Vegetable Soup

6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Vegetable Soup is hearty and full of nourishing veggies like tomatoes, corn, green beans, celery, and potatoes, ready in under 45 minutes!

When it’s cold outside, warm up in the kitchen with all of your favorites like Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast, Classic Beef Chili and Ultimate Sloppy Joes! These are some of the heartiest and easiest Main Courses you can make at home. 

Easy Vegetable Soup in pot

Vegetable Soup is the PERFECT healthy dish for a cold day, made with fresh vegetables like hearty potatoes and corn, green beans, celery, carrots, and onions in a seasoned chicken broth. Once you try this it will become one of your favorite soup recipes of all time. Serve this with toasted Garlic Bread, a side salad, and some cheddar or parmesan cheese on top.

This recipe is one of the oldest recipes in the world! From the dawning of fireproof and waterproof cooking vessels (probably made of thick earthenware), humankind has gathered the vegetables and herbs and put them into a liquid dish to cook. There’s a billion different ways to combine food for a nutritious and flavorful soup. This recipe is just one of the most common in the world!

You can make this on the stovetop because it’s pretty quick to throw together, but it does really well in both the slow cooker and the instant pot as well. Once you try this soup recipe, you will never look at the store-bought stuff the same way again.

Vegetable Soup Cooking Collage

How to Make Vegetable Soup

This vegetable soup recipe is really versatile. You can use whatever veggies that are in season, or this is a great recipe to use up leftover veggies from the night before. You could also make this using Italian seasoning blend, or oregano, parsley, and thyme with various different types of broths for variety and flavor. Check out our recipe here: 

  1. Prepare – Gather, wash, and chop all the vegetables. 
  2. Saute – In the pot or Dutch Oven, cook the celery, garlic, and onions together which helps add a wonderful earthy flavor to the soup. 
  3. Combine – Once that’s ready, add the rest of the vegetables and seasonings to the pot. 
  4. Liquidate – Add in the liquid (we’re using chicken broth and V8 juice in this recipe.) Note: For a thicker soup base, add 4-5 tablespoons of tomato puree.
  5. Simmer – Once it’s boiling, reduce to a simmer. Keep the lid on so all the liquid doesn’t evaporate. Then enjoy! 

More Soup Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

How big should I cut the vegetables?

Vegetables should be chopped to about an inch long so they can easily fit onto a spoon. Smaller cuts also prevent choking hazards, especially for young children.

Can I use canned or frozen veggies?

Yes. To save time, you can substitute a drained can of diced tomatoes for hand-diced tomatoes in this homemade vegetable soup recipe. Or if you prefer to use all canned vegetables or frozen veggies, like frozen corn, that makes for a super easy weeknight meal. You can add the water from the cans directly into the bowl, no need to drain. 

What else can you add to Vegetable Soup?

Add any combination of your favorite vegetables including bell peppers, mixed frozen veggies, parsnips, chickpeas, kidney beans, zucchini, kale, spinach or shredded cabbage.

What can I serve with Vegetable Soup?

Crusty bread served with a healthy soup made with fresh herbs is one of the best comfort foods in the world. Skillet Cornbread is a great option to make!

What makes Vegetable Soup taste better?

If you don’t have any dietary restrictions, try adding a bit of salt and a scoop of real butter. If the soup is cooked with an unctuous piece of roast beef, it will lend a mouthwatering and rich flavor to your soup. Up the amount of garlic as well when cooking. 

What are the best herbs to add to Vegetable Soup?

Adding and mixing herbs is almost a precision science. Fresh herbs add a lot of good flavor, while dried herbs are deeper in flavor which means you can add less. Italian herb blends will be perfect for this recipe. Additionally, add two or three dried Bay leaves to the soup to really give it that boost of flavor. Some say this is the secret ingredient, or at least the most important ingredient in their soup! 

