Low-sodium
Low-sodium soups
Soup is either a careful meal or a salt delivery system. Start with water and the ingredients. A cup of regular broth can hold 700 mg before you add anything else.
Less salt · 4 min read · Updated 2026-11-05
This page uses larger type. It is cooking help, not a medical plan.
In the portions written below, protein is about 14–34 g, calories about 240–460, and sodium about 140–160 mg. Those are rounded kitchen estimates before extra cheese, bread, or a heavy pour of sauce.
Bouillon cubes are salt. If the recipe needs depth, use tomato paste, garlic, and a bay leaf.
How to run it
- Start with no-salt minestrone. Plan on about 40 minutes. Soften the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the oil.
- Next, unsalted shredded pot roast. Do not start this from salty beef broth or onion-soup mix. Those packets are how a soft, useful roast becomes a sodium problem.
- Keep lentil and tomato stew with yogurt for the meal that needs to feel different. Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (stew, without the yogurt). Cool within 2 hours before it goes in the freezer.
- Cool anything you will not eat right away within two hours. For lentil and tomato stew with yogurt: Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (stew, without the yogurt). Cool within 2 hours before it goes in the freezer.
Cook these
No-salt minestrone
40 min · serves 6
- Protein
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 140 mg
- Calories
- 240
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
This is a high-volume bowl, not a 40-gram protein meal. Pair it with a yogurt jar or an egg if you are also trying to eat more protein.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 can no-salt-added white beans, rinsed
- 1 can no-salt-added tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups chopped cabbage or zucchini
- 1/2 cup small pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- parmesan, optional, at the table
Method
- Soften the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the oil.
- Add beans, tomatoes, water, herbs, and cabbage. Simmer 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta and cook until tender. Parmesan stays on the side because it is salty and because the pot may be going into the freezer.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (without the pasta). If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in A low-sodium grocery list, Foods that help with fluids, Freezer meals for recovery days.
Unsalted shredded pot roast
180 min · serves 8
- Protein
- 34 g
- Sodium
- 160 mg
- Calories
- 320
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Do not start this from salty beef broth or onion-soup mix. Those packets are how a soft, useful roast becomes a sodium problem.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 carrots, cut in chunks
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Method
- Heat the oven to 325°F. Brown the roast in a Dutch oven if you want the flavor, or skip browning to save a pan.
- Add the rest. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until a fork shreds the meat with no force.
- Shred in the juices. Serve with the carrots, or pile the meat on potatoes.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (portions with juice). Reheat to 165°F.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in Freezer meals for two, High-protein beef meal prep, High-protein soups.
Lentil and tomato stew with yogurt
45 min · serves 4
- Protein
- 32 g
- Sodium
- 160 mg
- Calories
- 460
Protein, sodium, and calories are rounded kitchen estimates, not a lab test or a medical plan.
Dry lentils are one of the cheapest proteins in the store. Canned lentils work in a pinch; rinse them and cut the simmer to 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup per bowl
- lemon
Method
- Soften the onion, carrots, and garlic in the oil for 6 minutes. Stir in the spices.
- Add lentils, tomatoes, and water. Simmer 30–35 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add water if it gets stiff.
- Each bowl gets 1/2 cup yogurt and a squeeze of lemon at the table. The yogurt is counted in the protein.
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (stew, without the yogurt). Cool within 2 hours before it goes in the freezer. If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
Storage times are general guidance, not a lab test of this recipe. A shorter package or recipe instruction governs. Freezing and reheating do not rescue food left out too long, or a heat-stable toxin that already formed. USDA FSIS: Leftovers and Food Safety and USDA FSIS: Freezing and Food Safety.
Also used in A family cookbook as a gift, A two-week freezer stash, Cooling food safely before it freezes.
Details that matter
- Cook in water or unsalted homemade stock. Carton broth is often 600–800 mg per cup.
- Buy no-salt-added beans and tomatoes. Rinse anything that did come from a salty can.
- Build flavor with garlic, onion, ginger, citrus, vinegar, pepper, herbs, and spices that do not say 'seasoning salt.'
Easy mistakes
A seasoning packet
Chili, taco, onion soup, and ranch packets are salt with a spice cameo. Use the spices listed in the recipe instead.
Hidden salt in the 'healthy' add-ins
Cottage cheese, soy sauce, and rotisserie chicken can wipe out an otherwise careful plate.
Grocery starter
- 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 can no-salt-added white beans, rinsed
- 1 can no-salt-added tomatoes
- 6 cups water
- 2 cups chopped cabbage or zucchini
- 1/2 cup small pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- parmesan, optional, at the table
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed
- 1 onion, sliced
Questions
How should I store no-salt minestrone?
Fridge 4 days. Freezer: best quality within 3 months (without the pasta). If you serve it hot, reheat to 165°F with a food thermometer.
How much protein is in a serving?
No-salt minestrone is about 14 g; Unsalted shredded pot roast is about 34 g; Lentil and tomato stew with yogurt is about 32 g. These are kitchen estimates, not a lab analysis.
Is this medical advice?
No. It is home cooking. If a clinician gave you a sodium limit, a fluid limit, or a texture recommendation, follow that. Trouble swallowing, coughing during meals, or unplanned weight loss needs a professional, not another recipe.
What is the easy mistake here?
Bouillon cubes are salt. If the recipe needs depth, use tomato paste, garlic, and a bay leaf.