Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe
Vegetable soup....it's easy and nutritious and as the soup simmers away, the vegetables impart all their healthy nutrients including minerals, vitamins and antioxidants into the broth. The beauty of a soup like this is you can add any vegetables you want. I usually go by what I have on hand in the fridge. When prepping other recipes, if I have any extra vegetables left over I put in a freezer bag and keep it in the freezer till I have enough material to make a soup.
What vegetables can you use?
All veggies work. I start the soup by sautéing carrots, onions, and celery in olive oil and butter in my soup pot, I then add whatever broth I'm going to use and add the vegetables in a progression determined by their cooking time. Example, dry beans should be precooked and added in the beginning but if you add potatoes at the beginning, they'll dissolve by the time you get the carrots to cook tender. Cooking time will also be determined by the size you cut the vegetables. The smaller the pieces the quicker they cook. During the last 15 minutes you can add pasta or rice if you like.
What seasonings should you use?
Again its a matter of personal preference but I like to make a bouquet garni by bundling fresh thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and basil leaves tied with a string and toss them in the pot. The bundle can easily be pulled out at the end of the cook time. A bay leaf or two depending on the size of the pot adds great soup flavor. Mincing up a clove or two of garlic and adding during the last two minutes of sautéing is another flavor enhancement. Tomato paste is a good addition also as it adds a rich depth of flavor.
Here is a list of seasonings that I often use when making vegetable soup:
- Basil
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Rosemary
- Italian seasoning mix
- Herbs de Provence
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Paprika
- Curry Powder
- Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper
Can I cook my vegetable soup in a crockpot?
Yes, it's a great way to do a vegetable soup. In the beginning, sauté the carrots, onions, celery and garlic in a sauté pan and add them to the slow cooker. Be sure to "deglaze" the pan with some broth so you get all those extra flavor bits from the sauté pan and add that to the crockpot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours and add the softer veggies like peas, potatoes and any pasta or rice during the last hour.
What kind of broth should I use?
If you have homemade stock that's the best but there are a variety of canned broths available at the grocery store. Of course if you want to go totally vegan, you should use canned vegetable broth. If sodium content is a health issue, go for low sodium broths.
Can I freeze the vegetable soup?
Yes, the soup lends itself to freezing. Make a double batch which gives soup for a meal and then leftover soup to freeze for a quick meal later on.
Mor Wildernesswife Soup Recipes -
Slow Cooker Curried Carrot Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup
Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Curry Soup Recipe
PrintGood Ol’ Vegetable Soup
Always nutritious and a great way to use up leftover vegetables!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: New England, American
Ingredients
- 1 tbs. butter
- 1 tbs. olive oil
- 1c. diced onion
- 2 tbs. minced garlic
- 2 14 oz. cans of chicken stock
- 2 c. water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp. dried marjoram
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
- 6 oz. pasta, noodles, or rice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, melt butter and add olive oil.
- Add onion and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Add chicken stock, water, bay leaf, marjoram, and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
- Add pasta or rice (your preference). Cook until pasta is done. (about 10 minutes)
Theresa @DearCreatives says
Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight Party! Tweeted & Pinned! Hope to see you again soon!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
There's nothing like a good soup to say comfort. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again next week. 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Lou Lou Girls says
This looks so good! I’m drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you being a part of our party. Please stop by on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says
This looks so, so good! My son loves vegetable soup and it is fun to try different varieties!
Christine says
Hi Sheryl,
Your vegetable soup, looks really delicious. I especially like that you used orzo. My family enjoys vegetable soup almost weekly, it's the only way I can get a couple of my children to eat their vegetables. Pinning for later.
Definitely going to make this soon! Thank you for sharing at #OMHGWW! Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Christine@ CherishingaSweetLife
Linda Blatchford says
Love that you get to use up what you have left over. Thanks for sharing.
