Whether you're following Weight Watchers or not, this soup certainly fits the bill for low-cal and full of flavor. Most soups in general are a dieter's friend because they help ease physical hunger by keeping you full and satisfied without costing you too many calories. Plus, the warm comfort may also ease the emotional hunger many moms experience after a stressful day at work, followed by an evening spent fighting with the kids to get their homework done. Weight Watchers has a few different minestrone soup recipes. This one is a homestyle version that's sure to satisfy all your cravings.

Total Time: 1 hour | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 1/2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 8 ounces rutabaga, chopped
• 2 cubes vegetable bouillon dissolved in 3 1/2 cups of hot water
• 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 ounce whole-wheat pasta shells
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and place on medium-high heat.
   
2. To the saucepan, add onion, celery, carrots and rutabaga and cook, stirring as needed, for 3 minutes.
3. Add vegetable broth, canned tomatoes and oregano. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Add pasta and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve immediately, or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

According to the Weight Watchers website, this recipe has only 1 point. As a veggie-heavy dish, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. On the new SmartPoints plan, fruits and veggies have 0 points. This new system is designed to encourage you to eat more of these low-calorie, nutrient-dense, filling foods.

To add more depth to the 1-point Weight Watchers minestrone soup without adding points, try including chopped collards, spinach or kale. Different seasonings, such as minced garlic or fresh thyme, also change the flavor, adding interest without altering point count.

If you'd rather not heat up your kitchen with all the stovetop cooking, make the slow-cooker version of this soup. The slow-cooker minestrone soup from Weight Watchers is a bit heartier and costs 4 SmartPoints per serving. In addition to the low-cal veggies, this soup adds yellow potatoes and beans. These are also ingredients found in the more traditional minestrone soup, but they up the point count.