sherry adds sweetness and flavor to this slow-cooker vegetarian cabbage soup. It's balanced nicely by the crushed red pepper, fire-roasted tomatoes and a pop of acidity from the sherry vinegar. Potatoes give the soup heft and substance. Serve with crusty bread.

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Rainbow Minestrone

Rainbow Minestrone — Photography / Kelsey Hansen, Styling / Greg Luna

Squash, kale and bell peppers add color and nutrients to this vibrant, veggie-packed take on classic minestrone. Serve with grated Parmesan or a dollop of pesto for even more flavor.

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Chicken & White Bean Soup

Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

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One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan

One-Pot Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Parmesan — Antonis Achilleos

This lentil-vegetable soup is packed with kale and tomatoes for a filling, flavorful main dish. If you have it, the Parmesan cheese rind adds nuttiness and gives the broth some body. If you avoid cheese made with rennet, look for vegetarian Parmesan cheese, which is made without it.

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White Bean Soup with Pasta

Pasta & White Bean Soup — Jacob Fox

We use mirepoix—a combination of onion, celery and carrots—to flavor this white bean soup. Keep a store-bought bag of the mixture in your freezer to ensure you always have some on hand without worrying about it going bad.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup

The only things better than healthy dinner ideas are easy healthy dinner ideas. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken thighs is the key to making rich soup without adding broth. Plus, if you're also in need of healthy meals on a budget, thighs are less expensive than breasts, and dried chickpeas are a relatively inexpensive and versatile pantry item that's always good to stock up on.

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Tomato Florentine Soup

a recipe photo of the Tomato Florentine Soup served in a bowl with a spoon — Brie Goldman

This hearty tomato Florentine soup has great tomato flavor from caramelized tomato paste and crushed tomatoes, with plenty of spinach that complements the flavors. The cheese and lemon topping with a hint of dried oregano adds an extra pop of flavor.

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One-Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup

One-Pot Turkey Vegetable Soup — Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

Got leftover turkey? Use it in this turkey vegetable soup for a satisfying main dish that's full of bright flavors thanks to the use of lemon juice and lemon zest.

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Hearty Minestrone

Hearty Minestrone soup

This version of the Italian classic soup Minestrone is packed with leeks, potatoes, beans, zucchini, spinach and orzo, making it perfect for a hearty lunch or supper on a cold winter's night. To make a vegetarian version use vegetable rather than chicken broth. Top each bowl with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for a zesty burst of flavor.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup

Slow-Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup

This slow-cooker chicken noodle soup fits nicely into the Mediterranean diet thanks to plenty of vegetables, lean chicken breast and whole-wheat pasta. Pair it with a salad and toasted whole-grain bread for an easy, healthy dinner.

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Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

This fragrant, Italian-flavored soup takes advantage of quick-cooking ingredients--boneless, skinless chicken breast, bagged baby spinach and canned beans. It features a simple homemade basil pesto swirled in at the end to add a fresh herb flavor. If you are very pressed for time, you can substitute 3 to 4 tablespoons of a store-bought basil pesto. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.

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Bean & Barley Soup

This hearty bean and barley soup tastes like it has simmered for hours, but actually it's quite quick to throw together. Plus this recipe for healthy bean and barley soup freezes beautifully. If you have cooked barley on hand, omit the quick-cooking barley and stir in 1 1/2 cups cooked barley along with the broth in Step 2.

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Slow-Cooker Spiced Lentil Soup with Vegetables

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup in bowls with flat bread

Spices often used in Moroccan cuisine like turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and black pepper give this soup complexity and deep flavor. Make it a day ahead, if you can, to give the spices time to mingle and develop. This easy slow-cooker recipe makes it a cinch to get the soup cooking while you do other things.

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Chicken Ramen with Bok Choy & Soy Eggs

Ditch the seasoning packet! Homemade ramen may take more time but it's worth it for the deep, impressive flavor.

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Slow-Cooker Lentil, Carrot & Potato Soup

Slow-Cooker Lentil, Carrot & Potato Soup

Puréeing some of the lentil-vegetable mixture, and then combining it with the remaining vegetables and lentils gives the soup a texture that satisfies those who love a creamy soup and those who prefer it chunky. Serve this slow-cooker lentil soup with crackers.

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Tinola (Filipino Ginger-Garlic Chicken Soup)

side view of brothy chicken soup in a white bowl — Lisa Cassell-Arms

Tinola, a comforting Filipino soup seasoned with plenty of ginger and garlic, has countless variations throughout the Philippines. The soup calls for malunggay leaves (aka moringa), which can be found fresh or frozen at Asian markets. Bok choy is a good substitute. Feel free to increase the amounts of garlic and fish sauce for an even more flavorful soup. Serve this easy and healthy chicken soup on its own or with jasmine rice, quinoa or wild rice.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup with Star Anise

This comforting slow-cooker soup is inspired by pho, the traditional Vietnamese noodle dish made with rice noodles and meat, and served in a flavorful, clear broth with a multitude of garnishes. For this recipe, we've used low-sodium chicken broth seasoned with star anise, clove, ginger and cinnamon. Ngo gai (culantro) and onion are also commonly used to flavor the broth. It's perfect for the slow-cooker because pho usually simmers for at least three hours, becoming infused with the flavor of the spices. For garnishing, we've lined up bean sprouts, basil, mint, cilantro, sliced chile and lime wedges, but you could also use cabbage or scallions. One of the best parts of this dish is how customizable it is.

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Vegetable and Tofu Soup

Tofu has a reputation for being bland, but when marinated in Italian seasoning for up to four hours, it's anything but in this veggie-packed soup.

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Pesto Chicken & Cannellini Bean Soup

This healthy, Italian-inspired chicken soup recipe is loaded with fiber-rich vegetables and beans and gets an extra boost of flavor from a swirl of pesto at the end. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients.

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Ribollita Soup

Ribollita, a traditional hearty Tuscan soup, typically uses day-old bread to add body and thicken the broth. This ribollita recipe uses a bean mash, which keeps the soup gluten-free and adds fiber. Garnish with extra-virgin olive oil or pepper and grated Parmesan.

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