Vegetable Soup
74 Comments
Updated Dec 21, 2023
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This easy vegetable soup is packed with flavor and uses simple, everyday vegetables to their full potential. But there’s plenty of room for customization — use any fresh or frozen vegetables you have on hand. It’s the perfect blank canvas to work with for soup season!
A simple vegetable soup like this is my absolute favorite. It’s nourishing, comforting, fresh, and light, yet filling enough to be a full vegetarian meal. But truth be told, I was never a fan of vegetable soup until I started making it myself at home, with this recipe. Because other versions I had tried were always been a bit bland and boring.
So what makes my version unique (and better)? The vegetables are sautéed with Italian seasoning and loads of garlic, then simmered in a savory broth with fresh lemon juice and parsley. And that punch of fresh lemon really brightens and enhances the flavor!
But similar to my cabbage soup or lentil soup, you can customize this recipe to your liking. If you have a handful of kale or spinach you need to use up, toss it in. If there’s still a frozen bag of green beans sitting in your freezer, use those instead. It’s the perfect way to use up any leftover vegetables that you might otherwise toss away or not know what to do with!
Vegetable Soup Ingredients
- Fresh Vegetables: We’re going all in on fresh vegetables here! I’m using carrots, celery, onions, green beans, and potatoes, along with canned diced tomatoes. But if you want to swap them for others, go for it! Zucchini, radish, sweet potato, and even leafy greens are a few delicious ideas.
- Frozen Vegetables: Frozen vegetables are optional, but are extremely convenient, especially if you already have some in your freezer! I’m using frozen peas and corn, but use any other frozen vegetables you’d like.
- Vegetable Broth: The soup base is made from vegetable broth. And given the simplicity of ingredients, consider the vegetable broth a star ingredient in it’s own right. So opt for a high-quality one. I’ve linked my favorite brand in the recipe card below.
- Herbs and Seasonings: A mix of Italian seasoning, bay leaves, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, and black pepper gives this soup the best flavor imaginable.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Vegetable Soup
Saute the veggies. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and saute another 30 seconds.
Add more veggies. Add the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and broth. Stir together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork tender.
Add the frozen veggies. Add the frozen peas and corn, stir, and cook about 5 to 7 minutes longer.
Serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley for the final touches! You can ladle the vegetable soup into serving bowls or store it away for later (storage instructions written below).
Common Questions
You always want to saute any mirepoix vegetables (carrots, celery, and onion) first. Then, add in the remaining fresh vegetables with the broth. And if you’re using frozen vegetables, you’ll add those later in the process, as they take less time to cook.
Absolutely! You can add shredded chicken or sliced beef chunks to make this a meatier vegetable soup. But make sure to cook the meat first and add it towards the end along with the frozen vegetables. For a plant-based protein, you can also add lentils or chickpeas (which will be cooked earlier in the broth).
Storage Tips
- To store for the week: Let your soup come to room temperature before storing away in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep for 4 to 5 days, which means it’s a great meal to enjoy throughout the week when you need a soupy pick-me-up!
- To freeze for later: Once the soup has cooled, pour it into a freezer-safe container or silicone freezing tray for pre-made servings. It will stay good for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- For reheating: To reheat a single serving, pour it into a bowl and microwave it for 1 to 2 minutes until warmed through. For a bigger batch, pour the soup back into a pot and warm it up on the stovetop.
More Easy Soup Recipes
When stuck in a dinner rut, you can always count on a big pot of soup or chili. These are some of my favorites for something easy yet flavorful. But honestly, all these soup recipes fit that bill!
- White Chicken Chili: This is hands down one of my favorite chili recipes!
- Black Bean Soup: You’ll be surprised how good this soup is. Perfect for those Mexican food cravings.
- Turkey Chili: A healthy chili that’s both meaty and flavorful — gotta love that.
- Potato Leek Soup: This creamy delight only requires a few ingredients!
I hope you enjoy this vegetable soup all season long! If you make it, drop a comment below on how it turned out. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Easy Vegetable Soup
Description
Video
Equipment
- Dutch Oven This soup makes a large quantity, so you'll need a large pot!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh green beans
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 to 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, depending on how brothy you'd like it
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Saute the veggies. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and saute another 30 seconds.
- Add more veggies. Add the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and broth. Stir together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork tender.
- Add the frozen veggies. Add the corn and peas, stir, and cook about 5 to 7 minutes longer.
- Serve. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Ladle the vegetable soup into bowls.