Cathy says
Wow! This is mouthwatering amazing! I would love for you to share this at my party Making Memories Mondays that is going on now! Hope to see you there! 🙂
Cathy
Nancy@livininthegreen says
We LOVE soup...thanks for sharing your recipe!
Junior says
Louise, I love the color of your soup! The last couple of days have put me in Fall mood, and I am linokog forward to the bounty of the season.I always roast my pumpkin and squash for soup, but never tried roasting the onions. What a great idea, and a time-saver, too.I am spoiled from eating in season, fresh, natural apples in Serbia, and the big, perfect, glistening orbs do not appeal to me at all. Give something crispy, crunchy, juicy, a bit green, a bit red, and I am happy. Braeburn and Honeycrisp are my favorites.Great photos, as usual!
Heather @ InHerChucks says
The perfect way to utilize all of my CSA veggies 🙂 And the weather has just got cold enough to enjoy a bowl...or two!
Thanks for sharing and linking up.
Michelle says
Yum! Love soup at this time of year. Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you share this week! Have a wonderful week.
Michelle
Jody says
This looks like a perfect soup to make this fall. Thanks for sharing on Simple & Sweet Fridays,
Jody
Stacey says
Looks amazing! perfect for fall!
Thanks for linking up this week -
hope to see you this week!
Stacey of Embracing Change
Carlene@Organized Clutter says
Looks great. I make soup almost every week now. Will have to try it.
Vinicius says
just made your soup last night- it was lovely. thknas so much for the recipe, it was just the thing on a cold night. returning from a long business trip to a mostly empty refrigerator (save a lucky butternut squash) almost kept me out of the kitchen but this was easy and quick to pull together with few ingredients. i added a shallot and some cloves of garlic. the leftovers today were even better!
Nancy says
This looks delicious -- I haven't made veggie soup in awhile. I need to!
Marlys @Thisand That says
Found you on Freedom Fridays and would like to invite you to our linky party. Great Recipes and great giveaways
http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/2012/11/foodie-friends-friday-linky-party.html
Miz Helen says
Hi Sheryl,
These is really nothing better than a great bowl of Vegetable Soup, it is real comfort food for me. Hope you are having a great fall weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Joyce @ QN says
That's a good lookin' soup! I'm gonna have to 'pin' it if that's OK for later reference. Thanks for sharing this!
Pat says
Looks delicious!
Carol says
Oh love homemade soup ~ thanks for the recipe ~ (A Creative Harbor) ^_^
Lisa @ Two Bears Farm says
You can't go wrong with veggie soup!
Bonnie Morgan says
Plan to try your recipe. Sounds good.
Carrie @ My Favorite Finds says
So true! We love vegetable soup in our house. THanks for sharing at Must Try Monday!
Tammy/Our Neck of the Woods says
Yum! This recipe sounds delicious. Will have to make it soon as it is getting cold here in MO.
Visiting from the country homemaker hop 🙂
April says
This looks delicious. I didn't realize how much I needed to add to my homemade chicken stock to make it soup. Thank you!
Sheryl T says
YUM! Homemade chicken stock is so delicious. Not everybody makes their own so I wrote the recipe so they can use canned but homemade stock takes any soup to a whole new level!
CJ @ Morsels of Life says
Sounds perfect for this soup weather! Thanks for linking up with us at Must Try Monday. 🙂
Lisa Isabella Russo says
Your soup looks delicious! I think it's very smart of you to have a back up power source. I am worried about some of my friends who are out that way. I'm glad that you're prepared!
Sheryl T says
Living where we do, you have to be like a boyscout and be prepared! In big winter snowstorms, our 1/4 mile driveway drifts in with so much snow so that we cannot plow it with our 4 wheel drive pickup truck. We have to hire a contractor to come in with heavy equipment to dig it out! Because his first priority is to get the logging company roads cleared, we have to wait sometimes 3-4 days before being able to get out to the "real world". The power can go out for a day or two also. So living here makes you very self reliant!