This Vegetable Soup, with fresh seasonal veggies and a flavorful broth, is a hearty and healthy soup recipe that takes 35 minutes to make and is perfect for warming you up on cold winter days!
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I love this easy vegetable soup recipe because it uses seasonal vegetables in such a delicious way!
Vegetable soup is such a healthy veggie-packed meal. It includes onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, corn, AND spinach. Complimented by chicken stock and flavorful Italian herbs, this hearty soup is such a comforting meal.
Soup is one of my favorite things to make. It’s an easy one-pot hearty lunch or healthy dinner choice that you can customize depending on what you have to hand. It’s a great recipe that the whole family will love, especially when served with crusty bread on the side.
Some of my other favorite filling soups that are perfect for the winter are this hearty Cheeseburger Soup, this comforting Sausage and Potato Soup with Kale, and my flavorful Potato Corn Chowder.
This Easy Vegetarian Chili and this kid-friendly Alphabet Soup is another way to load up on those veggies.
Don’t forget Mom’s Homemade Buns for dunking!
Ingredients Needed:
- Oil: use canola oil or another neutral flavored oil. You can use olive oil or butter if you prefer, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Onion: onions have a great savory flavor, and they’re a bit sweet too once they have been sautéed as they caramelize slightly.
- Carrots: fresh whole carrots that have been peeled and chopped are ideal, you can use frozen carrots or pre-cut ones too.
- Celery: fresh celery will add to the savory flavor and also add texture to the soup.
- Potatoes: you’ll need about 3 or 4 medium potatoes. Leave the skin on them for extra nutrients, or peel them if you prefer.
- Green Beans: use fresh or frozen green beans, they add freshness and a great color to the soup.
- Corn: canned, fresh, or frozen corn will work well to add some sweetness, but frozen corn will need thawed a bit, or added in earlier.
- Spinach: canned spinach and fresh spinach will work well for this soup .
- Diced Tomatoes: fire-roasted diced tomatoes are great for adding a smoky depth of flavor that normal diced tomatoes don’t have, but you can use another flavor if you prefer.
- Tomato Paste: thickens the soup slightly and adds extra tomato flavor.
- Garlic: fresh garlic that has been minced is best. You can use garlic paste or garlic powder in a pinch but the amounts will vary.
- Italian Seasoning: a classic mixture of oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage goes well with almost any fresh vegetables.
- Bay Leaf: you should only need one for this big batch of soup, a little goes a long way with bay leaves, giving your soup a great depth of flavor.
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth: low sodium broth is best so that you can control the salt levels in the soup easier. You can use whatever kind you have to hand, but I like to use a low-sodium chicken broth. Homemade or store-bought is good, you can use chicken stock or vegetable stock in a pinch.
- Salt & Black Pepper: Salt will elevate all the flavors, and black pepper gives some extra flavor too.
How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup:
This homemade soup is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Sauté Sauté onion, carrots and celery then add the tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and a bay leaf. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add seasonings and toast for a minute or two just to bring the flavor out.
- Add broth: Add chicken broth and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to get the browned bits mixed in well. These brown bits are the sautéed vegetables that have caramelized on the bottom of the pot and they’re so flavorful. Add in the potatoes and tomatoes as well.
- Add other vegetables: When the vegetables are cooked, stir in the green beans, corn and spinach. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Vegetable Soup FAQs
Several things can make your soup taste better and give it an added depth of flavor, while complementing the other ingredients too. You may just need some additional salt or black pepper, so make sure you taste-test your soup well. Adding stock or broth is a great way to make your soup taste better. Using a bay leaf will give it extra flavor as well. Tomato paste will slightly thicken the soup and make the flavors meld together too. You could also try adding a dash of lemon juice for an added freshness that will balance sweet flavors well.
I like to use vegetables that are in season when I’m cooking soup, and root vegetables are always a good place to start. The classic veggie trio of onions, carrots, and celery are good staples that add a great savory flavor, and potatoes can easily make your soup more filling.
Store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
This vegetable soup freezes so well! Store it in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for up to 1 month.
Tips and Notes
- The soup will thicken as it cools. Add in some extra broth if you need to before serving, or after reheating it from being in the fridge.
- Use fresh vegetables. Pre-chopped ones tend to get dry, so using fresh vegetables that you’ve chopped yourself will give you the best set of flavors.
Vegetable Soup Variations
- Mix up the veggies. Use seasonal vegetables or your favorite vegetables. This is a great leftovers recipe, giving your leftover vegetables new life. Sweet potatoes and bell peppers will add sweetness to your soup, whereas leeks and celery can be a bit tangy. Use a medley of vegetables for maximum flavor.
- Add some heat. Add some red pepper flakes, chili powder to your soup when serving for a bit of heat.
- Fresh herbs. Try mixing up the seasoning a bit with some fresh herbs instead of dried ones.
- Cheese. Serve topped with some parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
Serving Suggestions
While this vegetable soup is hearty and filling, it will also go well with some sides to make it a fuller meal. Breads are always great with soups so why not try my Garlic Bread, Garlic & Herb Dinner Rolls or these Homemade Breadsticks.
This vegetable soup is also a great side to chicken dishes, like these Juicy Baked Chicken Thighs or this delicious Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Parmesan.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Vegetable Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 lb potatoes chopped (about 3-4 medium) peeled if desired
- 1 ½ cups fired roasted diced tomatoes (or other flavor — 398ml/13oz)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans cut in thirds
- ½ cup canned or frozen corn
- 1 cup finely chopped spinach
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth to the pot, and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits.
- Add the potatoes and tomatoes and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Cover, reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook until potatoes are tender about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the green beans, corn and spinach. Adjust seasonings to taste (the amount of salt needed will depend on the type of broth and vegetables used. Add 1 teaspoon sugar to balance tomato paste if needed) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Becky N. says
The soup is easy, tasty, and healthy! I made it for some family members who loved it! I appreciate the directions for the instant pot because I’m still a little insecure using mine.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad you enjoyed it, Becky!
Jenni says
Looks yummy! If using fresh green beans, would you put them in the same time you do the potatoes?
Beth Scherlacher says
Easy to make and my husband will love it!!! Thank you 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beth! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!