Vegetable Soup Recipe

As cold winter months approach, I’m craving warm, cozy recipes. Soup is one of my favorite winter meals because I can cook up a massive batch over a weekend and then store it for leftovers later in the week.

This vegetable soup is vegetarian, but keep reading below for some options for adding protein. I use all my favorite vegetables, but this recipe is so versatile you can easily switch it up with all your favorites.

I love using my enameled Dutch oven for this vegetable soup, and often serve it straight to the table in the Dutch oven, but you can also use a soup pot.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• ½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley
• Juice from 1-2 lemons
• Salt
• Pepper

How To Avoid Overcooking Vegetables

The easiest way to avoid mushy vegetables in homemade vegetable soup is to cook the ingredients in steps.

Potatoes take longer to cook than frozen peas, so I like to add the vegetables that take the longest first and add the smaller veggies at the very end, so they only warm through without getting mushy.

However, if you’re looking for a quick dump-and-simmer vegetable soup recipe and aren’t too worried about the vegetable texture, go ahead and add all your veggies at once. There are no fixed rules in soup making!

Instructions

Here’s everything you need to know to make this hearty vegetable soup from scratch.

Step 1 – Wash and Prepare the Vegetables

Wash all of your produce. You’ll want to prepare all of your vegetables before getting the soup started to make for an easy cooking process:

• Peel the carrots and chop them into ½-inch thick rounds
• Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes
• Chop the celery into ½-inch thick slices
• Dice the onion
• Cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces
• Mince the garlic or peel it so you can grate it into the pot later.

Set everything aside and get ready to make some delicious soup!

Step 2 – Sauté the Flavor Veggies

Get your Dutch oven (or soup pot) heated over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons of butter.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and celery is tender. About 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. 

Step 3 – Add the Hearty Vegetables

Stir in the potatoes and cook until they start to become tender. About 5 minutes. 

I like to add the potatoes and cook for a bit before adding the rest of the soup ingredients so that I know they’ll be cooked through. 

You could also add a bit more salt in this stage to make sure the potatoes have enough flavor.

Step 4 – Stir In the Tomatoes, Broth, and Green Beans

Pour in the vegetable broth and the tomatoes with the juice from the can. Add the green beans. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes. 

Step 5 – Add the Smaller Vegetables

Stir in the peas and corn. Bring the soup back to a simmer and cook for another 5 minutes. 

Step 6 – Finish with Parsley and Lemon

Once the vegetables are all to your desired doneness, add some chopped parsley and a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice. 

Cookware Used

Dutch oven: I use my enameled cast iron dutch oven for big batches of hearty vegetable soup, but you can also use a soup pot.

Citrus Zester/Microplane: I love adding lemon zest along with the juice to my soups. There is something so flavorful in the lemon rind that adds another dimension of flavor. This tool is also what I use to grate garlic into the soup.

Vegetable Peeler: A quality vegetable peeler makes peeling carrots quick and easy. You can also peel your potatoes in this recipe if you’d like.

Chef Knife: A sharp Chef knife will really help with the cutting here. See my best Damascus chef knife guide for more.

Vegetable Brush: I like to use a rough brush or vegetable scrubber for potatoes and carrots to make sure they are completely clean before using them in my recipe.

Can You Make Vegetable Soup in a Slow Cooker?

Yes! To make this in the slow cooker, follow steps 1 and 2 above. Add the cooked onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the bottom of the crockpot. 

Next, add all of the ingredients except the corn, peas, parsley, and lemon. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. 

Stir in the peas, corn, parsley, and lemon for about 15 minutes before serving so they warm through. 

Dutch ovens and slow cookers are different but are also sometimes interchangeable, check out my Dutch oven vs Slow cooker guide for more information.

How To Make A Hearty Vegetable Soup

I think this soup is filling with all of the hearty vegetables, but if you’re feeding a crowd (or just a starving family), you can add a few extras to make this even more substantial.

1. Try adding some shredded rotisserie chicken for a quick protein punch. A pound of ground beef or ground turkey is also super tasty in this soup recipe!

2. Two cups of cooked quinoa or brown rice add great texture to this vegetable soup. 

3. Some cooked elbow macaroni works well in this vegetable soup recipe, too, especially for kids. I cook the macaroni separately and add it just before serving to avoid the pasta getting mushy.

4. A big bunch of kale, chopped into bite-size pieces, can be added at the same time as the peas for a nutritious veggie kick. 

Tips For Storing Vegetable Soup

This vegetable soup stores very well! Make a huge batch on Sunday and eat the leftovers during an extra cold week this winter. 

In the Fridge

Pour the soup into one large or several portion-sized airtight containers. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

In the Freezer

I love to freeze this soup. It freezes and reheats so easily and is perfect throughout the cold weather months. I make extra and pour two servings into zip-top bags, and store them flat in my freezer. This soup will last up to 3 months after freezing. 

To reheat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and then bring it to temperature in a soup pan on the stove. Serve with some fresh parsley and lemon to really make it delicious.

Now, It’s Your Turn!

Are you ready to dust off your dutch oven and make a batch of this hearty vegetable soup? Whichever version you make and whatever veggies you use, I promise this soup will fill you up and make you feel warm and cozy on even the coldest night.

Don’t forget to make some extra or double the recipe if you want some vegetable soup leftovers to store in the freezer. It only takes a few minutes to reheat, and it’s a delicious weeknight dinner!

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