Easy Vegetable Soup

I love this vegetable soup recipe! It’s made with a light tomato broth and packed with healthy veggies. It’s so comforting and satisfying!

I’ve been making this simple recipe for years. It’s light, nutritious, and genuinely makes you feel good! I make it all year round and love that the recipe is adaptable to whatever veggies are sitting in your fridge or the season.

This cozy soup comes together in just one pot, making it perfect for a fuss-free, flavorful meal. I love making a big batch and keeping it in the fridge for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week! If you love creamy soups, see our creamy vegetable soup.

Key Ingredients

• Vegetables: We use a lot of veggies for this soup, but feel free to use what you have on hand. I love onion, carrot, celery, potato or sweet potato, cabbage, and peas. You can customize this recipe with your favorite seasonal vegetables! In the summer, add fresh zucchini or corn. In the winter, try hearty root vegetables like parsnips or turnips. The possibilities are endless! I use a similar list of veggies for this easy cabbage soup.
• Tomato Paste and Tomatoes: Make the base of our deliciously light broth. If you have fresh tomatoes, use them! I’ve shared how many you’ll need to substitute canned in the tips section of the recipe.
• Garlic, Fennel Seeds, Bay Leaves, & Red Pepper Flakes: Add a lovely flavor to our soup. I love fennel with vegetables and use either ground or crushed whole fennel seeds in this soup. Pepper flakes add a hint of heat (use as much as you like for your preferred spice level).
• Broth: You can use your favorite broth in this recipe. I love this homemade vegetable broth when I have it on hand (it also makes this soup vegan and vegetarian). Use chicken broth, homemade bone broth (or store-bought) for a higher protein soup.
• Apple Cider Vinegar or Lemon Juice: I love adding a bit of vinegar or fresh lemon juice before serving this soup. It brightens all the flavors and makes them pop. Fresh herbs do the same, so if you have some fresh parsley or other green herb in the kitchen, chop and add it just before serving.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Vegetable Soup

Tip 1: Build a solid flavor base: Start your soup with a classic mirepoix (a mix of sautéed onions, carrots, and celery). Adding tomato paste at this stage helps to deepen the flavor and give your soup a richer color.

Tip 2: Layer your aromatics: Don’t just dump all your spices in at once. After the initial sauté, stir in aromatics like garlic, fennel, salt, and pepper, and cook for a minute. This way, they get a chance to release their flavor into the soup, but won’t burn before adding the liquid.

Tip 3: Simmer until tender: Simmering for about 20 minutes is key to getting the vegetables tender. There’s no need to cook much longer than that.

Tip 4: Add quick-cooking ingredients last: Ingredients that cook quickly, like frozen peas or spinach, should be added at the end to prevent them from becoming mushy and maintain their bright color and texture.

Tip 5: Finish with a pop of flavor: Before serving, taste your soup and adjust the seasonings. A splash of apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice at the end can brighten up the flavors and make the soup taste less one-dimensional (a problem I’ve had with veggie soups).

My Favorite Veggie Soup Variations

• To add protein, stir in cooked or canned beans. Try white beans, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans. See our lentil soup or this white bean soup with vegetables for inspiration.
• To add pasta, stir in pasta 10 minutes before the veggies soup has finished cooking. I love smaller pasta shapes like orzo in soup or adding tortellini (like in this veggie tortellini soup).
• To make it creamy,  add a splash of cream, milk, or unsweetened dairy-free milk at the end. You can also stir in a little bit of unsweetened yogurt or sour cream. Or blend all the ingredients like we do with this creamy veggie soup.
• Or, add more veggies! You can add as many vegetables as you like to this veggie soup recipe. Feel free to toss in a handful of other vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli, summer squash, or corn.

More Easy Soup Recipes

• Minestrone Soup
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Tomato Soup
• White Bean Soup
• Cabbage Soup