Vegetable Soup Recipe (2024)

This Vegetable Soup Recipe is ultra-nourishing and wholesome, made with fresh farmers’ market veggies. A simple, healthy soup that is easy to make and loaded up with healing nutrients- a great way to use up all those farmer’s market veggies! Vegan, gluten-free, with a video.

Vegetable Soup Recipe (1)

After a week of travel, and all the eating out and indulging that comes with it, my body was practically screaming to give it a break. I rounded up all the farmer’s market veggies in the fridge and made a simple healthy vegetable soup, and this is what we ate for a couple of days. I can’t tell you how much we needed this. Gentle nourishment, full of nutrients. Just what the doctor ordered.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe!

What I love about this veggie soup recipe is how adaptable it is. Use what veggies you have on hand. Then feel free to embellish if you like -adding cabbage, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, or even whole grains. You could easily thicken with beans or quinoa. Keep it tomato-free or nightshade-free, you decide. 🙂

To finish the soup, drizzle with olive oil, or homemade pesto or gremolata, or sprinkle with a hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino and serve with croutons or crusty bread. Do what feels right for your body.

Vegetable Soup ingredients

Consider your vegetables. Some take longer to cook than others, like carrots and potatoes.Be thoughtful about when you add things to the soup and also when you are dicing your veggies. Bigger diced veggies will take longer to cook as well. Something to keep in mind. Here is a list of optional veggies- pick a few and give it try!

  • Onions and garlic ( or leeks, shallots, etc.)
  • Celery or Fennel ( or both!)
  • Carrots or Parnsips ( or both!)
  • Optional additions (pick 2-3): bell pepper, green beans, peas, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, corn, broccoli, diced tomatoes, cabbage, wilting greens- kale, spinach, chard, collards, white beans etc.
  • Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaves
  • Fresh herbs: Fresh thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary or tarragon, or sub-dried thyme, or dried oregano.
  • Splash of white wine- or sherry, totally optional!
  • Flavorful Vegetable broth ( or sub chicken broth or stock or bone broth)

Vegetable Soup Recipe (2)

Veggie Soup Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until deeply golden and fragrant, 5 minutes.
  2. Add the carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and thyme. Saute 7-8 minutes, stirring often. At this point you could splash with white wine, dry vermouth, sherry wine ( totally optional), just a couple tablespoons and cook it off.
  3. Add any optional vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and lower heat and simmer until carrots are just tender, about 10-12 minutes.Then stir in the fresh parsley.
  4. Taste. Often (especially if leaving the tomatoes out) I’ll add a tiny splash of acid- like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, be very conservative, 1/2 teaspoon, and add more to taste. Season with pepper and a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes.
  5. If broth tastes bland, it probably needs salt and acid. 😉
  6. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil, crusty bread, or shaved parmesan or pecorino. Or try it withGremolata( Italian herb sauce) – a delicious way to finish the soup!

Vegetable Soup Recipe (3)

Expert tips!

  1. Use seasonal veggies! The most important thing to good-tasting vegetable soup is wholesome nourishing veggies! Organic or farmer’s market veggies have the best flavor!
  2. Use aromatics: onion, leeks, garlic, etc. to build layers of flavor.
  3. Use a flavorfulveggie broth, chicken stock, beef broth or bone broth, whatever tickles your fancy. Here I went with store-bought veggie broth, and kept it vegan.

Variations of Vegetable soup!

  • Make this Vegetable Soup “tomato-y” or totally leave them out as I did in the first photo. Up to you. If you love a rich tomatobase, fresh tomatoes and a little tomato paste are a nice addition too.
  • My husband loves this Vegetable Soup recipe topped with grated pecorino and sourdough croutons, orcrusty bread – also an option!
  • Meatlovers could plop in little meatballs right into the simmering broth.

Vegetable Soup Recipe (4)

Serving Suggestions

  • Keep it vegan and serve with a drizzle of olive and sourdough bread.
  • Add pecorino or parmesan cheese for extra richenss.
  • If you like heat, serve with chili flakes.
  • Add Fresh Basil Pesto (Nut-Free)
  • Add Gremolata (a zesty Italian herb sauce)
  • Add Arugula Almond Pesto

Vegetable Soup Recipe (5)

Veggie soup Storage

Veggie soup will keep 4-5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed , airtight container or can be frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer!

Ihope you are having a relaxing holiday weekend.

xoxo

Sylvia

More Favorite Soup recipes!

