Tips for Making HEARTY, PLANT-FORWARD SOUPS
As the demand for plant-based meals continues to grow, try these tips and tricks to easily adjust your menu, while keeping students nourished. These recipes ideas not only cater to diverse dietary preferences, but also promote health and sustainability.
Creamy Soups without the Dairy Whether the goal is to be more plant-based or simply to satisfy a wider range of eaters, try ditching the dairy in your soup recipes. If you need a creamy texture or taste to your soup, try coconut milk, nutritional yeast, blend in tofu, add cooked and pureed potatoes, or a roux made with oil instead of butter. Side of Bread, Please! Soup still filling stingy? A side of nutritionally-dense bread can help. Serve chilis with savory cornbread, serve brothy soups with whole grain slices, taco soups with warm tortillas and Italian side with tomato-studded focaccia. Carbs can be a safe bet to bring eaters joy! Now that your wheels are turning, don’t be afraid to look outside your box for inspiration. Check out sites like The Lunch Box (or other school recipe tools) to spur ideas. Tune in to webinars or read this digizine for inspiration! Ask your neighbor. Do you know of a school nearby that has successfully made the jump to being more plant-forward? Connect with them. Most people are more than happy to share their successes and failures in this journey.
Rely on Beans From black beans to kidneys and creamy white cannellini, beans are the ticket to a great soup. And they’re easy! Search for a full cooked, ready- to-use bean to make your chili days a breeze. Eaters love a bold bean chili loaded with fun toppings. Remove the usual ground beef and add more beans to round out the protein. Think the classic red chili, but also a white chili with more broth, green peppers and a squeeze of lime. Call on Whole Grains Brown rice, quinoa, pearled barley or wheat berries are rich in fiber and filling! Beef and barley soup? No problem. Add in extra veggies and more barley to make each bowl robust as you remove or reduce the meat. Sneak in Lentils There are a whole rainbow of colorful lentils available for us to cook with! While you can make a vibrant lentil dal soup with lentils as the star, don’t be afraid to sneak them in too. When making a butternut squash soup, puree in cooked yellow lentils for added starch and fiber to thicken the soup and satisfy the diners.
Annelise McAuliffe Soares | Ready Foods Annelise is the Director of Marketing & Brand Stewardship at Ready Foods in Denver, Colorado. Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Annelise has spent her career making sure food sounds appetizing on paper, looks good in pictures and tastes amazing when you order it. Her day-to-day consists of working at Ready Foods to connect food service operators with ready-to-use kitchen solutions that are delicious, not difficult. Her favorite hot lunch in elementary school was always nacho day.
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