Spring weather has been a bit cooler the last few weeks and it just seemed the perfect time to make a big pot of soup. Something about cooler weather and soup go together. My friend Kara told me that this THM Trim Train Italian Soup was one of her favorites and I tried it on her recommendation. I am so glad that I made it because it was so good!
This Italian soup is a version of the Trim Train Taco Soup that Pearl and Serene developed for Woman’s World magazine. They had asked them for a soup recipe that would be easy to make, that was tasty, and slimming. And I have to hand it to the Mamas, it fits all three categories perfectly! There are three easy steps to the recipe and I am so excited because I am able to share the recipe with you today! It is posted on the THM website, so here is the soup recipe:
Ingredients:
-2 pounds *ground beef or venison, thawed if frozen (*See instruction #1.)
-1 (10-12-oz) bag frozen small-cut Seasoning Blend (see page 35)
-6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
-1 quart fat-free chicken broth
-2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
-1.5 Tablespoons dried basil
-2 teaspoons dried oregano
-2 to 3 teaspoons of Mineral Salt (start with less and adjust at the end as needed)
-1 teaspoon black pepper
-2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
-1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
-1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
-1 (12-ounce) bag frozen cauliflower florets
-7 cups just off the boil water
-3 cups frozen diced okra
-4 Tablespoons Just Gelatin* or Integral Collagen (see page 40)
-3 Tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
Instructions:
- Brown the meat in a large soup pot. (*If the meat you are using is not at least 96% lean, brown the meat and then place the crumbles into a colander. Rinse well under very hot water to release all the fat. Return the meat to the pot.) Add the seasoning blend and garlic, and saute with the meat until the veggies thaw and begin to tenderize. Add the chicken broth, seasonings, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce and let simmer.
- While the soup is simmering, put the frozen cauliflower florets in a blender with 3 cups of the boiled water and puree until perfectly smooth (if you have a small blender this may require two batches). Add the creamed cauliflower to the soup pot.
- Put the frozen okra in the blender with the remaining 4 cups boiling water, the gelatin, and coconut oil. Blend well until completely smooth and creamified. (Blend, baby, blend! There should be no little bits of okra left.) Add to the pot and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. The longer you simmer, the less you will notice any signs of okra at all. Taste test to “own it.” You may want to go heavier with the seasonings, but it’s up to you.
Make a family meal:
For the weight-loss plan, enjoy a couple big bowlfuls as written for a FP. Top with grated cheese for an S or add a side salad with a creamy dressing. To make this an E, either add some cannellini beans to the soup or have sprouted grain toast or 2 or 3 Wasa Light Rye crackers on the side with a thin smear of butter. Growing children or others at Crossover stage can top this with grated cheese and include the beans, bread, or cracker items to merge carbs and fats.
Note:
This makes 12 ginormous servings or 14 large servings. Dish up half of this soup as a hearty dinner to feed a family of 6, then set aside the rest for quick single-serve meals throughout the week. It will easily last 5 to 7 days in the fridge, but it also freezes well in individual portions.
Just three easy steps to a delicious soup! I used the ground beef option and the maximum number of garlic cloves because The Salesman adds garlic to almost every savory dish, and garlic is so good for you. I went with the maximum suggestion on the Mineral Salt, too. The Salesman did think that it was a tad too salty… I decided to use Just Gelatin verses Integral Collagen only because I use the collagen more often than the gelatin and just thought I’d mix it up a bit. The cookbook gives an important note at the very end of the recipe that I so wish I’d read before making this soup and I want you to know this in advance for when you make this one. Yes, I should have read all the way to the end of the recipe. Lesson learned. As stated above, the note tells us that it makes 12 ginormous servings or 14 large servings! They are not joking. It is enough for an army. I started out with my Le Creuset Dutch oven and had to bring a second Dutch oven out to divide the soup when I added the blended okra.
If you want to know where the recipe is located in the cookbook, here are the details:
Cookbook: Trim Healthy Mama Trim Healthy Table Cookbook
Recipe: Trim Train Italian Soup
We did eat this warm, hearty, and filling soup for days. Never once did The Salesman detect the hidden cauliflower or okra. And the blended vegetables gave the soup a wonderful texture. The house also smelled like an Italian restaurant while it was simmering. The Salesman did notice that it was a new recipe when he tried it; but did not complain. Not realizing how much soup we would have, I had chicken tenders defrosting in the refrigerator for dinner the night after my soup making and I went ahead and grilled the chicken; but, we both decided to eat the soup again. It was that good.
Make this one, Mamas!
Enjoy!
