Easy healthy vegetable soup (2024)

Everyone should know how to make vegetable soup and this easy recipe is perfect for when you need healthy vegetarian comfort food in a flash.

This easy vegetable soup recipe is one I’ve been making for years because it’s such a fail-safe and delicious way to get all the vegetables I possibly can into my family.

The great thing about homemade vegetable soup is that you can customize it to suit your taste but also to use up any and every vegetable you have in the kitchen. I usually treat it as a clean-out session for my fridge. And honestly, anything goes. The vegetables I’ve added here work incredibly well but so do sweet potato, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, peas, spinach, aubergine, turnips or parsnips.

I always start with the classic mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery and add leeks for their gentle flavor. I also kind of feel like mushrooms are a non-negotiable for their intense umami-richness they add but feel free to leave them out.

Ingredients Needed

• Vegetables: Start with a base of onion, carrot and celery then add any vegetables you like or ones you need to use up. I like using:
  – Butternut squash / Pumpkin / Sweet potato.
  – Leeks.
  – Bell pepper.
  – Broccoli / Cauliflower / Brussels Sprouts.
  – Zucchini.
  – Green beans.
  – Kale / Spinach.
  – Peas.
  – Mushrooms.
  – Tomatoes.
• Aromatics: Garlic is a must and you can use any herbs or spices you prefer. For this version I used bay leaves, rosemary and parsley but thyme, sage, oregano and basil will also complement the finished soup.
• Stock. I used vegetable stock but any stock you have will work.
• Parmesan / Vegetarian Parmesan alternative. (Optional)

How to make vegetable soup?

1. Prepare the vegetables: Dice all the vegetables into 1cm pieces (you can dice them finer if you prefer a less-chunky soup), this ensures they all cook evenly.
2. Make the soup: Sauté the onion, carrot, leeks and celery until soft, fragrant and starting to turn golden brown. The more the vegetables caramelize at this stage, the more intensely flavored the soup will be. Add the remaining hard vegetables and cook until they too start to caramelize (approximately 10 minutes) Finally, add the green vegetables (anything leafy like spinach or kale and broccoli, peas and green beans), tomatoes and stock. Allow to cook with the herbs until all the vegetables are cooked. I season the soup with a pinch of salt and pepper at every stage to ensure good flavor development.
3. Season and serve:Once the vegetables are cooked, adjust seasoning as necessary then ladle into bowls, add a generous grating of Parmesan cheese and serve.

Can you freeze vegetable soup?

Absolutely! Vegetable soup freezes brilliantly. Allow the cooked soup to cool to room temperature then transfer to freezer bags or suitable containers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating over medium heat. The cooked soup will last for approximately 4-5 days if kept covered in the fridge.

Soup recipes

1. Spiced potato carrot soup
2. Easy tomato soup with grilled cheese
3. Honey roasted butternut squash soup