Vegetable Soup (Printer-friendly)
Comforting vegetable soup with seasonal vegetables, herbs, and savory broth—ready in under an hour.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, chopped
06 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
07 - 1 zucchini, diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
09 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
10 - 1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
11 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves
→ Liquids & Seasonings
12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
14 - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
15 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
17 - 1 bay leaf
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
# How to Make It:
01 - Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
02 - Add the sliced carrots, chopped celery, and diced potatoes to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
03 - Stir in the diced zucchini, green beans, corn kernels, and diced tomatoes. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine.
04 - Add the salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
05 - Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are fork-tender.
06 - Stir in the baby spinach leaves and cook for an additional 2 minutes until wilted. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It transforms whatever vegetables are languishing in your crisper drawer into something genuinely magical
- The broth becomes incredibly flavorful without any fancy techniques or expensive ingredients
02 -
- The vegetables will continue cooking in the hot broth even after you turn off the heat
- Tasting your broth before you start cooking matters more than any measurement
03 -
- Adding a parmesan rind during simmering creates an incredibly rich, umami depth
- Cutting vegetables into similar sizes ensures everything finishes cooking at the same time