You know how most vegetable soups are pretty tired and “blah”? Not this one! This hearty homemade vegetable soup is full of fresh, wholesome flavors.
I’m excited to share this vegetable soup recipe with you. It’s honestly the best I’ve ever had, and I hope you’ll agree. You just might have all the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy soup on hand already.
I can think of so many reasons to make this soup. Warm up with a big bowl of veggie soup on a cold day. Make it for someone who’s under the weather. My husband has a cold and it’s snowing outside as I type, so this soup is just what we need right now.
Prepare a batch and you’ll have a healthy side dish ready to go for the rest of the week. This soup is a great way to lighten up heavier meals, especially as we get into the holidays. Did I mention that it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy?
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. Choose from veggies you have on hand, or grab your favorites at the store. Any of these will work:
- Sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch long segments
- Bell pepper, chopped
- Cauliflower, cut into very small bite-sized pieces
- Zucchini or yellow squash, chopped
- Fresh greens: Kale, collard greens, chard, or spinach
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. 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.
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. You probably won’t be able to pinpoint the flavor, but it adds some subtle intrigue and warmth to this soup. I’ve also used curry powder in my lentil soup and chickpea noodle soup as well, and it always works like a charm.
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. If you love spice like me, you might even want to double the amount at the end (add to taste). Regardless, we’ll let the soup gently simmer for 25 minutes so the flavors can meld together.
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! Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper, as necessary.
Watch How to Make Vegetable Soup
Please let me know how this soup turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you, and your feedback encourages other readers to try the recipe.
Craving more hearty, healthy, meatless soups this season? Me, too. Here are a few more great options:
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans Soup)
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Soup
Don’t miss the hearty soups in my cookbook, Love Real Food. They’re some of my favorites!
Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 bowls 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This vegetable soup recipe is seriously so good! It’s easy to make, and full of veggies and fresh flavor. If you’re feeing under the weather or just wanting to lighten up your meals, this soup is the answer. Recipe yields 6 bowls of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or yellow squash
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, reduce or omit if sensitive to spice
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale or collard greens or chard (thick ribs removed), or spinach
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- 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 ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- 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.
- Pour in the broth and water. Add ½ 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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!
Recommended equipment: I’m convinced that everything I cook in my Dutch oven (affiliate link) comes out extra delicious.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Leigh
Absolutely delicious! It’s a cold and snowy Michigan day; so I decided to make this soup since I had all of the main ingredients on-hand. I used a red potato, rutabega, sweet potato, garbanzo beans, and left over collard greens. I also cooked two whole grain/stone-ground hot water cornbread patties. It’s the best veggie soup I’ve EVER eaten. (Yes, curry powder is a key ingredient.)
★★★★★
Carol
The soup was so delicious. I am on the Whole30 program, so it goes perfectly with that. I didn’t have curry powder, so I used chili powder and red pepper flakes. I like my soups with mild spice. Thank you for the recipe!
Mahendra
Five star. The best vegetable soup I have made
Gordon
The vegetable soup was fantastic. I uses 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, two teaspoons of Dried oregano and one teaspoon of dried sage.
I also added two tablespoons of Knorr chicken broth powder
K-anne
This soup was excellent!!! It even hit home with my occasionally veggie-aversed children. The touch of curry and red pepper flakes add nice flavor and zip without being overwhelming. We threw in fresh spinach, cauliflower and zucchini and it was delish. You could virtually add any veggie to that broth and it would be wonderful. Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Jodi
NC had it’s first snowstorm yesterday, and I had this wonderful soup! Thank you for the delicious recipe, can’t wait to make it again.
Laurel
Wonderful! I doubled the seasonal veggies since I had so many and it was fabulous.
★★★★★
Stacey
Would this work in a crock pot? Suggestions? It looks delicious!
Patty
I made this last week with beef broth and a lb of lean ground beef but no tomatoes. It was delicious. The Curry gives a nice subtle flavor. Today I’m trying it with veg broth and Bella mushrooms for my vegetarian nephew. Hope he likes it.
★★★★★
Anne Kennon
This looks like the perfect use of my box of misfits veggies I just got! How can I tweak the instructions so I can make this in my slow cooker?
Mbowe
This soup is fantastic. Garlic taste is strong with 6 cloves – adjust if needed. Truly tasty!
★★★★★
Anika
Great instructions and DANG- the curry, thyme and garlic were a trifecta of genius. Gotta admit, I was afraid of all the garlic but it worked beautifully. The red pepper flakes added some zip! I did: sweet potato, kale, corn, onion, fire grilled tomatoes, celery, carrots, green beans & touch of cabbage.
★★★★★
Rebecca
I’ve made the soup at least five times in the last couple months. Delicious every time. One time I was out of veggie broth and I just used water, and it was still delicious. Highly recommend. I used sweet potatoes and butternut squash for the seasonal vegetables.
