This easy homemade vegetable soup is healthy, quick to make, and absolutely delicious! It's also vegan, and easily customizable with spices from your spice rack.
This soup is excellent both in the winter and in the summer. Eat it steamy hot in the winter or chilled from the fridge in the summer with a dollop of sour cream.
And it's highly customizable, just like this clean the fridge vegetable soup.
Why We Love It
You can literally use any vegetables you need to use up before they go bad, and if your fresh veggie selection is not enough, you can complement them with frozen vegetables, rice or lentils, and even canned veggies.
It's healthy, easy to make, and you can add seasonal vegetables to take advantage of fresh produce from the store or your own garden.
It uses only common ingredients you probably already have in your home.
Leftover soup will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Here's what to eat with vegetable soup.
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Ingredients
Get your ingredients ready and you'll enjoy this nice soup in less than an hour. YUM!
- onion
- bell pepper (green, orange, red, yellow, whichever one you have )
- carrots
- garlic
- sweet potatoes
- cabbage
- zucchini
- potatoes
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Vegetable Soup
Cooking vegetable soup is all done in one pot. Start by sautéing the garlic in oil for about a minute, stirring continually: be very careful, as the garlic burns quickly. This brings out the garlic flavor.
Add the chopped onions, peppers, celery, and salt, lower the stove to medium, and cover the pot. Stir every couple of minutes until the onions turn translucent (5 to 7 minutes.
Add 6 cups of water, turn the heat to high, and wait for it to start boiling.
In the meantime, cube your potatoes, sweet potatoes, and zucchini, chop the cabbage, and add them to the soup pot as soon as it starts boiling.
Add a couple of bay leaves, and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes.
Taste and adjust for salt, add dill and the juice of a lemon if you like your soup a bit sour. Delicious!
My Favorite Variations
There are so many ways to customize this soup! Here are a few favorites:
- Add some protein: if you want to keep it vegan, add some cooked or canned garbanzo beans (other beans work, too) or tofu. You can also add an egg omelet cut up in big chunks or some cooked meat.
- Do you like your soup creamy? Blend a can of garbanzo or white beans and add that cream to the soup 5 minutes before the soup has finished cooking. Or, use about a cup of the soup to do the same: blend then put it back. If you like creamy soups, look at this list of pureed soups.
- Add pasta or rice 10 minutes before the soup is done for a different variation.
- Add some leafy greens and a few extra vitamins for a pop of color. Spinach, lettuce, and Swiss chard all work for this. Add them 5 minutes before the soup is done.
Storage
This homemade vegetable soup stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days but freezes well for up to 3 months.
So, make a double portion for when you're short on time.
Must Try Tip
A dollop of sour cream takes this easy soup to another level of deliciousness! Give it a try and see for yourself.
Soup FAQ
You can experiment with whatever veggies you have on hand, or want to try. Some of the ones I used and loved are green beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, and kale.
Yes! Vegetable soup is very good straight from the fridge (preferably in the summer, when the weather is hot). Add a squirt of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and some fresh herbs for a refreshing meal.
I never use broth for my soups: they get the flavor from the veggies, herbs, and spices I add. It saves me money and space in the pantry!
Other Delicious Soups To Try
Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- ½ red bell pepper (any color works)
- 3 carrots sliced
- 1 sweet potato diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- ⅛ green cabbage slivered or chopped, however you prefer
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried dill (if using fresh, use a tablespoon, chopped)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Sautee the garlic in oil for about a minute, stirring continually.
- Add chopped onions, peppers, celery, and salt, lower the stove to medium and cover the pot. Stir every couple of minutes, until the onions turn translucent (5 to 7 minutes)
- Add 6 cups of water, turn the heat to high, and wait for it to start boiling.
- In the meantime, cube your potatoes, chop the cabbage, and dice the sweet potatoes, and zucchini. Add them to the post of boiling soup.
- Add a couple of bay leaves, and let everything simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Taste and adjust for salt, add dill (or any other herbs you like) and the juice of a lemon is you like your soup a bit sour. Enjoy!
Nutrition (may vary depending on ingredients and amounts used)
Notes
