Many canned soups have over 800 milligrams of sodium per cup. By making your own soup with fresh ingredients, you eliminate the preservatives and control the added salt content. Stir up a pot of this quick soup on Sunday and enjoy it for lunch throughout your week.

Tips for the cook: Add salt a little at a time and take a taste after each addition. You might find you like the flavor of the soup with even less salt than called for in this recipe. The low-fat milk offers just a touch of creamy consistency to the finished soup, but feel free to omit it.

Yield: 6, 1-cup servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 5 small, red or white-skinned new potatoes, cubed (peeled or unpeeled)
• 1 quart no-salt-added chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high and add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Add the broccoli and the potatoes. Cook about 1 minute more.
2. Pour in the stock. Bring the soup to a low boil, and then reduce the heat. Allow the soup to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the broccoli and potatoes are tender.
3. Use a potato masher to gently mash up some of the potatoes and the broccoli in the soup.
4. Stir in the fresh dill and milk. Add the salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.