Vegetable Soup from above

Key Ingredients for Vegetable Soup

  • Vegetables – This recipe uses a large variety of vegetables. When selecting vegetables, choose the freshest you can find in the market. Watch out for mold, decay, and other things you wouldn’t want to purposefully ingest. 
  • Soup Base – We’re using V8 juice and chicken broth as the soup base. V8 juice is packed with flavor and vitamins and adds character. Chicken broth adds an almost buttery addition without dairy. You can also change which broth you’re using depending on your flavor preference.

Alternative Cooking Methods

  • Slow Cooker – Vegetable soup is REALLY easy to make in the slow cooker. Just put everything in, stir to mix together, and cook on low for eight hours or on high for four hours. You can refer to this Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup for a similar version (but with beef – which you can definitely leave out if you want).
  • Instant Pot – This is the perfect recipe to use with your Instant Pot! Just place all of your ingredients in the instant pot. Lock the lid and seal the pressure valve. On manual mode, set the instant pot for 10 minutes on high. Let it release naturally.

Variations on Vegetable Soup

  • Meat Lovers – Add browned beef, turkey, sausage, or cubed extra firm tofu to this recipe for a higher protein option. You can also use leftover Rotisserie Chicken.
  • Tex-Mex – Make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning and cook with ground beef for a Tex-Mex veggie soup. Serve your soup with sour cream and crunchy tortilla chips.
  • Pure Vegan Soup – Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this soup vegan friendly. If you’re going to add leafy greens to the soup, like kale or spinach, add them about 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve.
  • Vegetarian Soup – This recipe is dairy free as-is, but you can change the chicken broth to veggie broth, add ¾ cup of half and half just before serving to make this soup vegetarian friendly. 
  • Noodle Soup – Add a half cup of al dente pasta right before serving to add some filling carbs to this vegetable soup recipe. 
  • Spicy Soup – Add a dash of cayenne pepper, diced jalapeño, or red pepper flakes to add some spicy seasoning to this soup. 
  • Winter Soup – For a fun winter soup, you can add sweet potatoes and canned white beans to the recipe for a hearty soup. If the beans are dry, let the soak overnight or get boiled for 15 mins before being added to the soup base. For every half cup of par-cooked beans, add a cup of broth or water.

More Yummy Vegetable Recipes

How to Store Vegetable Soup

  • Serve: Vegetable Soup can be left at room temperature for up to two hours, or kept warm in a crock pot for up to 4 hours once it’s finished cooking.
  • Store: Vegetable soup will last wrapped tightly in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Reheat your soup over medium-low heat on the stove, stirring occasionally until warm.
  • Freeze: Vegetable soup is perfect for making ahead and freezing. Let the soup cool down completely, then seal it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 5-6 months. If you make a double batch when you make this, you can freeze some for a quick dinner another night.
Vegetable Soup with bite

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup is hearty and full of nourishing veggies like tomatoes, corn, green beans, celery, and potatoes, ready in under 45 minutes!
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dinner, Soup
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion , diced
  • 2 stalks celery , diced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 large potato , peeled and diced
  • 2 carrots , sliced
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 cup green beans , chopped
  • 2 vine tomatoes , diced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups V-8 juice

Instructions

  • In a large stock pot add the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, celery and garlic for 4-5 minutes until translucent.
  • Add in the rest of the ingredients and bringing to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Video

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1389mg | Potassium: 775mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4355IU | Vitamin C: 42.4mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2.4mg
Keyword: vegetable soup
Bowl of Vegetable Soup

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Hearty Vegetable Soup
Easy Vegetable Soup
Vegetable Soup Collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Have you checked the FAQ section above to see if your question has already been answered? View previous questions.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. I love this recipe?? It’s so cold in the Midwest today and this warm, hearty veggie soup is just what my soul needed ? I added ground beef, bell peppers and a bay leaf while simmering.

  2. Best Flavor!! I added diced sweet potato, and a can of Rotell with peppers, the V 8 juice is genius for flavor and thicker soup

  3. Just made this today and it’s going to be a favorite. I did add Cabbage and a little oregano and basil.
    Thanks for sharing recipe.

