Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
This vegetable soup recipe is seriously so good! It's easy to make, and full of healthy vegetables and fresh flavor. There's nothing "blah" about it!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
HI! What brand vegetable broth do you use? Or do you have a recipe for it? I have yet to find a vegetable broth I like. Thanks! Laura
My husband and I agree this is a keeper. For the 2 cups of veggies I used a cup+ of green beans, a sweet potato, and a small zucchini. For the greens I used baby spinach. In step 3, I also added 1 can of rinsed chickpeas and 1 cup of farro to make it hearty enough for our main meal (got the idea from Kate’s Quinoa Vegetable Soup). I served this with Kate’s Cranberry Orange Muffins made with coconut oil and honey and I mixed-in the end of a bag of chopped walnuts.
This was very yummy! I loved the colors, flavors, textures and the overall health benefits of it! Definitely a keeper…thank you Kate and of course Cookie.
Hi Kate! Your site has been a go-to for my husband and I for years now and we’ve never made one of your recipes we didn’t love. This soup is great because you can mix up the veggies and clean out the fridge every now and then! I’ve been adding a can of chickpeas and a can of black beans to this lately for an extra protein bump and heartiness in this cold weather. Delish! Cheers from Ontario, Canada :) Thanks for the years of fantastic recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that! I’m glad this soup is one you love, too. I appreciate your comment and review!
Do you think this could be halved? I cook just for myself but my freezer isn’t working properly right now so I don’t think I’d be able to freeze leftovers!
I would think so, let me know how it goes!
Kate, this recipe was great! So quick and easy. I did not have carrots so I had to make it without them and it still came out very tasty. The butternut squash mellows the other flavors and gives it an inviting taste.
I’m happy you were able to work with what you had on hand! Thanks for sharing, Kecia.
I made this soup and it was excellent, My husband ate 2 large bowls before stopping and he didn’t want to share,lol
Hooray! That’s great, Glenda.
Wow!
Made this for supper this evening and between hubby and I, as well as both kids, there is hardly any left. We all loved it so much.
I was a little skeptical because I normally don’t love vegetable soup and I was VERY skeptical about the curry powder…but it was amazing!
Will be making this again and again!
Hooray! I love to hear that, Lauren. Thanks for sharing!
This soup is delish! Thank you! I added a bit more heat as you suggested with some more red pepper flakes and then I also added some chickpeas for more protein. This may be my go to soup for the winter! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Marni!
I just made this soup (after a particularly indulgent weekend) and it is truly delicious! I used sweet potato, green beans, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. I’m going to top it with a little grated parmesan and minced parsley before serving. Seriously so, so good. Thanks Kate for another awesome recipe! 10/10 will make again :)
I’m so glad you loved it, Lucy!
Should you roast the butternut squash before using, or just throw it in raw?
Cook the butternut squash with the other vegetables. I hope this helps!
This soup turned out beautifully and was just the thing on a rainy and cold Seattle day. I used white potato, and extra carrot and green beans for the veggies and some baby kale for the greens. As the recipe describes, the curry adds a little something but in no way makes this a curry flavored soup.
This soup is DELICIOUS!! I added swiss chard and corn and they were great additions! I cook from your recipes a lot and always find they are so yummy :) now I just start my Google search with “cookie and kate” then list whatever is in my fridge! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Sherry! I appreciate your review.
The curry and pepper flakes made for an interesting twist on traditional vegetable soup. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Rachel!
I’m going to make this tonight! Kate, I always love your recipes. You have a knack for making the “best ever” of a lot of things…now I kind of want to make your guacamole, too! Anyway, I was thinking about adding some chick peas to this so that it has more protein and is more filling. Do you think I should increase the liquid to balance that out! TIA!
We made this two times this month along with a few of your other recipes. I love this soup, it’s one of my favorites! :)
That’s great to hear, Joanne!
I made this on the wood stove Sunday; it is absolutely delicious. I cooked some ditalini separately and put it in the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup.
Wonderful, Suzette!
