The cooler weather is upon us and soup is great to make at this time of year. It is low-cost, a great filler-upper and adds vegetables to your meals.

Learning how to make soup can be a challenge if your mom or grandmother didn’t show you how. Here are tips for making a soup taste great.

Season soups by adding dried herbs at the beginning of making it and fresh herbs at the end.

Give soups a creamy texture by using pureed white beans, evaporated skim milk or instant potato flakes instead of high-fat cream.

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If you are short on time, choose a soup recipe that uses canned vegetables. Rinse the vegetables to reduce the amount of sodium before adding to the soup.

Soup is filling and can be low calorie if it is a broth base. Start your meals with soup. Soup fills you up faster, so you’ll be less likely to overeat the higher-calorie foods in the rest of the meal. Soup can also make a tasty snack. It fills you up and is more nutritious than most snacks. Keep it on hand at home and at work.

One of the leading causes of foodborne illness is the failure to properly cool foods. The food danger zone is that place between 40 and 140 degrees F where pathogens grow most quickly. It can take a long time to get through the danger zone when cooling a large batch of chili, soup or stew. The soup must cool from 140 to 70 F in 2 hours and from 70 to 40 F in no more than 4 hours.

Preparing large batch of soup can present a food safety challenge. Cooling large batches of soup requires a few steps. To rapidly cool soup safely, divide the soup into smaller containers, no deeper than three inches.

Once cooled to 70 F, you can place the container of soup in the refrigerator. Place on the top shelf. Leave uncovered until cooled to 40 F. Consume or freeze leftovers within 4 days of preparation.

Here is a recipe that is quick to make and filled with nutrients.

Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

2 15.5-ounce cans corn, drained and rinsed

2 15.5-ounce cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ teaspoon chili powder

¾ teaspoon cumin powder

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup water

Cook meat in a pot over medium heat until brown. Put meat in a strainer to drain fat. Rinse with hot water.

Mix all ingredients in a pot and cook on low for an hour.

Serves 10 – 1 cup servings. Enjoy!

Nutrition Corner Mary Ehret
https://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Ehret.CMYK_-1.jpg.optimal.jpgNutrition Corner Mary Ehret

Mary R. Ehret, M.S.,R.D.,L.D.N., is the Nutrition Links Supervisor in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Carbon, Schuylkill, Sullivan and Bradford Counties for the Penn State Extension.