The Best Vegetable Soup

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This easy and delicious homemade Vegetable Soup is full of flavor, has tons of veggies, and can be customized using all your favorite vegetables.

147 CAL 28g CARBS 2g FAT 9g PROTEIN 0
3 Comments

Vegetable Soup is one of those recipes that has been around forever. Packed with veggies, this soup is healthy, delicious, and the perfect thing to have around when hunger strikes. It's a favorite low calorie soup along with this Healthy Taco Soup and Cabbage Soup.

One of my favorite strategies to eat more veggies is to have some vegetable soup in the freezer. It saves me when hunger strikes or when I need a quick meal. This homemade vegetable soup is one of my all-time favorites to have in the freezer and it is the best side dish or in between meal snacks. It's filling, super healthy, and it's something you can enjoy anytime.

There are so many ways you can make this easy veggie soup. My personal version uses a combination of tomatoes and chicken broth to add tons of flavor. I use Italian seasoning to kick up the flavor and then add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, cabbage, green beans, peas, and corn. I also regularly throw in zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and some chickpeas or lentils when I want it to be more filling.

Easy Vegetable soup in two bowls with crackers and cilantro on the side.

Recipe Ideas for Vegetable Soup

  • Make it spicy: While sauteing the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery add some red pepper flakes. You could also add some diced jalapenos.
  • Try new veggies: This soup can be made with any vegetables you like or have on hand. Just pay attention to cooking time. Quick cooking veggies should be added later so they don't get too soft.
  • Add protein: To make this soup more filling, consider adding some protein. Consider using chickpeas, lentils, or cannellini beans to keep it vegetarian. You could also add chicken breast, ground turkey, or shrimp. You could even add both! Just note you may need some extra broth.
  • More tomato flavor: For more tomato flavor, you have a couple of options. First, you can add extra tomato paste. That adds a rich tomato flavor. Another option is adding blended canned tomatoes. Lastly, you could use a tomato or tomato and chicken flavored bouillon cube.
  • Spices: To keep things simple, I opted to just use some Italian seasoning in this soup. If you prefer more kick, you can swap in any of your favorite spices or spice blends. Fresh herbs are also great.
  • Make it with tomato juice or v8: Some people like to swap in tomato juice or v8 for the chicken broth. You can use half and half or go with all juice.
  • Ranch or taco seasoning: Another way to pack in extra flavor is with store-bought ranch or taco seasoning. This is a popular trick for adding lots of extra flavor. Onion soup mix and vegetable soup mix works as well.

How to Freeze Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is a great option to have in the freezer and it will keep for up to 6 months. Personally, I like to freeze my soup in individual servings to make it easy to grab and go meals. For the best results, make sure to let the soup cool completely before placing it in the freezer.

These one cup soup "ice cube" trays are one of my favorites since you can freeze the portions and then pop them out of the silicone mold and place them in a plastic bag for easy storage.

Can I make vegetable soup in the slow cooker?

This soup can easily be adapted to make in the crockpot. Add everything except for the green beans, corn, and peas to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3.5 hours. Open and add the green beans, peas, and corn. Let cook for 30 minutes more or until green beans are cooked through but not mushy. Taste and season as needed.

Homemade vegetable soup with cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, corn, and peas in two bowls with spoons.

How to make vegetable soup more filling?

A common complaint about vegetable soup is that it just doesn't keep you full for very long. For a more filling soup, you will want to add protein, fiber, or both to make it more filling. Some options include beans, lentils, or edamame. You could also add lean protein like rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, or turkey sausage. Another option is to take some pasta, rice, couscous, or quinoa. For all of these options, you may need to add some additional broth to the soup.

How many calories are in a healthy vegetable soup?

This vegetable soup has 147 calories for a 1.5 cups serving. Generally speaking, vegetable soup has between 100-200 calories per cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions about making this vegetable soup.

There are tons of options for adding vegetables to this soup and the sky is the limit. Some favorites include butternut squash, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, and bell peppers. These can be added with the cabbage since they take longer to cook. Additionally, I like to add veggies like zucchini, summer squash, asparagus, sugar snap peas, broccoli, or cauliflower.

Vegetable soup is basically a blank canvas and you can take it in any direction you like. Here are some ideas:

  • Mexican: Add canned fire-roasted tomatoes, 1-2 diced jalapenos, and homemade taco seasoning
  • Indian: Add minced ginger, turmeric, and curry powder to add Indian flavors. Consder adding coconut milk as well. 
  • Thai: Add Thai curry paste, ginger, cilantro, basil, and coconut milk.
Healthy vegetable soup with cabbage, corn, green beans, tomatoes, and more.
The Recipe
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The Best Vegetable Soup

147 CAL 28g CARBS 2g FAT 9g PROTEIN 0
PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 25 Min
TOTAL TIME: 35 Min
3 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups cabbage, chopped
  • 1 cup green beans, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups chicken broth (more if needed)
  • 28 oz canned fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juice)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
  • 1 cup peas (frozen or canned)

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Instructions

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1

Spray a large soup pot with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the onion begins to become translucent. If veggies begin to burn at all, add a few tablespoons of water or broth.

Stirring onion, celery, carrots, and garlic on a soup pot over an electric burner.
2

Add the cabbage, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Cabbage, green beans, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves being stirred to make vegetable soup.
3

Add the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until the cabbage is just tender.

Stirring chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste on a soup pot.
4

Stir in the corn and peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

Stirring in the corn and peas to make this vegetable soup.
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1.5 cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 147
Calories from Fat 15
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2g
2%
Saturated Fat 0g
2%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 1218mg
53%
Total Carbohydrate 28g
9%
Dietary Fiber 7g
30%
Sugars 11g
Protein 9g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

Notes

Depending on the broth you use, you may need to boost the flavor. Consider adding some extra chicken or vegetable bouillon. You may also need some extra broth depending on how much cooks off during the cooking process.
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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
† We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
3 Comments
On The Best Vegetable Soup
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Mickey
July 27, 2022 - 19:40
This had too much of a tomato taste for me. Instead of adding more chicken broth, I added beef broth and cooked longer. Tasted better. Thanks for the recipe.
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Andrea Wellman
November 5, 2021 - 13:41
Add a Rating:
5
I made this with a couple of veggie changes per your suggestion and it was delish. But I want to do it again with broccoli and cauliflower. When would I add them in? What if I did zucchini? Thanks bunches!
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November 8, 2021 - 13:29
So glad you enjoyed it! I would add the broccoli and cauliflower along with the cabbage and green beans since they take out the same amount of time to cook. Zucchini is a little trickier and it depends on how you like it cooked. I like mine tender crisp so I would add it with the broth and tomatoes.
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