This vegetable soup recipe is comfort food at its finest—an amalgamation of all things warm and hearty, unfolding beautifully into one another on the hot stove. Plus, it's also quite healthy, so you can indulge in the magic while keeping your body nourished at the same time. Made with just one pot and quick, brief steps, you'll have it on the table in a flash.
Is Vegetable Soup Healthy?
Yes, our vegetable soup recipe is healthy.
Vegetables comprise the majority of this soup. This food group, as we all know, is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients our bodies need to function. Our recipe features potato, celery, tomato, carrot, green peas, and corn, all of which are nutrient-dense ingredients that come with various health benefits.
Due to the abundance of vegetables, each serving of our vegetable soup is packed with the USDA-recommended nutrients: up to 63% of your daily vitamin A and 17% of your vitamin C. We also made sure to keep the saturated fat and sodium at acceptable amounts so as to give the dish flavors while still adhering to health standards.
If you’ve been looking for an easy and tasty way to incorporate more fresh vegetables into your diet, this is it!
Main Ingredients
The ingredients for our vegetable soup recipe are quite simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Vegetables
This recipe calls for potatoes, celery, carrots, green peas, corn, and tomatoes. This assortment of veggies gives it a subtly sweet, hearty taste and aromatic touch that’s quite comforting.
For the larger vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes, make sure they’re relatively the same size so they can cook evenly.
- Spices and Herbs
These play a huge role in giving the soup that comforting and warming feeling. We used Cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf.
- Broth
We use unsalted chicken broth for this recipe. If you want to make a vegan version of this soup, use vegetable broth instead.
We wouldn’t recommend beef or veal broth for this recipe as they are too rich and may overpower the natural sweetness of the vegetables.
What Vegetables Can You Add to Vegetable Soup?
Any veggie your heart desires! Feel free to get creative and play around with different ingredients every time you make this soup. Here are some of our suggestions:
- Pumpkins: This squash veggie brings a nice fall touch to your soup with its warming, vibrant sweetness. Plus it becomes so tender and creamy when cooked, so each bite is just an absolute treat for the taste buds.
- Parsnips: This root veggie comes with licorice-like spice and a hint of sweetness. If you do add parsnip, however, make sure to take it easy as not to overpower the dish’s overall flavors.
- Legumes: With their starchy bites and nutty taste, legumes make your soup a lot more filling and satisfying. While green beans are most common in vegetable soups, you can go with any variety you prefer. We used chickpeas for Mediterranean Chickpea Soup and Ukrainian Beet Soup which turned out incredibly winsome. And with this Chicken Tortilla Soup, black beans make a stellar addition.
- Sweet potatoes: This veggie brings a mild sweetness and nutty, earthy undertone that’s strangely soothing.
How to Thicken Vegetable Soup
- Blend some of the vegetables
With soups that contain starchy vegetables like potatoes or pumpkin, you can blend a third of the ingredients with the broth, and then stir the rest in later.
You can also use a potato masher to mash potatoes directly into the pot to achieve that thick, creamy consistency.
- Use all-purpose flour or cornstarch
In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon of all-purpose flour or cornstarch with two to three tablespoons of soup to create a smooth mixture. Pour this into the soup and bring to a simmer. Allow the starch granules to burst and thicken, then cook for a few minutes to eliminate any flour flavor.
What to Serve with This Soup
Our preferred side for this vegetable soup is garlic bread. Its toasted, garlicky flavor pairs perfectly with the vegetables, herbs, and spices’ hearty comfort. On cold winter evenings, there’s nothing more heart-warming than dunking these bread slices in a steamy bowl of soup.
You can also serve this soup as the starter for a high-protein main dish. Our top recommendations are grilled or baked chicken breasts, pork chops, or striploin steaks. They don't require much preparation and can be seasoned lightly with salt and pepper but can turn out beyond delicious and satisfying.
Storing and Reheating the Leftover Soup
- Storing
Before transferring your leftover to an airtight container, let it cool for an hour. The soup should remain edible in the refrigerator for up to three days.
This soup can also be frozen and stored for approximately one month. When freezing your soup, remember not to fill the entire container. Leave about an inch between the soup and the lid. If you wish to defrost it, place the container in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating
Reheat the soup in the microwave for about two minutes. You may need to transfer it to a container that is microwave-safe.
You can also give the soup a quick stir on the stovetop. Bring it to a boil for at least three minutes to kill off any harmful bacteria growth, then lower the heat and let it simmer for another three minutes or until the texture is as desired.
How to make Vegetable Soup
This vegetable soup recipe is a cozy hug for your taste buds on those cold days. With simple ingredients and only four steps, it’s a comfort dish that you can put together with very little effort.
- cook TIME 30 mins
- prep TIME 10 mins
- total TIME 40 mins
- COURSE Side dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 94 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 6 oz potato (sliced into large chunks)
- 2 oz carrot (sliced into large cubes)
- 2 oz celery (sliced)
- 4 oz tomato (sliced into large chunks)
- 1 oz corn
- 1 oz green peas
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Briefly cook the tomatoes: Heat up a medium pot over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp garlic. Stir constantly for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add 4 oz tomato and stir for 1 minute to cook off the liquid.
Add more vegetables: Add 6 oz potato, 2 oz celery, 2 oz carrot, 1 oz corn, and 1 oz green peas to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Stir well to distribute the seasonings evenly.
Simmer the soup: Add 2 cup unsalted chicken broth and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. When bubbling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. When the time’s up, take the pot off the heat.
Garnish and serve: Transfer the soup to serving bowls and garnish with 2 tbsp parsley.
NUTRITION
Luna Regina
Writer, Author