  4. Looks good, but I’ve looked at about 15 vegetable soup recipes on this website & NOT ONE of them mentioned CABBAGE. My Pennsylvania Relatives wouldn’t dream of making it without the addition of some chopped cabbage. Adds soooo much!! Try it — you’ll like it !!! Liz

      1. Hi there 🙂 I have everything but the V8…I do have tomato sauce and I was wondering if that would work with maybe some additional seasoning. I love V8 just none on hand 🙁 Thankyou so much

        1. Yes, you can use tomato sauce. You will need to add water and more seasoning to get the right consistency and taste. Hope that works out for you!

  5. This is my first time trying this recipe. I followed the recipe but I think mine turned out more watery in comparison to the picture and it’s on the bland side. I’ll add more salt and hope that fixes it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

    1. Hi! The picture makes it look thicker than it is, but it is a more watery soup than creamy. Did you use broth and v8?

    1. On the stove on low? or in a slow cooker on low? I would be nervous to leave an open flame unattended overnight.

  6. I wish I would have kept track of how many times I’ve made this recipe in the past year! I’ve simplified it a little to make it even quicker. I buy frozen chopped onions, carrots & celery, bag of frozen veggies, can of diced tomatoes and add a little cumin and other seasonings.

  7. This was an awesome recipe. Only alteration was using two bags of frozen mixed vegetables because it was a quicker option at the time. This is another great Dinner then Dessert recipe getting added to my family’s meal rotation. Thank you Sabrina!

  8. This soup was good, but I only gave 4 stars because there was no seasoning except salt and pepper. I added basil and Italian seasoning.

  9. My family really liked the soup. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and it still turned out really hearty.

  10. Easy, healthy and delicious recipe. I’ve made it three times in the last couple of months, family loves it and even sent the recipe to my mother-in-law who can’t wait to make it.

  11. Sabrina, thank you for your vegetable soup recipe. Your recipe inspired me to make a pot full of vegetable soup. Missing some ingredients like the V8, carrots, string beans and chicken broth. No sodium as I suffer from. Kidney disease as well as Diabetes. But I used all the rest of the vegetables including fresh and diced tomatoes and low sodium beef broth. I did add low sodium kidney beans well rinsed and basil, oregano, cumin and a bit of chili powder. Thank you.
    It was delicious.

  12. It tasted good but was greasy. I think the 1/4 cup of oil is too much. It is oily on top. Sure smells good too.

  13. Delicious! For the V-8 I added one cup of Original and 1+ cup of Spicy Hot…good call. And I added a bay leaf.
    Great recipe, will be a frequent.

  14. I have made this two weekends in a row. I love it and feel good for eating it. This last time I counted 10 vegetables I had in it which included Kale and Brussel Sprouts. I also added cumin both times and smoked paprika. This last time I added about 1/3 pint of my homemade salsa. It gave it a nice kick.

  15. I absolutely love this recipe and use it all the time!?? I add green beans, red pepper flakes and tomato paste to it. It freezes well and I bring it out for company regularly with homemade buns. So happy that I have found the perfect vegetable soup. Thank you so much ?

  16. This has become my go-to veg. soup!! SO good! I def add more herbs & spices, but one trick to share: I pretty much always have everything on-hand I need to make this except fresh green beans. I’ve substituted frozen mixed veggies for the green beans and it works great. I’ve also subbed a can of diced tomatoes for the 2 fresh, and that works great as well. This is a delicious soup that has become a real staple over the last couple months.

  17. I have this cooking on the stove right now and it smells so good! Can you add more chicken broth and v8 to make it more soupy or will that mess up the flavor? Mine is looking a little on the chunky side and I feel like it needs more liquid.

  18. Soup was excellent. Sweeter in taste than I anticipated but a pleasant surprise. I swapped out normal potato with a sweet, and chicken broth with vegetable broth. Then I topped off the soup with some fresh avocado slices. DELICIOUS. thanks Sabrina!

