RECIPE: Vegetable Soup
When it’s cold outside it’s hard to find a meal more satisfying than classic Vegetable Soup. There are countless ways to make this hearty and nutritious stew of plants, but in this post I’ll share my basic recipe for easy, affordable, and delicious homemade vegetable soup that beats a can of Campbell’s every time.
We’re about halfway through Winter now and one-pot meals like this Vegetable Soup are my go-tos for the season. This soup can be made on the stovetop in as little as 40 minutes, or slow cook it to perfection in the crock-pot while you work and come home to the pleasant and enticing aroma of a warm pot of veggies.
What I love about this recipe for Vegetable Soup is:
- It’s made from 100% whole plants ingredients.
- This soup is good for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone on a plant-based diet.
- This recipe is made from affordable ingredients so the cost per serving will save you money.
- Nutrient-rich: All the good stuff in these whole plants makes sure you are getting the essential macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to protect your health.
- Heart-Healthy: This is a heart-healthy recipe and is good for anyone using nutrition to prevent or reverse heart disease or other common chronic ailments like diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.
To make delicious vegetable soup almost any type of fresh veggies or beans can work well, but here I use a classic mix featuring tomatoes, carrots, corn, onion, celery, and zucchini.
I like to slice my carrots into thin rounds because I think the shape is beautiful in this soup. You can feel free to chop in smaller or chunkier pieces if you prefer.
I cut fresh corn straight off the corn cob here, but feel free to use frozen corn if fresh corn isn’t available.
Potatoes are absolutely critical to a good vegetable soup in my opinion. I prefer to dice them into bite sized pieces and I always leave the skin on. Unless the potato skin has turned green from light exposure, there’s really no reason to peel them. Leaving the skin on means you get extra fiber and nutrients in your soup.
Use any kind of fresh tomatoes you have available. Cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, and heirloom tomatoes are all great choices. If it’s not tomato season where you live, using diced tomatoes from a can will work just fine too.
I like to slice my zucchini into thin rounds and then cut the rounds into triangle-shaped quarters. You can cut them into smaller pieces or larger chunks, whatever shape you prefer.
You can use a slow-cooker for this soup or cook it quicker on the stovetop like I did here. Bring the contents to a simmer/low boil and keep the lid on to steam the veggies to perfection. Make sure to stir frequently and add water if needed to keep a good broth in the pot and avoid any sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Your warm nourishing bowl of vegetable soup is perfect paired with a side salad or a slice of fresh baked bread. This soup is great for feeding a family, or if you are just feeding yourself one pot could make you dinner for a whole week. Store leftovers in the fridge to warm up later. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
bowls
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- 1 jar marinara sauce (low or no-sodium preferred) or 2 cans (15 oz.) tomato sauce.
- 5 whole potatoes, medium/large
- 4 whole carrots
- 2 whole zucchini
- 2 whole corn
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 whole onion
- 1 cup green peas
- 4 cloves garlic or 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, or use 1 tbsp. Italian herb seasoning
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 cups water
Ingredients
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DELICIOUS WITH: Basic Baked Bread, Green Soda Bread, Cornmeal Almond Milk Biscuits, side salad. Try topped with diced avocado. Add a can of beans or chopped bell pepper if desired.