Lisa’s Tips
- When I filmed the video above I accidentally added 1 teaspoon of black pepper instead of ½ teaspoon. And I have to say, I really enjoyed the extra peppery flavor. So feel free to add a bit more, either in the soup or sprinkled on top at the end!
Nutrition
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I have enjoyed your website with all the different recipes. The Thanksgiving turkey was wonderful and enjoyed by our friends. So I am now looking for something to prepare next. I prepared the lentil soup. Yummmmm! Shared some with our neighbor, who said it smelled so good. I have to say I am truly enjoying. Cooking !! Thank you.
Hi Rosanne – Happy to hear all the recipes have been turning out great!
Vegetable soup is delicious!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Gloria!
Loved this soup! Very tasty, great for a couple nights of meals. We all really enjoy it! Actually thinking about adding kidney beans next time too. Love that you can add/change veg easily with it. Yum!
Thanks Kristy! Happy you loved it. And yes, it really is quite flexible, so have fun with it.
Very tasty easy to make
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Another delicious recipe! We love it here. We might add some kidney beans next time. Yummy! Great site!
Kidney beans would be a great addition!
This soup is my all time fav! I make it about once every two weeks. It’s healthy with a robust flavor of spices and ingredients. I sometimes add chicken to it for more protein. But it isn’t necessary for that down home, rich, homemade taste!
Yay, so happy it’s now in regular rotation in your house!
This vegetable soup is so simple to make and delicious! It’s such a great way to add more vegetable to our diet. And I was able to store some in the freezer in my souper cube trays that you recommended!
Oh perfect! Yes, those Souper Cubes trays are the best.
Delicious soup!
I’m happy you loved it!
This soup is really good and easy to make.
Thanks for leaving a review and glad you enjoyed this vegetable soup!
I loved this soup! I did add a 1/2tsp more salt at the end, but sodium content in both broth and canned tomatoes can vary widely. I tend to like things a little on the salty side, as well. The only thing I left out was the peas and corn because I was running out of room in my pot. I used 6 cups of broth and may add a little more if needed with leftovers. I made a whole roast chicken, but ate the soup as a main dish because it was so good! I will definitely make this soup again.
Thanks so much for leaving a review and glad you enjoyed this vegetable soup, Megan!
Let me just say that I love ALL your recipes that I have tried. Not overly fussy but full of flavor. I made your vegetable soup only omitting the corn because it isn’t my thing. I added extra carrot instead. It was full of flavor and super delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Wonderful! I’m happy you loved it, Nicole! And yes, it’s really tweakable to personal preference. Enjoy!
This has got to be the best vegetable soup I’ve ever made. I gave some to my sister who loved it, my husband loved it as well. It will be a staple for my freezer this winter and through cool weather camping season!
Thanks so much, Donna! I’m thrilled that you all loved it. :)
This is a fantastic recipe. Simple, versatile, healthy – which is what I always find with Downshiftology recipes! You can adjust most of the ingredients to what you have on hand and add what you love. I added some fresh spinach to my bowl and poured the finished soup over it. Awesome!!
Fresh spinach is a great addition to this veggie soup. Happy you loved it (and my other recipes), Roberta!
I made this vegetable soup over the weekend for my guest. I swapped out the vegetable broth for chicken bone broth. The soup was delicious. My guest declared it the best vegetable soup she had ever had!
Yay, love to hear that! Thanks so much, Grace!
Lisa, I’ve made your Best Ever Chili many times, and it’s my favorite Chili recipe. Recently I made the Vegetable Soup recipe and I was pleasantly surprised just how good it was. Thank you thank you thank you! I’m a 70 yrs old and I’ve been around A LOT of recipes ..yours have been so far the best!! I’m curious, what brand is the knife you use for chopping?
Happy to hear you love the vegetable soup as much as the chili recipe! As for the knife I’m using, you can find this Zwilling chef’s knife in the Shop page on my website.
I love everything Downshiftology and this is one of the best recipes we have tried. Highly recommend!!!
Thanks so much, Maya! I’m thrilled you love the recipe. :)
This vegetable soup recipe is delicious! I’ve made it twice in the last 30 days. Thanks Lisa
Wonderful! So happy you loved this vegetable soup, Victor!
This is the perfect vegetable soup! I’m having it for lunches with a salad(lentils in the salad for a bit of a protein boost) the next few days. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this one, I love it!
This vegetable soup is a fall and winter staple! I’m glad you’re loving it, Amber.
Very yummy and easy too! I passed it onto several friends & family.
