Low Fat French Onion Soup

Today is unseasonably cold and windy in Buffalo NY and I am in the mood for some soup. To keep this recipe lowfat, I used 4 ounces of Jarlsberg light swiss cheese. This cheese is very flavorful and each serving (1 ounce) has 70 calories and 4 grams of fat.  Regular swiss cheese has 100 calories per ounce and 8 grams of fat.  More cheese could be used as a garnish if preferred, keeping in mind that this would increase the calories per serving. As prepared, this recipe yields 5 servings of soup at approximately 260 calories each.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

5 onions sliced thin
2 Tablespoons olivio light buttery spread (or similar butter substitute)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (or sugar)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 thin slices whole grain french bread or sliced baguette
5 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg light swiss cheese (more or less to taste)

Combine thinly sliced onions, Olivio buttery spread, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the garlic cloves. Cook onions over medium heat until they are carmelized, this takes about 25-30 minutes. This process takes time, remember to keep stirring the onions to keep them from burning.

When the onions are carmelized, combine the flour with the onions and give them a quick stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and let stand for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, red wine, worcestershire sauce, sugar and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice the french bread (or baguette) in 5 thin slices. Add 1 teaspoon of freshly shredded parmesan cheese on each slice of bread and toast in the oven. Ladle soup into 5 individual serving oven safe bowls or mug. Add a thin slice of bread and top with the freshly grated swiss cheese.

Place the soup bowls under the broiler until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Lighter Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love broccoli cheese soup.  I was trying to come up with a lower fat recipe my family could enjoy. I experimented and after a couple of tries was pleased with the outcome.  I added a blend of 3 different cheeses to this recipe.  I added 1 cup each of Jarlsberg Light Swiss cheese, non fat cheddar, and ultra sharp regular cheddar.  It helped to add 1 cup of regular cheese for a smoother texture.  Using all non fat or light cheeses made it too difficult for the cheeses to melt and combine well for the soup.  This recipe yields 9 servings at approximately 250 calories per serving.

Lighter Broccoli Cheese Soup 

1 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped carrots

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 whole wheat pastry flour (or regular flour)

4 cups lowfat milk

2 cups fat free half and half

1 cup chicken broth

sprinkle cayenne pepper

sprinkle nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fat free cheddar

1 cup light swiss cheese (I used Jarlsberg light)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

4 cups chopped broccoli

Saute chopped onions and carrots in 2 Tablespoons olive oil until tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the 1/4 flour to the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine.  Add milk, half and half, chicken broth, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and cheeses.  Stir gently until cheese is melted.

I placed the mixture in the blender once the cheeses melted and before adding the brocolli to make the mixture smoother on the medium setting for about 2 minutes.  Chop the broccoli into small bite sized pieces.

Add the chopped broccoli to the soup mixture and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes until the broccoli is tender.

This recipe yields about 9 servings at 250 calories per serving. Enjoy!