Homemade Vegetable Soup
Rustic Vegetable Stew Recipe – Cozy homemade veggie soup combines garden fresh vegetables with convenient canned goods and frozen staples. It’s a delicious vegan stew that’s ready in under an hour, and perfect to serve as a hearty plant-based meal that even the most serious meat eaters love!
Why We Love this Veggie Soup Recipe
When the nights are even the slightest bit crisp we love to enjoy a warm bowl of nourishing soup for dinner. This simple hearty and wholesome Homemade Vegetable Stew recipe is an absolute favorite in our family… Although we love all sorts of noodle and meaty soups as well, this clean vegetarian and vegan vegetable soup is an absolute winner!
The flavor comes from a combination of fresh and frozen vegetables, plus a generous amount of both fresh herbs and dried spices. Also, I prefer using soup base, a.k.a. bullion paste, instead of broth. The reason for this is you can add extra vegetable base to the soup without adding additional liquid. So the vegetable broth is concentrated in flavor. You can buy vegetable bases in the broth section of most major grocery stores.
This veggie soup is a perfect vegan recipe on its own, in my humble opinion. However, it’s super easy to customize if you want to change up the veggies and/or add cooked meat to the soup. Either way, it is a delicious one-pot dinner that’s a snap to make in less than an hour!
Ingredients You Need
- Olive oil – or other high-heat cooking oil like canola or avocado oil
- Sweet onion – peeled and chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Carrots – peeled and chopped
- Celery – chopped
- Baby potatoes – chopped, skins left on
- Canned diced tomatoes – Fire-roasted tomatoes have the most robust taste
- Vegetable base – plus water
- Spices – dried bay leaves, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper
- Fresh rosemary – simmers with the soup, but is removed before serving
- Frozen corn and chopped okra – no need to thaw first!
- Fresh parsley – chopped, for the soup and to garnish
How to Make Rustic Vegetable Stew
First, prep the veggies. Chop the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into ¾ to 1-inch pieces. Mince the garlic, and chop the fresh parsley.
Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Stir and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the onions and garlic.
Then add the chopped potatoes, canned tomatoes and juices, vegetable base, water, bay leaf, rosemary, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir and cover.
Get the Complete (Printable) Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Then bring to a boil. Simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove the lid, and stir in the frozen okra, sweet corn, and chopped parsley.
Simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.
Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed.
Recipe Variations
- Butter for oil – Use plant-based butter to keep the recipe vegan, or use dairy butter if you like.
- Soup base – Use beef bullion or broth (see notes in recipe card).
- Green beans for okra – Swap one for the other depending on availability and your preference.
- Other veggies – Try swapping or adding fresh chopped parsnips, zucchini, cauliflower or broccoli florets, spinach, chopped sweet potatoes, frozen peas, or a convenient bag of frozen mixed vegetables.
- Pasta – Make this more like a minestrone soup by adding small noodles to the pot 8-10 minutes before serving.
- Legumes – Through in cooked white beans or chickpeas for extra protein and fiber.
- Meat – Throw in leftover shredded chicken or beef for a protein-rich vegetable stew.
Serving Suggestions
First, remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem. Serve vegetable soup nice and warm.
Nothing pairs better with a rich and tomato-y veggie soup like a hunk of crusty bread or homemade breadsticks. This satisfying stew was made for dunking!
Can’t get enough veggies? Add a fresh salad to the dinner table! Try a simple chopped salad with romaine and your favorite chopped vegetables, all tossed together in a Greek, Italian, or Caesar dressing.
This vegetable soup recipe is terrific to make as a large pot and use for weekly lunch meal preps!
Frequently Asked Questions
This homemade vegetables soup gets its delicious savory taste from a robust concentrated broth and plenty of seasonings. These ingredients elevate the fresh and sweet veggie flavors, and all together make a wonderfully zesty stew.
No, everything cooks in one pot with no need to cook beforehand. The onion and garlic sauté first before fresh, canned, and frozen veggies are added.
Leftovers are scrumptious and last for up to 4-5 days! Let the soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and keeping in the fridge.
Yes, it freezes very well. Consider making a large batch of this vegetable soup recipe at once – then enjoy half and freeze the other half to enjoy later. Cool the soup and transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container. Wrap the container in a layer or two of aluminum foil for extra protection. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before rewarming on the stovetop.
Looking for More Scrumptious Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil
- Vegetarian Navy Bean Soup
- Lemon Lentil Soup with Fennel
- Easy Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
- Vegan Creamy Golden Vegetable Soup
Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or plant-based butter
- 1 ½ cup chopped sweet onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 3 cups chopped baby potatoes
- 2 – 15 ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons vegetables base
- 6 cups water
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cups frozen chopped okra or green beans
- 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Chop the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes into ¾ to 1-inch pieces. Mince the garlic, and chop the fresh parsley.
- Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Stir and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the onions and garlic.
- Then add the chopped potatoes, canned tomatoes and juices, vegetable base, water, bay leaf, rosemary, smoked paprika, and crushed red pepper. Stir and cover. Then bring to a boil. Simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Then remove the lid, and stir in the frozen okra, sweet corn, and chopped parsley. Simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- I prefer using soup base, a.k.a. bullion paste, instead of broth. The reason for this is you can add extra vegetable base to the soup without adding additional liquid. So the vegetable broth is concentrated in flavor. You can buy vegetable base in the broth section of most major grocery stores.
- Leftovers are scrumptious and last for up to 4-5 days! Let the soup cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and keeping it in the fridge.
- To freeze: Cool the soup and transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container. Wrap the container in a layer or two of aluminum foil for extra protection. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before rewarming on the stovetop.
this was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
Excellent healthy recipes, congrats!