This easy vegetable soup recipe is a healthy, warming meal for cold days. They’re delicious and flexible – make them with whatever vegetables you have on hand!
This vegetable soup recipe is nutritious, warming and delicious. It’s a comfort meal perfect for cold nights, days when you want to reset your health, or anytime you’re feeling under the weather.
I first started making them years ago, when I was recovering from a cold and had a lot of random veggies in the fridge. Using ingredients I had in my pantry — vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, dried herbs, and vinegar — I turned this mixture of vegetables into a wonderful soup!
Since then, I’ve made this recipe over and over again, each time with a different combination of vegetables. I add firmer vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes near the beginning of the cooking process and tender green vegetables near the end. With this simple formula, easy vegetable soup is always delicious.
How to make vegetable soup
This recipe comes together in 4 simple steps:
- Fry the onions To create a delicious soup base.
- Simmer vegetables and harsh spices. Add tough vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots to the pot with the onions, along with the broth, canned tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the tender vegetables and continue boiling. After 20 minutes, add tender vegetables such as zucchini and green beans and cook until tender, another 10 minutes. I add chickpeas for protein at this stage as well.
- Stir in leafy greens and vinegar. Finish the soup with white wine vinegar for bright flavor and a big handful of cabbage. Simply cook until wilted, season to taste, then serve!
Even if you use slightly different vegetables than the recipe calls for, this simple 4-step method will work!
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
Vegetable soup recipe variations
I call for specific vegetables in the recipe below, but I’m serious when I tell you they’re flexible! Please use whatever you have on hand. Here are some easy ways to change it:
- Use whole carrots or sweet potatoes instead of both, or add butternut squash instead.
- Add a few slices of cremini mushrooms when adding the carrots.
- Replace sweet peppers with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, or green beans.
- Use another leafy green, such as spinach or chard, instead of kale.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil, a scoop of pesto, or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese!
The vegetables aren’t the only flexible part of this recipe! Feel free to change other ingredients as well. Here are some ideas:
- Add 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning instead of oregano.
- Replace the vinegar with fresh lemon juice.
- Skip the chickpeas, or replace them with cooked white beans or lentils.
Let me know what variations you try!
How to store vegetable soup
I like to make a big pot of this vegetable soup and eat it the next day and the next. Keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days – flavor improves when refrigerated!
Can you freeze vegetable soup?
Yes! This vegetable soup recipe freezes well. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to airtight containers or jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
advice: When freezing soup, leave 1 inch of empty space at the top of each container. The soup will expand when it freezes!
More easy soup recipes
If you like easy vegetable soup, try one of the following vegetable soup recipes:
Vegetable soup
serves 6
This vegetable soup recipe is a healthy, homemade meal that’s great for cold days. It’s flexible and easy to make using simple pantry ingredients and any vegetables you have on hand.
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, salt and several grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until tender. Add the carrots and sweet potatoes, stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
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Add canned tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir in broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer and cook under the lid for 20 minutes.
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Add cherry tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, and chickpeas. Cover and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until green beans are tender.
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Add the vinegar and cabbage and cook for 5 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.