★★★★★
catherine
I made a pot of this Monday so I would have leftovers for lunch through the week, it is soo good!!!
★★★★★
Vivian
Fabulously delicious! That curry powder makes a big (awesome) difference-but it doesn’t taste like “curry”. Really great recipe. Thank you!!
★★★★★
Krista
This soup was delicious and i will keep making it. I followed recipe with no variations. Yumm
★★★★★
Marlene Poulin
It is a delicious recipe. My famíly enjoyed a lot. Thanks so much!!
Jade
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★★★★★
Veronica Kulig
Love this recipe! Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
Gabby
Made this soup for supper today. My husband is not a big fan of tomato based soup, so I used a smaller can of diced tomatoes. Otherwise I followed the recipe, used green beans and butternut squash along with the onions, carrots and celery, and added spinach at the end. Yummy!!!
Shayna
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★★★★★
Gwen
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Chris
★★★★★
Serra Dernberger
Really yummy soup! I added shredded Beecher’s cheddar and panko bread crumbs, on top, and gratained it. Superb!
★★★★★
shreya khastagir
Came out really well! Loved the flavours in the soup.Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy to hear that!
Maureen
This is a great recipe – my husband can’t get enough so I’m making it again today … very forgiving to use your fresh or frozen produce up ! Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Maureen! I’m glad you were able to use some of what you had on hand.
Wendy F Jochems
I enjoyed prepping all the wonderful veggies for this recipe. Hoping the outcome would be good. I have made classic vegie soup recipes before but this one…YUM. Thank you! so glad to have found you and your veggie recipes! I added a little of our Herbes de Provence as a garnish. Definitely be making more! Wendy
★★★★★
jeri baker
I made this soup and the whole family loved it. We have some prime ribs in the freezer, left from holidays. Could you add meat to this recipe? Or, maybe just enjoy as is and use meat for another recipe.
Kate
Hi, you could but of course I’m a vegetarian so love it this way. :)
Susan Sedlachek
Seriously Fabulous Vegetable Soup – the combination of vegetables, spices (wonderful), and lemon juice – fantastic. In the future, if we want vegetable soup this is the recipe.
★★★★★
Kat
Great recipe! For added depth add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce toward the end. I also added 1 cup of dried soup mix (mix of 12 beans/lentils). Super filling & tasty :)
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kat!
Les
Dear Kate,
I am an older chap who has started mending a life-time of bad eating habits. I am trying to use the ‘flexitarian’ approach and now eat little meat, either red or white.
On monday last, I found your recipe and thought I would give it a go. Well to say the least both myself and my wife were thrilled at the taste discovery that goes with this recipe. So my daughter and the family were coming over later in the week for a dinner, and I decided soup it was going to be. She had her nose half turned up at the idea of me cooking soup. But guess who was first back to the pot after the first serving….lol. This is a brilliant recipe and will become a standard in our home. Thank you for sharing it with your readers.
Les
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you came across this recipe, Les! Thanks for your comment and review.
Jenn
The curry, though subtle, puts this soup over the top delicious. Give it go.
★★★★★
Kate
The curry does really help make this soup! Thanks for your review, Jenn.
Rose
I absolutely love this soup. I’ve prepared it with zucchini and butternut squash and, this time (because I’ve made it a few times) I added a bit of pearl barley, too, just to make a full meal. It turned out wonderfully! Thank you!
★★★★★
sarah brink
I was so happy to find this recipe to use up the vegetables that I had. Because of being indoors, I could not go to the grocery store to buy what I didn’t have. It was still delicious- I left out the tomatoes, lemon juice and mistakenly added way too much curry powder. This will be a recipe I use often, especially while it’s cold outside.
★★★★★
Kate
i’m glad you could enjoy it, Sarah!
Anne-Marie
I have made so many pots of homemade vegetable soup and never could muster any enthusiasm for any of the recipes I’ve tried. No longer. This was the most wonderful, flavorful traditional veggie soup I’ve ever eaten. It must be the touch of curry…brilliant! My family couldn’t believe how good it was. I didn’t have canned tomatoes so I subbed 8 oz tomato sauce and 3 chopped Campari tomatoes. I also only had a quarter onion and it was fine. I used yellow summer squash, green pepper and fresh spinach. Can’t wait for the leftovers. Will make this again and again! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kenneth Talan
Clearly the best vegetable soup recipe I have ever experienced. My wife concurs! Changing/substituting/enhancing in anyway seems to just make it better. Like adding beans .
★★★★★
kbwaldo
Got a box of vegetables from misfits and used up the leftovers (some turnips, zucchini, green beans, and collard greens) to make this soup. I also added some eye of goat beans and quinoa. DELICIOUS VEGETABLE SOUP!! And endless possibilities. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Kate
Thank you!
Kate
I used no salt added broth & added a 1/4 cup or so of white wine. Smells awesome & tastes excellent so far. Thx for sharing.