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Toasted Barley Soup With Swedish Meatballs goes nicely with salad and whole-grain bread.

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Toasted Barley Soup with Swedish Meatballs also adds whole grains and goes nicely with salad and whole-grain bread.

Soup as a main course is a great way to fill up on low-calorie vegetables and liquid, leaving you satisfied without feeling stuffed.

Choosing the right soup is the trick. Canned soups can throw a few nutritional curveballs into this healthy eating plan. They're usually loaded with sodium, and creamy soups can pack plenty of unwanted fat.

To make your own broth-based soup, be sure to start with a reduced-sodium broth, then add plenty of filling vegetables and beans.

For creamy but low-fat soups, consider starting with a base of pureed vegetables. Pumpkins and sweet potatoes can be roasted to intensify the flavors, then run through a food mill, blender or food processor.

Beans, pureed with a bit of broth or water, also make a velvety, flavorful soup base. Use convenient canned beans, but be sure to rinse them under cold water to wash away some of the salt that is in the canning liquid.

Even tofu (the soft or silken variety) can be pureed to create a smooth and protein-rich foundation on which you can build a creamy soup with little fat and no dairy.

This Scandinavian-style toasted barley soup with Swedish meatballs is filled with vegetables and whole grains, and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. Toasting the quick-cooking barley gives it a nutty flavor that becomes central to this soup.

To complete the meal, serve this soup with a salad of spicy greens and crusty whole-grain bread.

Toasted Barley Soup With Swedish Meatballs

Serves 4

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

¾ cup quick-cooking barley

2¼ cups reduced-sodium beef broth

1½ cups diced carrots

1½ cups diced zucchini

½ pound frozen, cooked Swedish meatballs

1½ tablespoons minced fresh dill or 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill

2¼ cups water

¼ teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream

In a large saucepan over medium-low, heat the oil. Add the barley and stir until it is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

Add the broth, carrots, zucchini, meatballs, dill and water. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover the pot and cook over medium-low until the barley is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a tablespoon of sour cream.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 286 calories; 81 calories from fat; 9 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 18 mg cholesterol; 40 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 8 g fiber; 371 mg sodium.