The number of calories in a bowl of vegetable soup with beef can vary greatly depending on the ingredients used, cooking methods, and portion size. In general, vegetable soups made with broth or stock and lots of non-starchy vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes tend to be lower in calories. Adding starchy vegetables like potatoes or pasta, cream, oils, and meats like beef will increase the calorie content. For a typical bowl of hearty beef and vegetable soup, you can expect 200-300 calories per 8-12 oz serving.
Factors Affecting Calorie Count
There are several factors that affect the calorie content in a bowl of vegetable beef soup:
Ingredients Used
– Non-starchy vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, kale, onions, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc are very low in calories. Using lots of these will help keep calories down.
– Starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, peas, winter squash add more calories and carbs.
– Beans and lentils add protein, fiber, and calories.
– Meat like beef, pork, chicken adds protein and fat increasing calories.
– Using broth or stock as the base keeps calories down vs using cream or milk.
– Added oils, butter, cream, milk, cheese increases fat and calories.
– Grains like pasta, rice, barley, quinoa also increase carbs, calories, and nutrients.
Cooking Method
– Soups made with lots of added fat from oils, cream, or bacon will have more calories than broth-based soups.
– Roasting vegetables before adding to soup adds flavor without extra calories.
– Avoid frying meat or vegetables which adds a lot of extra fat and calories.
Portion Size
– A small 6-8 oz bowl will be lower in calories than a large 16-20 oz bowl.
– Using a measuring cup to portion soup helps avoid overestimating serving sizes.
– Ladling soup into a bowl rather than eating directly out of a pot makes it easier to monitor portions.
Ingredients Added at Serving
– Garnishes like croutons, shredded cheese, sour cream, crispy bacon bits all significantly increase calories and fat. Use sparingly.
– A dollop of plain Greek yogurt adds protein without too many extra calories.
– Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, thyme have minimal impact on nutrition.
Calorie Range for Different Soups
Here is an overview of the typical calorie content in different types of vegetable and beef soups based on 1 cup or 8 ounce serving:
| Soup Type | Calories |
|---|---|
| Clear broth-based with lots of non-starchy vegetables | 80-120 calories |
| Cream-based made with milk/cream | 200-300 calories |
| Hearty with beans or grains | 150-250 calories |
| Chowder or bisque made with cream/milk | 250-350 calories |
| Meatball soup with pasta or rice | 300-400 calories |
As you can see, the simplest clear broth-based soups tend to be the lowest in calories while creamy chowders and meat-based soups are higher.
Calorie Count for Common Soup Ingredients
To get a better idea of how ingredients impact the calories in vegetable beef soup, here is the calorie count for common soup ingredients based on 1 cup serving:
| Ingredient | Calories |
|---|---|
| Sliced carrots | 45 calories |
| Chopped onion | 45 calories |
| Diced celery | 20 calories |
| Sliced mushrooms | 20 calories |
| Chopped tomatoes | 30 calories |
| Beef broth | 45 calories |
| 98% lean ground beef (cooked) | 235 calories |
| Canned beans (kidney, black, etc) | 225 calories |
| cooked quinoa or rice | 200 calories |
| 2% milk | 125 calories |
| Cream | 215 calories |
| Cheddar cheese | 115 calories |
Calorie Example for a Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup
To make a more realistic estimate, let’s look at a typical hearty vegetable beef soup recipe and do a calorie calculation per serving.
For 1 serving:
– 1 cup beef broth (45 calories)
– 1/2 cup cooked diced carrots (23 calories)
– 1/2 cup cooked diced celery (10 calories)
– 1/2 cup cooked diced onion (23 calories)
– 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (15 calories)
– 1/2 cup cooked lean ground beef (120 calories)
– 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (110 calories)
– 1 Tbsp oil used for cooking (120 calories)
Total Calories per Serving: Approximately 465 calories
This example calculates to 465 calories per serving for a hearty vegetable beef soup with beans and ground beef. Depending on your own recipe and ingredients used, your soup may range from 300-500 calories per serving.
Tips to Reduce Calories in Vegetable Beef Soup
Here are some tips to reduce the calories in homemade vegetable soup with beef:
– Use lots of non-starchy vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, celery, onions.
– Limit starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn or use small amounts.
– Use low sodium broth or stock as the base instead of cream or milk.
– Choose lean cuts of beef and trim visible fat before cooking. Avoid sausage.
– Remove cooked ground beef after simmering and skim soup to remove excess fat.
– Use minimal added oil for cooking. Saute vegetables in broth instead.
– Skip high-fat garnishes like cheese, sour cream, and croutons at serving.
– Portion into bowls rather than eating directly out of the pot.
Conclusion
The calorie content in vegetable soup with beef can vary greatly based on the specific ingredients used, cooking methods, and portion sizes. A typical hearty serving made with broth, vegetables, beans, and lean beef will provide 200-300 calories. Choosing lower calorie ingredients like non-starchy vegetables, using minimal added fat, and keeping portion sizes reasonable will help keep the calories down in homemade vegetable beef soup. Focusing on nutrition rather than calories can allow you to enjoy this classic soup while still eating healthy.