Easy Vegetable Soup with No Rules
There are so many reasons to love making vegetable soup! It is by far one of the easiest recipes to make. It uses one pot, ladle, and cutting board, so cleanup is a breeze and it is extremely conducive to working in a small kitchen. Any dietary restrictions can be accommodated, as it is dairy, gluten, and meat-free, but doesn’t have to be.
When entertaining others, you can have the soup simmering and the kitchen all clean-up complete before the guests arrive, freeing you up to mingle and enjoy the company. It freezes well, so I always make extra to have on hand for a quick lunch later.
In my household, this is called Christmas Soup, because I make it for Christmas dinner every year. In a season of overindulgence and tightly packed schedules, it is nice to have a day dedicated to family and relaxation. At the end of the day, there is no big kitchen mess to clean up, and no undoing the top button on your pants.
Time Savers
When shopping during the time of year when some vegetables are less available or less desirable, or when you are short on time, feel free to use frozen vegetables. I have used dried parsley flakes, frozen green beans, or bagged crinkle-cut carrots on many occasions.
Variations
I call it Everyone’s Favorite Vegetable Soup because there are almost no limits to the amount of customization that can be done to suit your own mood or taste. For a soup with more of a tomato base, use crushed tomatoes; using diced or stewed tomatoes will result in a broth base.
Swap your favorite vegetables for the squash, zucchini, carrots, or green beans. Some ideas are corn, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, kale, or spinach.
Feel free to experiment with different flavors to match the vegetables or season. A tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, Za’atar Seasoning, or Herbes de Provence are just a few suggestions. When feeling spicy, try adding some horseradish.
Add wild rice, mini shell pasta, garbanzo or red kidney beans for a more filling soup if serving as a meal. Add beans, quinoa, cooked and shredded chicken or turkey to increase protein.
This soup is delicious on its own, or garnish with croutons or fresh parmesan. Serve as a side to accompany the main meal, or with a hearty bread as the main dish.
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Favorite Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 32 oz vegetable stock
- 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 small to medium yellow squash
- 1 small to medium zucchini
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 2 cups green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over Medium High heat.
- Add onions and celery and cook 3minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for one minute more.
- Add all other ingredients, cover and lower heat to simmer.
- Cook for 90-120 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Shortcuts
- Use frozen green beans, crinkle cut carrots, or dry parsley flakes.
Variations
- Use diced or stewed tomatoes instead of crushed
- Swap your favorite vegetables for the squash, zucchini, carrots or green beans. Some ideas are corn, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, kale or spinach.
- Add 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning, Za’atar Seasoning or Herbes de Provence.
- Add wild rice, mini shell pasta, garbanzo or red kidney beans for a more filling soup when serving as a meal.
- Add beans, quinoa, cooked and shredded chicken or turkey to increase protein.
I have always heard that cooking vegetables negates the health benefits, but check out this article about cooked vegetables and enjoy your new Favorite Vegetable Soup!
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Use the comment box below to tell us how you customized the recipe to make it your favorite vegetable soup. For any other questions about this recipe or others, contact us here.
A fun way to spend the rest of the evening is with a cute wine tasting. We here at Recipe to Plate found an article called a Romantic Wine Tasting for 2 at Ideal Topics. The article can be found here.
Yum! This looks delicious!
It tastes great. Perfect homestyle dish for the family. Thanks for the comment.
I will definitely be trying this. I am always looking for good things to add more veggies into my diet! Perfect for the winter season.
This sounds tasty! I looooooove soup so much haha.
Loved the vegetable soup!! I made it with my daughter and we are definitely making it again!
So glad you enjoyed it!