  19. This was delicious! A keeper and great way to use up all those veggies in the fridge. I did it in the crock pot. I added cabbage and smoked paprika. I also used the purée which I think was key. Before serving topped with sumac (my new favorite spice) Easy and healthy ! Win win !

  20. I made this in the instant pot. Takes a lot longer in a pressure cooker so next time I’ll do it over the stove. I didn’t have any V8 so I replaced it with four cups of vegetables broth. And I added a bunch of My favorite seasonings. Had it with crusty Italian bread.

  21. This recipe is so much like the one I grow up on but my mom put in meatballs loved coming home in the snowy days from school in the 60’s and smell great smells . I’m ageing myself, my husband hates soups for dinner he’s ok at lunch , it’s ok I make soup anyway , I live in Colorado Springs Co thx

  22. FINALLY, a vegetable soup that I like! Time and again, I’ve tried recipes and … ehhh… Thank you for one that was really good. After the onion/garlic step, I sauteed all of the veg a bit before adding the broth/V8. Very good. Will add this into the rotation for us.

      1. This soup freezes wonderfully! If you don’t want to use V8 I’d recommend replacing it with sone type of tomato puree or sauce and then adding your salt and spices to your liking. Enjoy!

  23. Do you use fresh or frozen vegetables (I do not like canned)? Sounds like a wonderful recipe and can’t wait to make it!

  24. Just making my second batch. I have a canner so I do a big batch and can it. I loved this soup and is a favourite now

  25. This turned out great! I made a vegan version and used vegetable broth and also added in a teaspoon of salt free seasoning blend and a bay leaf. I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of the V8. I sauteed the onion, garlic, and celery in the instant pot on the saute setting, and then I added the rest of the ingredients and cooked it on high pressure for 7 minutes with a natural release and it was perfect, especially with some nutritional yeast sprinkled on top. I will definitely keep making this…thanks for the great recipe!

  26. Absolutely delicious. I used low sodium chicken broth and Spicy low sodium V8. The spice gives it an extra kick. Also sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. This recipe will become a staple in my house.

  27. Delicious-so very good. I substituted a can of no-salt diced tomatoes and used a low-sodium chicken broth. Will definitely be making this soup again.

  28. I make a very similar soup but plan to try this one soon for variety. In mine, I start by browning a half pound of quality ground sirloin and we add barley. The v8 could really be a nice change to the crushed tomatoes I usually use too. Maybe spicy v8?

    1. Was wondering if you’d be willing to share your recipe. It sounds delicious and I would love to give it a try. If not I totally understand.

  29. Wonderful soup…i did not use V8.
    I roasted my own tomatoes with olive oil, salt/pepper and put some whole and the rest puree.

    I grated parmesan cheese. Delicious

    1. It’s a great recipe. I’ve been making vegetable soup since I was a kid. In the last few years, I’ve started adding a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to it and it really brightens it up.

  30. This has become one of my favorite soups! I chop the carrots, cellery, and onion very fine in the blender. Then instead of tomatoes I add tomato sauce (my husband refuses to eat anything with tomatoes in it) and some cooked ground beef. My husband even loves this meal, and he is faaaarrrr from a vegetable lover.

  31. This is the perfect vegetable soup recipe! I’ve made it 3 times and it’s very good. It’s the only one I will ever use!

  32. Cam across this recipe and it looks scrumptious However,
    I am from South Africa and am not quite sure of what V8 is. Could you please enlighten me

    1. V8 is a vegetable juice. It’s mainly tomato juice but also contains carrots, celery, lettuce, watercress, beets, spinach and parsley. Hope this helps!

  33. I always add more vegetables than on any recipe. I also never have v8 on hand and it still turns out amazing. Love this recipe I have made it so many times I have it memorized. I always go back to this one when I want something cozy.

  34. I added some cabbage and red kidney beans and fresh mushrooms. Plus I used vegetable juice. It turned out delicious!

  35. This soup is delicious! I love the addition of the V8. Really adds so much flavour. I don’t add the potato, I put 1/2 cup of barley instead.