Hello, Im getting ready to try this soup for tonight. Cant wait. Just wanted to thank you for the amazing recipes which help this novice vegan cope with my lack of Italian food withdrawal. I was so impressed I bought each of my 4 children your cookbook for Christmas.Thanks and Happy New Year, Frank Miller, Gig Harbor, Wa.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you are excited for this soup. Thanks so much for gifting my book! I hope everyone loves it :)
This is seriously the best vegetable soup I’ve ever had. I’ve served it twice to company and everyone asks for the recipe! I used sweet potatoes and green beans for the extra veggies and increased the curry because we love it. Still not overwhelming- just perfect. The vegetables are cooked but not soggy and the flavors are wonderful!! Thank you for such a great, simple but delicious recipe!!
Can I add hamburger meat to this soup? I also like corn and peas.
We’ve made this twice now and it is FANTASTIC! Highly recommend as the best veggie soup I’ve probably ever had!
I love that! Thank you, Lucy.
I made this for Christmas Eve dinner. Easy to heat up after Mass. it was so good. We added a cup of macaroni noodles. Made it like a stew! My husband loved it! Thank you for making easy yummy recipes!
Thank you for sharing, Carly!
This was an absolutely amazing recipe – thank you for sharing.
I didn’t have diced tomatoes so I diced a fresh one I had and it turned out amazing.
The curry powder made this “not your usual vegetable soup.” I used butternut squash, zucchini, bell peppers turnips and broccoli for the seasonal veggies. Sometimes homemade vegetable soups can be too thick, but I didn’t have that problem with this recipe – it was a very good consistency.
I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing it.
I was in the mood for vegetable soup yesterday, something other than my usual throw together. This soup hit the spot. I used sweet potato and butternut squash for the seasonal veggies, plus spinach for greens. Also added 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of berbere. Will definitely make again!
Loved this soup! Making it for the second time. Tons of veggies, so I added a bit more broth, water, and seasonings. I froze it last time and ate it every day for a week!
Made your Seriously Good Veggie soup today. Best recipe! Love the combo of spices and the kick of lemon at the end!
Thank you for sharing, Jane!
This soup is incredibly tasty! Will definitely be adding this to my repertoire.
Great to hear you loved it, Susan! Thank you for your review.
The flavor in this soup is to die for. I used red and yellow bell peppers and mini potatoes as my veggies, and also added white kidney beans for some extra protein. I will be making this so many more times!!!
Thank you for sharing, Lauren!
This vegetable soup is seriously good!!! I’ve made it several times, including for my meat-eating family — with rave reviews.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing this soup was a hit with your family, Jenna.
Just made this soup. I had to substitute cumin for the curry, also added some sauteed mushrooms. Best vegetable soup ever. Thank you for the recipe.
This soup is definitely “Seriously Good”. It’s one of the best soup recipes I have come across. Thank You.
I’m happy you think so, Douglas! Thank you for your review.
My husband came downstairs at the end of the cooking of the soup and noticed the smell of the curry right away, although he didn’t know what it was. I’ve already taste tested, and it’s so good! I used green beans, potatoes, and corn for the seasonal vegetables added 1/3 cup Israeli couscous, and otherwise followed the recipe as written. Delicious.
Made this soup today. Used green beans, sweet potato, zucchini and bell pepper. It was delicious.
Sounds like a great combination! Thanks for your review, Viji.
Divine veggie soup! The only thing I would add is a can of any kind of beans—for their protein! Can’t say enough good things about the flavor of the soup!
Made your Creamy Roasted Cauliflower soup at the same time, while it was roasting made the veggie, so in an hour I had two kinds of soup!
Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
Such an easy recipe to follow! It came out absolutely wonderful :)
WOW. This is DELICIOUS. I did half the called for tomatoes because my husband can’t take too many in dishes, and he loved it! This will become a staple for us. (We also tossed some nutritional yeast on top for a vegan cheesy flavor. It didn’t need it, but we’re new to traditional yeast and wanted to try it!)
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Rebecca! Thank you for your review.
It is always nice to have a good recipe that extends to a second meal and this one was great. It made a chunky tasty vegetable soup for dinner and then a nice flavorful vegetable curry a few days later. Thank you for the curry tip it smoothed out the flavors and inspired the leftovers. I had the base (celery, carrots, peppers, onions) and then used the stragglers I had wilting in the bin (3 parsnips, small rutabaga, even smaller celery root, two squash(both different), one yellow large potato, green beans). I varied the cooking time and left the squash for last. I needed to double the vegetable broth and Pomi tomatoes (crushed), I did not realize how many vegetables I had on standby until I started to fill up the pot. Served it with Naam and turned the leftovers into a vegetable curry(two days later)with coconut milk, additional chopped apple, and roasted peppers with more curry and then incorporated that mixture into the leftover soup. Served over rice with coconut flakes, raisins, and peanuts. Soup gone! Curry gone! Vegetable bin, clean!
