As the days get shorter and the nights chillier, nothing is more satisfying than a bowl of warming soup. Made with homemade vegetable broth and packed with all kinds of veggies, this healthy vegetable soup might become your new family favorite!
I absolutely adore soups this time of the year. I tend to eat a lot of raw food in the spring and summer. But once the cold season starts, I start craving more warming foods. So, instead of having cooling, light salads for lunch, I switch over to soothing soups. I might still have the occasional salad (and smoothies), but I tend to gravitate towards cooked foods.
I eat this vegetable soup without anything on the side. Tanner usually needs a bit more substance, so he enjoys it with a sandwich or grilled cheese (which I never make for him, so it’s usually just a sandwich). My 3-year old is convinced that soup is a great dip, so she has it with crackers or a piece of bread. She also refuses to eat hot soup, so she always throws in a couple of ice cubes for good measure. Weird? I certainly think so!
Anyway, after a season of making soups with summer produce, my family was thankful for a soup change. A change that still relies on seasonal veggies and nourishing homemade broth from veggie scraps, but tastes completely different.
Tips for Making Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Once you’ve got a good broth, your soup is essentially made. All it takes for a good vegetable soup is to simmer vegetables in it until they’re cooked. I went back to my mirepoix mix – onions, carrots, and celery – along with some tomatoes and sweet potatoes. However, you can use any vegetables you like. If you’re making vegetable soup in the spring or summer, feel free to incorporate spring/summer produce – asparagus, green peas, leafy greens, summer squashes …
The one ingredient that was very intentional on my part were the potatoes (you can use sweet or regular). Potatoes are very high in starch. As the potatoes cook, they release starch, naturally thickening the soup into a rich hearty broth.
Technique
I always start my vegetable soup by sweating out the onions in the oil first. Then I add some of the other aromatics (garlic and spices), and finally the other vegetables and liquid. There is no shortcut to good flavor! Some vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and potatoes can work just fine added directly to simmering soups. Aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, leeks, etc.), on the other hand, almost always need a brief sweat in a fat-based liquid before adding the remaining ingredients.
If you sweat the aromatics first, you’ll notice that your soup has a mellower, more balanced aroma, and a slightly sweeter flavor. The soup will taste smoother and more integrated. This is because heat increases the rate of reactions that occur when aromatic compounds combine with each other in the pot. The most prominent example is an onion. Have you ever noticed that when you cut it open, it has barely any aroma? It’s only after a few chemicals inside the onion cells are combined that the familiar sulfurous, pungent aroma begins to form. Heating these compounds will cause them to continue to convert to different, less pungent ones, and eventually an onion will soften into a mellow sweetness.
So what if you just put onions into a pot with hot water? Well, you would be limited to a maximum temperature of 212°F (100°C). This is too low for some of these specific reactions to take place (most famously the Maillard browning reactions). In a pot with oil, on the other hand, you have the ability to heat your vegetables to a higher temperature.
Tools You’ll Need
1. Cookware Set (Calphalon, Stainless Steel) | 2. Knife Set (6 Pieces, Utopia, Stainless Steel) | 3.Cutting Board (24″x 18″, Michigan Maple Block. Maple) | 4. Measuring Cup (4 Cups, Pyrex, Glass) | 5. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel)
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Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup V8 juice*
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 ear corn (optional)
- 1/2 large sweet potato
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. minced onion
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- salt, to taste
- fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, Add the onion and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and spices/herbs. Stir well and keep sauteing until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated and the spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, corn (optional), and sweet potato. Stir and add the vegetable broth and V8 juice, Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are completely tender and beginning to fall apart, about 25 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Garnish with some fresh parsley.
- Store leftover soup covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The easiest way to reheat frozen soup is to remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating to thaw slightly. Reheat on a stovetop, adding extra 1/4 cup (60 ml) water/broth at a time if too thick.
Hello Petra,
I hope You’re doing well today. Is there anywhere on Your You Tube site that I can get the breakdown of Calories, Vitamens etc? I already am a subscriber . Thank You, and keep these coming.
Joseph E. Davis
P.S. I’m a Type 2 Diabetic
HI Josepe – I am sorry – I don’t have any nutritional info for the recipes yet. I am working on it at the moment, so hopefully soon! Is there any specific recipe you’re looking at?
I’m looking forward to making this soup. I’ve already started making the veggie broth.
Hope it turns out great, Ada! 🙂
This was the recipe I used to make my first-ever soup!. I am still learning how to cook and your channel has been helping me tremendously! My first soup turned out AMAZING and my whole family loved it! I didn’t have time to make the broth but it still tasted so good. Thank you so much! I am looking forward to making more dishes using your recipes! 🙂
Yay! That makes me so happy, Maroua! Thank you so much for the feedback ❤ Hope you and your family enjoy the other recipes too 🙂
It is awsome
Thank you for the kind comment ❤
We already love your Lentil & Carrot soup, but this vege soup has now topped it – my daughter has been eating this soup for the last 6 days! We did swap out the potatoes for lentils so we had to add a bit more water as it was getting very thick! Great recipes, please keep posting more!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Tracee! Your comment just made my day! ❤️ I absolutely love soups, so I will definitely keep posting more 😉
Would like to recieve more recipes
Thank you for the feedback, Betty! Are you talking soup recipes specifically or any recipes?