Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
This vegetable soup recipe is seriously so good! It's easy to make, and full of healthy vegetables and fresh flavor. There's nothing "blah" about it!
- Total time
- 1 hr
- Active time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 6, 6 bowls
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Equipment
- 1 required
Ingredients and Constraints
Ingredients
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Onion
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Carrot
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Stalks Celery
2 celery stalks, chopped
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Seasonal Vegetables
2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or yellow squash
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Acceptable alternatives: Sweet Potatoes; Green Beans; Butternut Squash; Potatoes; Bell Pepper; Zucchini; Yellow Squash
Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Seasonal Vegetables
2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or yellow squash
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Sea Salt
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Garlic
6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Diced Tomatoes
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Black Pepper
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Kale
2 cups chopped kale or collard greens or chard (thick ribs removed), or spinach
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Acceptable alternatives: Collard Greens; Chard
Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Kale
2 cups chopped kale or collard greens or chard (thick ribs removed), or spinach
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Additional ingredient notes
Required setup
Equipment
large Dutch oven or soup pot
Before You Cook
Constraints, controls, and warnings to review before starting.
Decisions before cookingDetails1
Reviewed comparisons and tradeoffs that affect the path before the first active step.
Vegetable Options for Vegetable Soup
This homemade vegetable soup is versatile by design, so you can enjoy it from fall through winter.
We’ll use onion, carrots and celery as a base. We’ll also add two cups of seasonal vegetables to make this soup more hearty and interesting.
Method Overview
Structured method notes that are separate from the step timeline.
How to Make the Best Vegetable Soup
We’ll use several simple techniques to build flavor as we cook this soup.
Here’s how: 1) Start with the veggies. We’ll sauté chopped onion, celery, carrots and seasonal vegetables in olive oil, with some salt.
1) Start with the veggies.
We’ll sauté chopped onion, celery, carrots and seasonal vegetables in olive oil, with some salt.
This softens them up and enhances their flavors. Adding salt during different stages of the cooking process builds more flavor than simply adding it all at the end.
3) Add canned diced tomatoes with their juices.
We’ll cook them all together for a couple of minutes to reduce any tinny flavors.
I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes for these photos, but regular diced tomatoes were just as good. I always recommend using Muir Glen brand of tomatoes because they taste the best and come in BPA-free cans.
4) Almost done—add some vegetable broth, water, and more flavorings.
Vegetable broth keeps this soup vegetarian/vegan.
We’ll also add bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and a little more salt. If you’re sensitive to spice, you can reduce or omit the red pepper flakes.
Method Timeline
Prep
ActivePrep
15 min
Prep time from the source recipe card.
Cook
ActiveCook
45 min
Cook time from the source recipe card.
Total
PassiveTotal
1 hr
Total time from the source recipe card.
Step 1
Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, seasonal vegetables and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
medium heat6 min-8 minDutch OvenStep 2
Add the garlic, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
1 minStep 3
Pour in the broth and water. Add 1/2 teaspoon more salt, 2 bay leaves and the red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Step 4
Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and add the chopped greens. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or more, until the greens have softened to your liking.
Step 5
Remove the pot from heat and remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes. (You might need up to ½ teaspoon more salt, depending on your vegetable broth and your personal preferences.) Divide into bowls and enjoy.
Handling and Storage
Reviewed hold, storage, make-ahead, and service-timing guidance.
5) Add chopped fresh greens and finally, some fresh lemon juice.
Lastly, we’ll add chopped greens for health bonus points, and simmer for 5 minutes to soften them up.
Before serving, we’ll brighten up the soup with a big squeeze of lemon juice (one of my other go-to soup tricks) and add another splash of olive oil for rich flavor. Taste the soup before and after these additions, and you’ll notice a big difference!
Notes
Recipe adapted from my quinoa vegetable soup and lentil soup.
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It freezes and defrosts well if you want to freeze extra portions for later!
Learn More
Extra cooking notes, tests, and source details kept out of the step-by-step method.
Why this works
Quick kitchen reasons behind the main choices.
2) Add fresh minced garlic, curry powder, and dried thyme.
Sautéing these ingredients for about 1 minute wakes up their flavors, but isn’t long enough to risk burning the garlic (burnt garlic tastes awful).
Curry powder is the secret to making this soup so delicious. We aren’t adding much.
Article photos
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Source: Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
Recipe structure
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Main recipe
Recipe card ingredients and steps.
6, 6 bowls
Mixture
Source step 3 creates or uses mixture.
Extra useful notes
Short source-backed recommendations and facts that do not need a step.
Recipe adapted from my quinoa vegetable soup and lentil soup.
Recipe adapted from my quinoa vegetable soup and lentil soup.
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
STORAGE SUGGESTIONS: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It freezes and defrosts well if you want to freeze extra portions for later!
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I’m convinced that everything I cook in my Dutch oven (affiliate link) comes out extra delicious.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I’m convinced that everything I cook in my Dutch oven (affiliate link) comes out extra delicious.
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Source and Origin
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Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
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