This recipe is soo good! The more of it I had the more I enjoyed it, cheered me up on a January winter Sunday night. Thank you!
Your’e welcome, Andrew!
I just made this soup and it is delicious. I sauteed some cilantro together with the cut up vegetables. I didn’t have greens so I used broccoli and Chinese cabbage. I just used water instead of veggie broth. The combination of curry powder and thyme gives this soup a wonderful umami flavor.
Thank you so much for this super delicious recipe.
I’m happy you made this work with what you had on hand! I appreciate your review.
This was delicious, very satisfying, and perfect for a cold winter evening. I plan to make this often. I chose two vegetables in season (sweet potatoes and turnip roots), and added green beans.
This soup is phenomenal- made it twice in one week. I am obsessed
Thank you for the recipe! My husband said this was the BEST soup he has ever had. (That means a lot because he has had a lot of good soup in his life, and his mom is an amazing cook!) My 9 yo ate 4+ bowls in one sitting.
The only issue I had was that I used fresh string beans. They took forever to cook. Any advice? Could you post a version of this using an Instant Pot please? I just started using my IP, and I would love more tested recipes. :)
Hi Lilian! I’m glad it was a hit. Unfortunately, I’m not going to post an instant pot recipe for this (or at least in the near future) as it would require a different recipe. I also love the way this comes together on the stove. Maybe try cutting your beans a little smaller. Are you sauting them with the other vegetables?
Hi Kate,
I will try cutting the beans really tiny. Or maybe I can steam them a bit before putting them in the soup. I just dumped them in with the mix of veggies.
I have failed at making soups so many times, so if I can get the beans right, I will make this soup regularly! Lol
:)
I could not believe I made it!!!! It was awesome! Love the flavors. Thank you for posting it.
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe. My wife and I made it last night, using purple sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and rainbow carrots as the chunkies. We went with McCormick’s organic Italian blend rather than the curry. We will almost certainly make this again – we’re already thinking of cauliflower and zucchini when the spring and summer roll around.
You’re welcome, Wayne! I’m happy you enjoyed it. I like your combination idea for the spring. Be sure to let me know how it goes!
Hi – I’m new to your website and am enjoying exploring the recipes. Question on vegetable broth — is there a specific brand/kind you recommend? Do you have a recipe for making your own?
Thanks
Hi Noha! I do use vegetable broth. I buy organic when possible. Whole Foods organic 365 and Pacific foods tend to be what I have on hand.
Wonderful soup! I stayed true to the recipe, even the curry, which was a tad daring for me. As stated, you couldn’t recognize the curry but it did give it a special flavor. I didn’t add red pepper flakes to the pot because not everyone in the family likes hot spicy. I did, however, add to MY bowl some salsa that has a sweetness to it’s very definite heat. YUM! Either way, with or without the heat, it will likely be my go-to recipe for soup !
I’m glad you tried it and loved it, Dawn! I appreciate your review.
Just made this soup & it’s the best soup I ever had. Great flavor and the combination of vegetables makes it’s perfect! I did cheat and added a small beef shank.
Thank you for sharing, Rodney!
I made this other night; I ended up putting 12 different vegetables in it, including the canned tomatoes. It was fantastic and even better the next few days for leftovers. I really appreciated how you explained a general formula for the soup, then guidelines for what to put in it so it was easily customizable. I basically added every veggie in my fridge, pantry and freezer. I also added a teaspoon or so of basil at the end. Delicious! I will definitely make this again. (My kids even ate it!)
That’s a lot of vegetables! I’m happy you liked it, Sarah.
I LOVE THIS SOUP!!! i made this soup and it is flavorful, healthy and yummie!! I had some veggies in the fridge and used them. Broccoli, kale, spinach, red and green peppers–you can use any veggies and the flavor is fabulous! Another winner from my favorite! You knocked it out of the park–absolutely fabulous!!