My favorite Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe! So easy and a million times better than anything you’ll get from a can, this comforting vegetable soup is filled with delicious fresh vegetables simmered in a light and deeply flavorful tomato-based broth. Enjoy with crackers, toasted bread, or homemade croutons.
Homemade Vegetable Soup
This is the easiest and most delicious homemade vegetable soup recipe. But…BUT! The very best part? You can make this soup anything you want. Want some protein? Add beans…or meat. Want fewer chunks of vegetables? Blend it together.
What vegetables should I add to vegetable soup?
You can add any vegetables to0 your pot of homemade vegetable soup. However, whenever I am planning what I am going to add, I like to divide my vegetable types into three separate parts- the mirepoix, the inbetweeners, and the ones that go at the end (creativity isn’t my strong point).
- The mirepoix – Base made from finely diced vegetables that are cooked in butter or oil, low and slow, as to sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelize them. These vegetables are always added and cooked first. They are the first layer of flavor.
- Popular vegetables: onion, celery, carrots, leeks, bell peppers.
- The inbetweeners – All the vegetables that come after the mirepoix. Typically, they need at least 15-30 minutes to cook in a soup, but not as much time as carrots, or wouldn’t benefit for low and slow cooking like onions and leeks.
- Popular inbetweeners: tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, cucumber, eggplant, beets.
- The ones that go at the end – These are the vegetables that require the least amount of cooking time.
- Popular last additions: corn, peas, zucchini, cabbage, spinach, kale, fresh herbs.
Ingredients in Vegetable Soup
To make this homemade vegetable soup gather the following ingredients.
- Onion, carrots, celery – also known as your mirepoix, this flavor foundation is found in countless recipes including jambalaya, chicken noodle soup, Easy Chicken and Dumplings, and stews of all kinds. A simple base made from finely diced vegetables (the mix of vegetables will often vary by country and cuisine) that are cooked in butter or oil, low and slow as to sweeten the ingredients rather than caramelize them. In this particular vegetable soup, I started with onion, celery, and carrots. Other popular mirepoix vegetables include bell peppers.
- Garlic – flavor! Fresh is best.
- Tomatoes – I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes so I added canned tomatoes instead. Just as delicious and totally convenient, I recommend adding at least 2 cans (with their juice!).
- Herbs – I like to add simple dried herbs to my vegetable soup recipes. Here I added dried basil and Italian seasoning and, of course, salt and pepper.
- Broth – I added vegetable broth, but feel free to add water, chicken broth, or beef broth.
- Potatoes – I had a few red potatoes that were about to go bad so I tossed them in. I don’t typically add potatoes to brothy soup recipes, but my husband loves them, so this made his day.
- More vegetables – I also added green beans, cucumber, and cabbage. But don’t let my vegetable selections stop you from adding your favorite vegetables.
Can you use frozen vegetables?
Absolutely.
Vegetables such as corn, peas, and green beans are all great frozen and added to this soup.
How to make vegetable soup
To make this vegetable soup follow the following step-by-step instructions,
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Cook the mirepoix. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot (I used my 8-quart stockpot with plenty of room) warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
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Add the tomatoes and herbs. Stir in the diced tomatoes (with their juices), salt, pepper, dried basil, and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine. Increase heat to high and add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
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Add the potatoes, green beans, and cucumber. Add the chopped potatoes, green beans, and chopped cucumber to the pot. Cover and reduce heat low. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
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Add the cabbage. Add the cabbage, carefully stirring to combine. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
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Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, green onions, red chili flakes, or shredded cheese (if desired).
Can I Make This Soup in a Crockpot?
Yes! absolutely.
To make this soup in the Crockpot simply,
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large saucepot warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Transfer mirepoix to crockpot. Transfer the cooked mirepoix to a large slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 5-6 hours on low heat.
Is vegetable soup healthy?
Yes! This vegetable soup recipe is incredibly healthy and the easiest way to pack more vegetables into your diet. Naturally low in fat and calories, you can easily enjoy a big bowl of this soup for a light and comforting dinner, or add a small bowl as a side to your main course.
Can you freeze vegetable soup?
Yes! Vegetable soup is fantastic leftover or frozen and reheated.
- For best results, allow the soup to cool in the refrigerator completely before transferring to freezer-friendly containers.
- Double-bag in freezer-friendly zip-lock bags. Remove most of the air, leaving just a small amount of space to allow the liquid to expand as it freezes.
- To reheat, allow the soup to thaw in the fridge overnight, then transfer to a pot and cook until heated through.
For more soup recipes check out,
- Easy Acorn Squash Soup Recipe
- The BEST Butternut Squash Soup Recipe
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Homemade Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
- Pho Recipe; How to Make Vietnamese Noodle Soup
- Ginger Garlic Noodle Soup with Bok Choy
- Sausage and Vegetable Soup with Easy Basil Pesto
If you try cooking this Vegetable Soup Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions - finely chopped
- 6 stalks celery - chopped
- 6 carrots - peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 10 cups vegetable broth - plus more as needed
- 3 red potatoes - scrubbed and chopped
- 2 cups green beans - trimmed and chopped
- 1 English cucumber - sliced and quartered
- 1 medium green cabbage - roughly chopped
- fresh chopped parsley - to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the mirepoix. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot (I used my 8-quart Dutch oven with plenty of room) warm 1-2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook the vegetables (aka mirepoix) low and slow for an additional 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute or so.
- Add the tomatoes and herbs. Stir in the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, dried basil, and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine. Increase heat to high and add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
- Add the potatoes, green beans, and cucumber. Add the chopped potatoes, green beans, and chopped cucumber to the pot. Cover and reduce heat low. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
- Add the cabbage. Add the cabbage, carefully stirring to combine. Recover and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, green onions, red chili flakes, or shredded cheese (if desired).
Jessica's Notes
- Other vegetables that would be delicious in this soup- turnips, sugar snap peas, artichokes, zucchini, bell peppers, etc.
- Originally published January 9, 2017.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
I just made this soup and thought it was really good. I didn’t add cabbage because I didn’t have that but used chard and kale instead. I added it about 5 minutes before the soup was done. About 2 cups packed. I also added yellow squash, zucchini, orange bell pepper and 3 cans of white beans. Very tasty 🙂
Thanks for the really good feedback and rating, Wendy 😀
I would buy it but the sodium level is way to high
Jessica
I was wondering if I could can this vegetable soup .
Hi Mary,
I do not see why not. Just make sure you follow best safety practices for canning 🙂
How many carbs in this soup if you don’t mind me asking looks delicious
Hi Mildred,
Per the recipe card at the bottom of the post, Carbohydrates: 31g per serving 🙂
Absolutely the first recipe I’ve EVER left a comment on – but I had to! This. This is the perfect brothy soup to make your own – use any veggies you have to clean the frig out. I use Italian chicken sausage in it too. People are always raving when I make this soup for them! Thank you for the perfect COVID soup!
Thanks, Suzi, I am honored to be your first 😀
Have wanted to be able to make this type soup for years, with crunchy veggies. Finally, the secret of three divisions of veggies! And the taste is perfect. Thank you so much, Jessica.