Can this be cooked in crock pot or would the veggies lose too much of their crispness?
We have soup suppers @ church during Lent and this would be perfect, but due to working schedule, I’d either have to make ahead to be warmed in crockpot or have it cook it in crockpot so would be ready – any suggestions?
Happy you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for passing it along to friends and family as well! You could probably make this in the crockpot, especially if you have all of the items pre-chopped ahead of time. If anything, you could slightly reduce the time for each step so that the veggies stay crisp.
SO Delish
So happy you loved the soup, Grace!
This was absolutely delicious. I didn’t use green beans, but used extra peas and potato. I definitely agree, the lemon juice makes this soup different from all other vegetable soups. I will make it often.
I’m happy to hear you’re loving this vegetable soup, Sharon!
I made this hearty soup during the rainy days we had a few days ago, and it was absolutely delicious! It not only warmed us up but also provided a nutritious and comforting addition to our menu.
What a perfect way to enjoy rainy days! Happy to hear you enjoyed this vegetable soup.
I make this similar soup without the lemon. I also use frozen vegetables. Next time I will use fresh. This soup does have a great flavor.
The lemon adds a delicious punch of flavor!
Another great recipe. I do all the cutting up the day before so I can throw this together quickly. Great flavor and makes a lot so there’s plenty to freeze or share!
Thanks Marilyn! I’m happy to hear you love the flavor in this vegetable soup recipe. :)
The flavour of this soup is superb. My husband and I made it together. He could not believe how easy it was to make. It was even better the second day. I think the lemon juice was the secret ingredient.
Aw, love that you made it together! And I agree, I think the lemon juice really is key. Thanks Heidi!
I made the Easy Vegetable Soup this afternoon. Excellent! I did add the 1 tsp. of pepper, I’m a pepper fan. I was amazed how the lemon added a lovely lift to broth, also tossed in some kale and mushrooms I had in the refrigerator.
Lisa, thank you! Your recipe always what I’m hoping for.❤️
So happy you loved the recipe, Jennifer! And it sounds great with some extra kale, mushrooms, and pepper. Yum!
Thank you for this Delicious recipe. I gave half the pot to my 87 year old father in law who I cook for every week. He loves it and said I could go into business making this soup :) and he told me to never forget this recipe :) Quick question, is the nutrition info for the whole pot or per serving?
How sweet of you Amy! I’m glad both you and your father enjoyed this vegetable soup recipe. For the nutritional information, it will always be per serving.
Lisa, this was absolutely awesome! The flavors and textures were perfect. I did not deviate at all and followed your recipe perfectly. I always do that for my first time with new recipes. You had said that I could use fresh tomatoes, but I did find canned ones that were low in sodium, so it worked. This is definitely a keeper and I look forward to making your potato leek soup next. I would definitely try some other add-ins next time….maybe some beans or pasta. It will be like a minestrone then. Wonderful recipe that is so filling and healthy….my kind of eating.
Glad you were able to find low-sodium canned tomatoes for this vegetable soup! Excited for you to make it again in the future.
Delicious soup, Lisa! It was even better the next day. I may add some little meatballs next time.
Thanks Alan! I’m glad you enjoyed it. And yes, it would be great with some little meatballs – yum!
Made this yesterday. It was delicious. I didn’t add corn but zucchini and chickpeas. So easy and delicious, will definitely add this to my “repeat” menu! Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed this vegetable soup with additional zucchini and chickpeas, Jade!
I tried it out yesterday and it was the best vegetable Soup I ever had!! Thank you for sharing! Really appreciate it. Greetings from Germany
Thrilled to hear you love this vegetable soup recipe, Jennifer!
Used this as a basis for fridge clean-out (used what we had on hand – mirepoix, canned tomatoes, delicate squash, a smattering of rice, and a can of beans) and it was great! Lemon juice finisher is a hit! Thank you so much.
Glad you enjoyed this vegetable soup, Jess!
Best vegetable soup ever — my meat eater husband also loved it!
Yay, I’m happy you and your husband loved it, Jane!
Is there any substitution for the tomatoes? I need to avoid them! 😩
How about diced zucchini? They’d be equally soft and delicious in this soup!
May I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned for this recipe?
Yes, you can use fresh tomatoes if you’d like!
Looks like a winner Lisa. I’ll make a batch for this weeks fall camping trip.
Sounds like a wonderful camping trip soup! Let us know how it turns out. :)
Please name the brand of broth that you used. Thank you 😄
Hi Judy – I’ve linked it in the recipe card above. :)