Very Veggie Soup Recipe

This is the ‘veggie’ best soup, a good old fashioned everything but the kitchen sink vegetable soup recipe. Most importantly, vegetable soups are the best for interchanging ingredients. I really don’t think I’ve ever made the exact same vegetable soup tice- and that’s part of the fun of cooking – making it your own every single time.

The secret to a really flavorful vegetable soup is always a Mirepoix– which is a fancy way of saying ‘flavor base’ including sweet onion, garlic, carrots and celery. That and letting the herbs you add like sage, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaf do the flavoring for you.

I’ve got some tips on basic soup techniques in my Super Soup Tips if you’re interested in learning about layering flavors into your soups.

This recipe uses so many garden veggies that have a tendency to linger in the deep freeze-  I’m looking at you chopped and/or shredded zucchini. Frozen diced bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, tomatoes and edamame are other usual suspects.

Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes and even rutabaga and parsnip (in small amounts) are all fabulous additions.

The trick to an over the top veggie soup is to get a variety of textures and sizes all done at about the same time, so remember that you can add in veggies at different times to keep them from getting mushy on you.

Timing Guide for Cooking Vegetables in Soup

Hard & Starchy Veggies
Add early, 15–20 mins to simmer

 • Yukon Gold or red potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash or pumpkin, parsnips, and turnips.

Soft & Quick-Cooking Veggies
Add mid-to-late, 5–10 mins to simmer:

 • Zucchini or yellow squash, green beans, corn kernels, cauliflower or broccoli florets, and sliced bell peppers.

Leafy Greens
Add in the final 1–2 minutes

 • Baby spinach, Lacinato or curly kale (ribs removed), Swiss chard, or green/Savoy cabbage.

Extras for Body & Protein
Canned or cooked chickpeas, cannellini beans, kidney beans, or small pasta/rice will depend on if they are fully cooked. I am known for adding in small amounts of leftover meats, like chicken and ham on day two of the soup, just to keep changing it up.

Of course you’ll need a broth to add another layer of flavor, your choice-  broth or stock. And I go into the differences in my Souper Soup Tips.

Very Veggie Soup Recipe

You can keep the broth clear by adding an herb sachet and not add tomatoes, and making sure to rinse any beans you add.

Ingredients:
1-2 onions or leeks (white only for soups) diced
2-3 cloves garlic crushed
2 Tbsp dried (or 4 fresh) herbs combined sage, parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, bay leaf
(add cayenne if you want a kick)
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
Up to 2 cups shredded Zucchini
8 C veggies Total:
Up to 2 Cups each chopped potatoes, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli,
Up to 1 cup each peas, sweet corn, tomatoes, celery
1-2 tsp salt (start with 1 and taste)

Directions:
Saute onions and garlic, and then use the “Bloom” method from above with your choice of dried herbs/spices. Sizzle any veggies that won’t get too overdone, add your broth/stock and tomatoes, potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, then add remaining veggies (green beans broccoli etc) and simmer for 5- 10 minutes.

And, if you want to bulk up this soup even more, add in some barley, quinoa, brown rice or even noodles. Or save your carbs for a slice of toast.

This soup lasts in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, can be frozen. I especially like the 1 cup Souper Cubes for this.

Get your Slurp on,
Michelle