Easy Vegetable Soup
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Published Nov 11, 2023, Updated Jan 10, 2025
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This easy vegetable soup recipe is loaded with fresh veggies and has amazing flavor. It’s hearty, comforting and tastes so much better than store-bought.
Do you feel like it’s harder to get vegetables in during the winter?
If you’re like me, you crave smoothies and salads in the summer, but as soon as the weather turns, you just want warm, comfort food. Sound familiar?
The good news is, you can have cozy, comfort food that also packs in a ton of vegetables and nutrients! This vegetable soup is a perfect example of that. And if you’re craving even more veggie-packed meals, my quinoa soup or carrot parsnip soup are also great options to keep you warm and nourished all winter long.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- Hearty and delicious – It’s loaded with eight different fresh vegetables and is packed with tons of flavor, which makes it nutritious and super satisfying!
- Vegetarian – It’s a plant-forward meal that the whole family will love, perfect for meatless Monday.
- Meal prep – One pot makes 6-8 servings of soup so you can meal prep the soup on Sunday and have a healthy lunch or dinner ready to go for the week!
Ingredients Needed
- vegetables – onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, potatoes, zucchini, green beans and frozen corn.
- canned diced tomatoes – adds more liquid and flavor to the soup. I like to use plain diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes for more flavor!
- vegetable broth – this is the base of the soup along with the juices from the diced tomatoes. I like to use low-sodium broth so I can add salt as needed.
- olive oil or avocado oil – to sauté the vegetables.
- lemon juice – a touch of acidity to balance out the flavors. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- seasonings and spices – Italian seasoning, bay leaves, sea salt and pepper.
- fresh thyme and parsley – optional, but I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes when serving!
Substitutions & Variations
Want to add more flavor to this soup or switch up the vegetables based on what you have on hand? Go for it! The options are truly endless with this soup, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Broth – Feel free to use a mix of water and vegetable broth if you prefer. If you don’t need this soup to be vegan you can also use chicken broth or bone broth.
- Vegetables – Don’t love one of the veggies I’ve included or have another veggie in your fridge that needs to be used up? Toss that in! The addition of peas, cauliflower or bell pepper would be tasty.
- Potatoes – I used red skinned potatoes, but any potatoes will do! You can even swap in sweet potatoes or butternut squash if you want.
- Greens – Give the soup a boost of nutrients by adding in a handful of chopped greens (like kale or spinach) with 5 minutes of cook time left.
- Protein – Add a 15-ounce can of chickpeas or white beans to the soup. Simply drain and rinse the beans and add them to the soup when you add the broth.
- Cheese – This soup is delicious served with freshly grated parmesan on top if you’re okay with dairy.
- Spice – I like to add a little curry powder, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to give the soup a little kick!
How to Make Vegetable Soup
Follow these steps to make a comforting vegetable soup that’s easy, nourishing, and full of flavor. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a cozy meal while using up your favorite veggies. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Heat a large pot over medium heat, add olive or avocado oil, then sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until tender and fragrant. Add Italian seasoning and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
Step 3: Add in the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, potatoes, zucchini, green beans and corn.
Step 4: Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Step 5: Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves and stir in the lemon juice.
Step 6: Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm with your favorite sides!
Brittany Tips
- Take your time with the base: Sautéing the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic until tender and fragrant is what builds the flavor foundation for this soup. Don’t rush it, let those veggies work their magic!
- Cut your veggies evenly: Aim for similar-sized pieces, especially for the potatoes and zucchini, so everything cooks evenly and you don’t end up with mushy bits or undercooked chunks.
How to Serve Vegetable Soup
Vegetable soup can totally be a meal on its own, but I love serving it with a salad and some crusty bread (like sourdough) or crackers. Here are some ideas:
- Serve with a slice of crusty bread like homemade sourdough, or try vegan cornbread or pumpkin cornbread muffins.
- Some salads that would go well with this soup: Fuji apple salad or this delicious pear salad.
- For the crackers, you can make my almond flour crackers or use your favorite store-bought cracker. I’ve been hooked on Simple Mills crackers because they have minimal, clean ingredients and taste delicious!
How to Store
In the fridge: For storage, let the soup cool before placing in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to one week.
In the freezer: One cool, place the soup in an airtight freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to one month. When you’re ready to enjoy, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: I recommend reheating on the stovetop rather than the microwave so you get an even heat without microwave splatters and hot/cold spots!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic using the sauté function, then add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon juice). Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing the rest. Stir in the lemon juice and enjoy!
For a thicker consistency, you can mash some of the potatoes directly in the pot or stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water).
Absolutely! In general, soup is amazing for meal prep because of how well it stores! I love making one big batch and eating leftovers throughout the week. It tastes even better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two!
More Veggie Soup Recipes to Try
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Garlic Lentil Soup
- Cabbage Lentil Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
Be sure to check out my full collection of soup recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped into ½-inch chunks
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ½-1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 small red potatoes or Yukon Gold, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 12 oz fresh green beans, chopped
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Fresh thyme and/or chopped parsley, for topping
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop. Add oil. Once warm, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Add Italian seasoning and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add in tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, potatoes, zucchini, green beans and corn.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.
- Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed
- Serve warm with fresh thyme and parsley for topping. Serve with crusty bread and crackers.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Let the soup cool before storing it in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop for the best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Easy and so good. I added cannellini beans for some protein. Froze half of the batch for this week and it still tastes just as good. Will make again!
Good idea with the addition of beans! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Can I use the Instantpot?
Hi Angie – I haven’t tested this in the instant pot so I am not sure how it would turn out or the settings you would need to use. Let me know if you give this recipe a try!
Just made the soup for dinner tonight. I added some chickpeas. Everyone loved it. Thank you again for another amazing recipe.
YUM! Sounds delicious, I am excited to hear you are loving this soup and it turned out amazing for you, Helen. Thank you for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
I don’t know why the curry powder was relegated to the optional list; it’s the secret ingredient in this soup. If anything, the lemon is optional. It’s a great soup recipe.
Thank you so much, Laura. I am so glad you enjoyed this soup recipe, some do not enjoy the flavor of curry which is why it’s optional in this recipe, but I am happy to hear you are loving it. Thanks so much for your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
Agreed! The curry powder is what gives this soup punch! Love it and make it once a month.