  • Harvest Vegetable Soup
  • Homemade Vegetable Stock
  • Simple Cabbage Soup
  • Lentil Soup
  • Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
  • Best Homemade Tomato Soup

Vegetable Soup Recipe Video

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Vegetable Soup Recipe (6)

Vegetable Soup Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 32 reviews

  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
  • Category: soup, vegan, vegetarian
  • Method: Stove top or Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

This nourishing vegetable soup recipe is easy to make and loaded with wholesome nutrients- a great way to use up all those farmer’s market veggies! Great for Sunday meal prep. Make on the stovetop or instant pot.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 12 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion diced ( or a large leek)
  • 2 cups diced carrot (2 medium carrots)
  • 2 cups diced celery (2 stalks)
  • 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme ( or sub, oregano , rosemary, sage, or tarragon- or sub 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, or dry Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence )
  • 2 tablespoons white wine, vermouth, sherry cooking wine- all optional (feel free to leave out)
  • 5 cups veggies of choice (chopped small): zucchini, fennel bulb, summer squash, green beans, peas, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, bell pepper, cabbage, kale, etc.
  • 4 cups veggie stock or broth, chicken or beef stock, or bone broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • pinch cayenne

Garnish:

  • 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley ( or basil ribbons)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar ( at the end)
  • pepper, cayenne, or chili flakes to taste
  • a drizzle of olive oil, gremolata or grated pecorino cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until deeply golden and fragrant, 5 minutes.
  2. Add carrots, celery, and garlic and thyme. Saute 7-8 minutes, stirring often. At this point you could splash with white wine, dry vermouth, sherry wine ( all totally optional) just a couple tablespoons and cook it off.
  3. Add your longer-cooking veggies, water, broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
  4. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer until carrots are just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add any quick-cooking veggies (spinach, kale, corn). Cook 3-4 more minutes, then stir in the fresh parsley.
  5. Taste. Often (especially if leaving the tomatoes out) I’ll add a tiny splash of acid- like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, be very conservative, 1/2 teaspoon, and add more to taste. Season with pepper and a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes.
  6. If broth tastes bland, it probably needs salt and acid 😉
  7. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of good olive oil, crusty bread, or shaved parmesan or pecorino. Or try it withGremolata( Italian herb sauce) – a delicious way to finish the soup!

Notes

Soup will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator and freezes well.

Feel free to add cooked beans (white beans or chickpeas are nice) to add protein and a big handful of chopped greens ( spinach, chard, arugula) to the soup at the end!

INSTANT POT Instructions:

  1. Using the saute function, heat oil and add onion and saute until deeply golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add carrots, celery, fennel, garlic and thyme. Stir 2 minutes. At this point you could splash with white wine, dry vermouth, sherry wine ( all totally optional) just a couple tablespoons and cook it off for a minute.
  3. Add zucchini and green beans ( and optional tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, or bell pepper) stock, water, bay leaves and salt. ( You will add the corn at the end).
  4. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Manually release and set back to “saute”. Add corn. Cook 3-4 more minutes, then stir in the fresh parsley. Taste. Often (especially if leaving the tomatoes out) I’ll add a tiny splash of acid- like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, be very conservative, 1/2 teaspoon, and add more to taste. Season with pepper and a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes. If broth tastes bland, it probably needs salt and acid 😉
  5. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil, crusty bread, or shaved parmesan or pecorino. Or try it withGremolata( Italian herb sauce) – a delicious way to finish the soup!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 cups- with veggie broth
  • Calories: 192
  • Sugar: 13.4 g
  • Sodium: 838 mg
  • Fat: 8.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Fiber: 6.7 g
  • Protein: 4.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg
Vegetable Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What gives vegetable soup that depth of flavor? ›

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What thickens vegetable soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

Why does my vegetable soup have no taste? ›

When I think of vegetable soup, I think of a thin, flat-tasting soup with no fat — aka, no flavor! Here's how we fix that in this Vegetable Soup recipe: Adding a parmesan cheese rind to the simmering soup infuses it with salty, umami flavor.

When should you add celery to soup? ›

But once those vegetables are exhausted, they're strained and switched out for a fresh set of thinly sliced celery and carrot. These are added for the final 4–5 minutes of cooking so that they're tender but nowhere near mushy. You get the sweet luxury of long-cooked vegetables and the freshness of crisp-tender ones.

Is stock or broth better for vegetable soup? ›

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

What can I add to my soup to make it more flavorful? ›

You can also go with more heat and spices. "Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on.

What is the No 1 soup in the world? ›

According to the Taste Atlas Awards, the international food database, the Filipino favorite, Sinigang, is hailed as the best soup in the world.

How to add Flavour to bland veg soup? ›

Onion powder, garlic powder, garlic salt, Italian seasonings, Mexican seasonings (or any other cultures). Don't overcook your vegetables, either. They lose their flavor and turn to mush if cooked too long. You can also add pasta and/or use a base of broth.

What should be added to enrich the flavor of the soup? ›

Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.

How do you increase Flavour in soup? ›

Vinegar – A spoonful of vinegar is a quick fix when you find yourself with a bowl of dull, flat-tasting soup. Just a small amount of acid will brighten up the flavors. 2. Soy Sauce – Soy sauce is another item that's ideal for brightening up and adding depth of flavor to an otherwise dull soup.

How can I enhance the flavor of my vegetables? ›

Grilling and roasting are excellent ways to heighten the natural flavor of vegetables. Ingredients like carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and beets become sweeter and caramelized after roasting, while throwing slices of eggplant, zucchini, and bell pepper on the grill will bring out a smokier taste.

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