How To Make The Best Vegetable Soup
Making vegetable soup is simple, and it all happens in one pot! Here’s an overview of how to make it (the soup recipe is below).
- Sweat onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil and tomato paste. The tomato paste adds lots of flavor to the soup.
- Add more flavor with garlic, ground fennel seeds (or use other spices), pepper, and salt.
- Pour in vegetable or chicken stock, a can of diced tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, and bay leaves.
- Simmer until the veggies are tender (about 20 minutes).
- Add frozen peas and cook five more minutes.
- Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and a little acid like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This hearty vegetable soup recipe is healthy, easy to make, and tastes fantastic. It’s also vegan when a vegetable broth is used! Since vegetables vary by seasonality, feel free to swap or add different vegetables for the ones listed below. Kale or spinach, for example, is an excellent substitute to the cabbage.
YOU WILL NEED
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (1 medium)
1 1/2 cups chopped carrot (3 to 4 carrots)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (2 to 3 stalks)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
3/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their liquid
6 cups stock or broth, see our ultra-satisfying veggie broth or homemade chicken stock
2 cups chopped potato (2 medium)
2 heaped cups chopped or shredded cabbage
2 bay leaves 1 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a stockpot pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent; 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, fennel, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the red pepper flakes. Cook, while stirring, for one minute.
Pour in the canned tomatoes and their juices as well as the stock/broth.
Add the potatoes, cabbage, and the bay leaves. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Partially cover the pot with a lid, and then reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes, and other vegetables are tender. Add the frozen peas and cook for five more minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and remove the bay leaves. Stir in the cider vinegar (or lemon juice) and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or vinegar. Serve.
