Instant Pot “Free” Soup—a flavorful vegetable soup with hardly any calories. This soup has zero points on weight watchers plans!
Note: the SLOW COOKER instructions are listed in the recipe card
Instant Pot “Free” Soup
Raise your hand if you’re still doing well on your New Years Resolutions? Raise your hand if you have forgotten your New Years Resolutions? 😂 Whether you’re trying to eat healthier, lose weight or feel better today’s recipe is for you. This soup is nourishing, warm and tastes good for lunch, a snack or a light dinner. It has only 90 calories per serving and is FREE for Weight Watcher trackers.
I like to keep this free soup in the fridge and eat it for lunch all week. It fills me up and I like knowing that I’m getting my veggies in for the day. In the winter I don’t enjoy salads and cold raw veggies as much so soup works better for me.
This is a dump and go recipe. It does have a tiny bit of prep (cutting cauliflower, carrots and onions). It’s not much more than 15 minutes of work and you’re on your way to hot soup in your tum.
If you want to serve this for dinner and beef it up a bit I suggest adding in a couple cups of rotisserie chicken and serving the soup with breadsticks, French bread or cornbread.
More Low Cal Recipes…
Instant Pot Dolly Parton’s Stone Soup
Instant Pot Oprah’s Tomato Soup
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Instant Pot “Free” Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A flavorful vegetable soup with hardly any calories. This soup has zero points on weight watchers plans!
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 tsp Better than Bouillon vegetable base
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 4–6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3–4 cups chopped spinach
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté setting and add in the water so that it can start heating up.
- Prepare the vegetables and get out all the ingredients.
- Add the rest of the ingredients into the Instant Pot.
- Cancel the sauté setting. Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the SOUP button to 4 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Add all ingredients into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
- Stir and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
Notes
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
This recipe is a must try! It’s a very easy recipe with every day ingredients. No saute…. what? I was so surprised how easy it is and the soup tastes delicious! I was very impressed with the taste. Just enough spices and liquid. Then I looked at the calories…how impressive! I am giving it 5 stars on taste, easy to make,just right! Thank you so much for a delicious recipe 😃👍🍲
★★★★★
Yay Geri! Thank you so much!
Thinking of trying this but have one question though. You call for 6 cups water and only 2 tsp of vegetable better then bouillon. Isn’t it usually 1 tsp per cup of water?
Yes it usually is but this recipe can use 2 cups of veg broth and 4 cups water or 6 cups water and 2 tsp bouillon.
So flavorful, so easy, and “free”! LOVE this recipe! Am making again right now for the 2nd time after I ate an entire pot last week! I did not have chives but loved it without the chives. I also added in sliced mushrooms – delish!
★★★★★
I think I will make it again this week too. Greg and I enjoyed it a lot!
I think this would be great with a can of navy beans and some chicken breast. Would still be zero on WW Freestyle/Blue.
Yes good plan!
Made this soup for lunch today, was excellent!!! Used Kale instead of spinach, because that’s what I had, also added a couple stalks of celery. Makes a lot. Love the instant pot,the veggies are always cooked perfectly.
Thanks for the great recipes!!!
★★★★★
Yay! good call on the celery!
Love fresh spinach…cooked, not so much. Can you substitute cabbage for the spinach? If so, would you have to adjust the cook time?
Yes absolutely you can use cabbage it would be wonderful.
Hi Karen,
The soup sounds so good! My IP does not have some of the buttons you write into your recipes. No Soup or
Yogurt button to mention just two. Could you suggest alternate buttons to use if we don’t have the specialty buttons? I use the manuel/cook button for just aboout everything.
Thanks for great recipes! Joyce
You’re doing it right. The manual button is the same high pressure as all the other buttons. The other buttons are pre programed to a certain number of mins, but it just as fast to use manual. Enjoy your machine.
For the soup button your can use the pressure cook or manual button. Unfortunately there is not a good replacement for the yogurt button.
Made this went to store for French bread came home and the family had eaten the whole lot!
Wow! I’m impressed!
Sounds reall good but shame on me I would have to add some mini ravioli or tortellini or some beans and little pasta for a sort of pasta fajioli. I can’t seem to leave things alone, always gotta tweak it.
I know…I’m the same way Nancy! It would be great with pasta!
Or even some frozen wontons.
Looks good! Could I substitute broccoli for cauliflower?
Tks!
I’m sure you could. It will get plenty done if you add it from beginning though.
I’m not sure what you mean. Do I add broccoli to water while it’s heating on the sauté setting to be sure it’s has time to cook? Or…if broccoli is added with other veggies, it may be over cooked? Sorry…just need to know when to add broccoli? And…be sure it will be done.
Thanks!
Linda
The broccoli usually only pressure cooks for 1 minute so if you pressure cook it with all the other vegetables it will be completely dissolved. If you’re okay with that then add it in. If not you may want to steam it separately and stir it in after soup has pressure cooked.
Hi Karen!
Want to update: The broccoli was great in place of cauliflower! I love broccoli but not the steaming part! I decided to use the IP to steam the broccoli using your “0” method. It worked like a charm! I just love your recipes & my IP! Thanks!!!!
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad it worked!
What’s the difference between “soup” setting and the regular”pressure cook” setting?
This looks delicious – thanks!
It’s supposedly better to keep broths clear and to gently come to pressure.
Oh, my! Can’t WAIT to try this one. I’ve been doing your “cook a pot of soup & eat it all week” thing for years now. Never get tired of it. (Wish my husband would jump on board…not gonna happen!)
One question: Can I use kale instead of spinach??? I love raw spinach, but can’t stand it cooked. Will come back with stars when I get it made.
Yes! I was actually going to write that in the notes that you can use kale chopped up instead of spinach. I think it will be great.