Vegetable Soup
When I first started making this soup, it was mostly an experiment to get more vegetables into my family without a fight. I remember the day my toddler tried it: she went in for the peas first, then turned the whole bowl into a treasure hunt, picking out one vegetable at a time to taste.
My husband, who has never been a soup person or a vegetable person, ended up going back for seconds. He said it smelled too good not to eat.
Years later, this is still the soup I make when I want something that everyone at the table will actually finish. And I’ve kept the same formula: a big mix of fresh vegetables, white beans instead of potatoes for extra protein and fiber, and a broth that comes together in about 30 minutes. It’s similar to my classic minestrone soup with a few flavor differences and less time.
What Veggies Are Good In A Simple Vegetable Soup
I like to include a combination of hearty vegetables and whose that will add a little sweetness. Start with the basic onions, carrots, and garlic. After that, you can gather your favorites like –
- celery
- green beans
- peas
- cauliflower and/or broccoli
- tomatoes
- potatoes
- Summer squash, zucchini, and peas add a nice touch of sweetness to each bite.
- Corn is another vegetable to add heartiness and sweetness at the same time. For healthier soup, leave potatoes out and add some beans.
Best Way To Store Leftover Vegetable Soup
- Vegetable soup can be stored right in the pot it’s cooked in, in the refrigerator. Make sure there is a tight fitting lid on the pot and that the soup and the pot is cool enough to be put in the refrigerator.
- You can also transfer soup into a large food storage container with a tight fitting lid and store it in the refrigerator.
- Vegetable soup should last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days when stored property. Make sure the lid is air-tight. Use a clean ladle each time you take soup out of the container and don’t leave any spoons in it.
How To Freeze Leftover Vegetable Soup
When freezing any soup, it’s important to cool cooked soup as quickly as possible before freezing.
- Place the pot with vegetable soup into a larger container filled with ice and let it cool, stirring occasionally.
- Once soup is cooled to room temperature, portion it into freezer zip-lock bags. Get the air out and seal. Label and date each bag and lay them flat on a cutting board. Place it in the freezer.
- It’s easier to freeze soup in freezer bags because when soup is frozen flat, it can be stacked easily one on top of the other. This saves a lot of room in the freezer.
- Defrost vegetable soup overnight in the refrigerator.
Stovetop Vegetable Soup Recipe FAQs
You can easily make vegetable soup in a slow cooker instead of stove top. There will be a little taste different because the veggies will all cook at the same time and there is no searing of onions, carrots, and garlic. Differences in taste won’t be dramatic though.
Cut vegetable into small chunks and combine them in a slow cooker.
Add can of tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and beans (juices drained). Stir well until everything, including tomatoes paste, is evenly incorporated.
Add herbs and seasoning and stir well.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 4-6 hours. If you like your veggies softer, cook for longer period of time and if you like them less soft, aim for lesser time. You can check seasoning amount and how soft the veggies are every hour.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
- Lentil Soup
- Vegetable Tortellini Soup
- Vegetable Enchiladas
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Olive Garden Copycat Chicken Soup
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Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 Vidalia onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 14 oz cauliflower florets
- 12 oz green beans
- 8 oz peas fresh or frozen
- 1 medium summer squash
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 30 oz great northern white beans (2 cans, drained)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (can also use beef or chicken)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 1 tbsp dry parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Prep your vegetables first. Chop green beans into 1-inch long pieces. Cut cauliflower florets and summer squash into small chunks. Peel garlic, smash and mince it. Dice onion and carrots.
- Heat up vegetable broth so that it’s hot when you’re ready to add it to the soup.
- Preheat a large cooking pot over medium heat and add a couple of tablespoons of canola oil.
- Add onions and carrots and cook until starts to soften. Add garlic, stir, and cook until fragrant.
- Add cauliflower and green beans. Stir and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes (with the juice), summer squash, peas, and beans (drain juice from beans first). Add tomato paste and mix everything well.
- Pour in warmed vegetable broth. Add herbs and seasoning and mix well.
- Bring to boil and lower the heat to medium-low. Taste to make sure the seasoning is right. Cook soup, stirring once in a while, until vegetables are done. (If you like your veggies to be softer, cook until desired softness is reached.)
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
