Getting through your busy week is often like climbing a mountain, isn’t it? Each day is stressful enough, and then you need to make a meal on top of it. Of course you want to eat food that is going to support your optimum health, and not resort to the drive-thru. Prepping meals is a great solution, but what to make? And what can give you the most bang for your buck when you’re short on time?

There’s an easy answer: Just make soup.

One afternoon is all you need to pull off a batch or two of hearty, comforting soup. Pack it into containers, refrigerate it and serve it all week. Make it with lots of veggies, beans or whole grains, and you’ve got the answer to your body’s need for healthful food, all while warming you from within. You can always add lean proteins, like leftover chicken, if you need a meatier meal. Whether you want to lose weight or just improve your health by eating more plants, soup is a great way to do it.

Soup can help you maintain a healthy weight

If you’ve ever been offered a soup as a first course, there’s a good reason for that. In the classic old-school, three-course meal, soup comes first to whet your appetite and take the edge off your hunger, allowing you to enjoy smaller portions.

If you struggle with your weight, adding soup to meals is a good strategy, according to Joyce Hendley, a nutrition writer with an MS in nutrition and food science. “Pump up the volume, not the calories,” she said. “If you’re looking to cut calories but aren’t into deprivation, foods and dishes with a high water content, like vegetables and fruits, salads and brothy soups, are a great way to fill up and feel satisfied without bulking up on calories.”

She suggests building your meals around soup — or at least eating the soup first, so that by the time you get to the calorie-heavy part of the meal (say, the pizza or pork chop), you’re already pretty satisfied and won’t need as much. “This concept, pioneered over 20 years ago by ‘Volumetrics’ author and Penn State researcher Barbara J. Rolls, is strongly backed by science as one of the healthiest weight management strategies,” Hendley said.

It’s an easy way to pack in your daily requirement of veggies

Does anyone actually eat enough vegetables? Most of us fall short, through no fault of our own. We can all help ourselves reach our health goals with vegetables, and soup is a tasty, easy-to-make delivery system.

According to registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN)

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