A steaming bowl of soup is comfort food in the purest sense. More comforting still, it's a worthy meal for anyone aiming to eat a little healthier, especially when the recipe puts vegetables front and center and uses plant-based protein, or lean meat, chicken, or fish. Even more substantial are thicker stews and chili, which don't require a side salad or a bit of bread to become a complete meal. Get ideas for liquid assets to eat in the evening on the following pages.

Trade wontons' traditional filling of pork for shrimp, and serve bok choy, full of disease-fighting phytochemicals, on the side.

The chickpeas in this recipe count toward the daily dietary requirements for both vegetables and protein.

This soup is thick enough to scoop up with papadums (Indian crackers), celery sticks, or cucumber spears.

The delicious aromas this soup gives off while cooking are just as comforting as its rich, velvety flavors.

The pureed white beans in this detoxifying soup make it taste deceivingly creamy.

Collards bring antioxidants and iron to this hearty, warming soup, while sweet potato and almond butter lend a creamy texture.

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover ingredients; simply adjust the quantity of the ingredients depending on what you have. Adding a bit of Parmesan rind enhances the flavor.

Watercress gives this soup its strong flavor; the leafy green gets its spiciness from compounds with powerful anticarcinogenic properties.

This turkey-meatball version of Italian wedding soup is so hearty it calls for eating with a fork and a spoon.

This vegetable soup pairs the high-fiber grain spelt with tender chickpeas.

There's more than one way to crack an egg. Try getting the health benefits of the ovoid protein -- full of vitamins B2 and B12 -- in this Asian-inspired soup.

This autumnal soup served in a hollowed-out pumpkin is custom made for the Thanksgiving table, but you may want to try it on a cool, fall weekend night, too.

Serve this cup of broth and long, fine enoki mushrooms with sake-steamed shrimp, steamed mizuna, and green tea ice cream.

Hearty enough to serve with a piece of bread for a light dinner, this smoky soup is suited to serve with yogurt-marinated swordfish kebabs and Israeli couscous pilaf.

Full of carrots, onion, and barley, and just half a pound of stew beef, this stick-to-your-ribs soup is satisfying, not fatty, on a cold evening.

This recipe is particularly healthful: It uses very little oil, low-sodium chicken broth, and a full head of cauliflower, which has plenty of antioxidant, cancer-fighting, and heart-healthy properties.

The key to this soup's appeal is variety; look for as many types of dried wild mushrooms as you can find, either at your supermarket or local specialty shop.

This hassle-free recipe is an easy one-pot meal. On a cold winter night, its fresh-tasting pesto of parsley, dill, and mint is a harbinger of spring.

This Asian-inflected soup, this bowlful contains both lemongrass and cilantro -- considered yin ingredients in Chinese philosophy -- cooling elements that are ideal on hot days.

Nothing beats a healthy serving of soup, such as this stick-to-your-ribs sweet-potato-and-apple puree, to warm you up.

Think of this as traditional chicken noodle with a surprising twist: It contains lemongrass, protein-rich soba noodles, and fresh ginger.

You'll love eating your leftovers in this hearty soup. The addition of white beans brings even more protein, while kale adds fiber and minerals.

Named for their shape, bell peppers are mild, and a good source of vitamin C. Here, the yellow variety gets top billing in a summery soup.

Include tofu and kale in miso soup for a magical concoction teeming with protein, antioxidants, and endless other health benefits.

Full of flavor and bursting with compounds that can reduce cholesterol and improve immunity, mushrooms are nutritional champs. A bowl of this soup, made with several varieties of the fungus, is particularly curative on a cold evening.

This piquant soup exudes flavors culled from the Mexican kitchen, including a cumin-laced broth and a roasted tomatillo and cilantro pesto.

Try this flavorful soup on its own, or as part of a menu with seared beef and oranges with arugula, along with broiled star fruit in gingered broth for dessert.

An Asian-inspired chicken soup features a delicate mushroom broth laced with fresh ginger, garlic, jalapeno, and black peppercorns.

Using buttermilk in place of heavy cream to enrich this elegant pureed squash soup saves fat and calories.

This recipe, inspired by takeout, contains all the flavor of delivery pizza without the grease.

Parsley has a fresh, bright flavor, and a tendency to bring out the best in other foods, such as chicken and dumplings in this hearty soup.

Olive oil in the broth and in a drizzle on top gives this polenta-and-spinach soup a rich, fruity flavor.

Many cooks know -- and love -- garlic for its pungency and bite. But when roasted, the aromatic reveals a much softer side, shown to its best advantage in this flavorful soup.

This full-meal soup contains plenty of broccoli rabe, a green whose high concentration of vitamins A and C makes it an excellent heart helper.

Flat-leaf parsley, potatoes, and other basic ingredients transform into a silky-textured, vibrant puree in this simple recipe.

This update of the traditional French onion soup forgoes the covering of cheese, and instead gets its full-dimension of flavor from the addition of porcini mushrooms and Marsala wine.

This solid Tuscan-style soup includes an Italian variety of kale, cavolo nero, that has crinkly leaves and a near-spicy bite; the dish gets significant protein from cannellini beans.

Sometimes good nutrition comes easy: This soup, which uses canned tomatoes, will help you add heart-healthy lycopene to your diet. Garlic and red pepper add a warming kick.

Roasting winter squash concentrates its natural sweetness and gives this soup a wonderful depth of flavor.

A touch of earthy, aromatic spices, such as coriander and cumin, sets off the sweetness of the beets in this simple soup that delivers beetroots along with their healthful, satisfying greens.

A cool-weather crop, kale is readily available in supermarkets from fall through spring. This hardy green, a good source of calcium, vitamin A, iron, and phosphorus, lends its robust flavor to this satisfying soup.

Hot-and-sour-soup, that Chinese restaurant standard, is a whole other experience when homemade.

Serve this version of chicken soup, brimming with healthful beans, carrots, and bitter greens, with pieces of sourdough bread covered with parsley pesto.

This hearty, satisfying vegetarian soup makes for an easy midweek dinner.

Most Mediterranean cultures have some version of fish soup, originated by fishermen who cooked up the catch of the day. This take on the form uses shrimp exclusively, accompanied by potatoes, carrots, and Italian sausage.

The yogurt makes a cool, creamy counterpoint to this mildly spicy soup. As a budget bonus, this recipe makes enough to have a cup or two for lunch the next day.

Chock-full of immunity-boosting flu fighters -- mushrooms, winter squash, garlic, and beans -- this stew is warm and comforting.

High in protein, iron, and calcium, and one of the most environmentally friendly types of seafood you can buy, oysters also have lots of the mineral zinc, which protects from disease.

This spice-infused stew is a filling, one-bowl meal at the end of a brisk day.

This Basque seafood stew features bay scallops, red snapper, and clams in their shells; tomato wedges, tiny Spanish olives, and a garnish of chopped fresh parsley round out the flavors.

To make this version of the Louisiana classic, brown dry flour scattered and stirred in a pan to take the place of the flour-and-butter roux of the original.

Serve this hearty seasonal stew -- a mix of lean pork roast, squash, and bell peppers -- atop white rice for a substantial evening meal.

Coconut and rice milk are cool complements to the warm spices in this autumnal stew.

For centuries, people in the Mediterranean have been warding of the signs of aging by incorporating certain foods -- such as the tomatoes and healthy greens in this stew -- into their diet.

This one-pot dish is warm and hearty comfort food, with plenty of vitamin C and omega-3s from the kidney beans, and less fat than chili made with the standard beef chuck.

When vegetables and legumes -- as found in this vegetarian chili -- funnel through your system, your cholesterol levels are more likely to stay balanced.