This homemade vegetable soup recipe is packed with so much flavor you won't miss the meat. It's hearty enough for lunch or dinner, and is family friendly. Best of all, it's super easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator and freezer.
by Susan Pridmore
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Got veggies? Make vegetable soup.
My favorite soups are rustic soups loaded with veggies like this White Bean and Kale Soup and my award winning Vegetable and White Bean Soup. (It won first prize in a nation-wide contest run by Whole Foods several years ago.)
This easy vegetable soup recipe has some white beans too, but it's is more about the veggies and it's as much about the broth as the vegetables.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
Flavorful. It has a very flavorful broth from the homemade vegetable broth and uses fresh vegetables.
Hearty soup. It's full of fresh veggies, but you can add more if you prefer a soup that even heartier.
Easy. This is a rustic soup, so there's no need to be overly precise with prepping the veggies.
Flexible. Add cauliflower if you like that in your vegetable soup or add some leafy greens such as baby spinach.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions to make this easy homemade vegetable soup, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Yellow onion
- Celery
- Baby carrots - they're already peeled and are easier to slice into small rounds.
- Leek
- Dried herbs - I use oregano, but you can also use dried thyme or an Italian seasoning mix.
- Diced tomatoes - I recommend canned fire-roasted tomatoes, and be sure to add all of their juices.
- Vegetable stock - the broth in this recipe is important, and homemade vegetable broth is best. Otherwise, use Swanson's vegetable broth.
- Better Than Bouillon - There are several, but the Roasted Vegetable Paste is the one I use for this soup for an added depth of flavor.
- Russet potato - or sweet potatoes for a slightly sweet addition.
- Green beans
- Parmesan rind
- White beans - either cook your own from dried or used canned white beans.
- Fresh herbs - fresh Italian parsley, oregano and thyme are all great choices.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Chef's knife
- Large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot
- Stick blender or immersion blender
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this homemade vegetable soup are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Sauté the aromatics. The aromatics are the onion, celery, carrots, and leek. Warm olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, and sauté the aromatics until softened.
Step 2
Add more flavor. Add the dried oregano, salt, and black pepper and sauté a few more minutes.
Step 3
Add broth and simmer. Add a good vegetable broth, bouillon paste, canned diced tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cooked white beans in the last 10 minutes.
Step 4
Finishing the soup. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley and serve.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
- A good homemade vegetable stock is important to developing the flavor of the soup.
- Adding a little Better Than Bouillon paste deepens the umami flavors of the soup.
- Parmesan rind is another touch of umami flavor. Just remember to fish it out before serving the soup.
- A 10 second blending with a stick blender thickens the soup just enough.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Purchase onion, celery, and carrot already diced. Many grocery stores sells this in plastic containers in the produce department.
- Use canned white beans instead of cooking them from dried.
- Use frozen veggies for vegetables out of season such as frozen corn and frozen peas.
🧊 Storage Tips
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 - 10 days.
- Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 2 - 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- For a little heat to the soup add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Bay leaves can be a nice additional flavor for the broth. Add 1 bay leaf with the broth, and remove it when adding the beans.
- Use different veggies to suit your own preference or to focus on vegetables that are in season, for example red bell peppers in summer and butternut squash in fall and winter.
- Finish the soup with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
🥬 Make it Vegan
Eliminate the Parmesan rind and use plant-based Parmesan-style cheese for a sprinkle of Parmesan before serving.
Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.
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Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup with White Beans
Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Large pot such as a Dutch oven
- Stick blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped about 1 ¼ cups
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- 6 baby carrots, sliced into rounds about ½ cup
- 1 medium leek
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14.5 ounce can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes with all the juices
- 32 ounces homemade vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Paste
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and diced or 2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- ½ cup green beans cut into 1-inch lengths
- 14.5 ounce can of white beans drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot such as a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the yellow onions, celery, carrots, and leek until softened and very aromatic, about 7 minutes.
- Add the dried oregano, salt and black pepper and sauté for another couple of minutes.
- Stir in the broth, bouillon paste, diced tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, and Parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and maintain a simmer for 30 minutes. Add the cooked white beans in the last 10 minutes.
- Fish out the Parmesan cheese rind. If you want the soup a little thicker, use a stick blender for 7 - 10 seconds to slightly blend the soup.
- Stir in the fresh parsley and serve.
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