The Best Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup is one of those recipes that has been around forever. Packed with veggies, this soup is healthy, delicious, and the perfect thing to have around when hunger strikes. It's a favorite low calorie soup along with this Healthy Taco Soup and Cabbage Soup.

One of my favorite strategies to eat more veggies is to have some vegetable soup in the freezer. It saves me when hunger strikes or when I need a quick meal. This homemade vegetable soup is one of my all-time favorites to have in the freezer and it is the best side dish or in between meal snacks. It's filling, super healthy, and it's something you can enjoy anytime.

There are so many ways you can make this easy veggie soup. My personal version uses a combination of tomatoes and chicken broth to add tons of flavor. I use Italian seasoning to kick up the flavor and then add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, cabbage, green beans, peas, and corn. I also regularly throw in zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and some chickpeas or lentils when I want it to be more filling.

Recipe Ideas for Vegetable Soup

• Make it spicy: While sauteing the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery add some red pepper flakes. You could also add some diced jalapenos.
• Try new veggies: This soup can be made with any vegetables you like or have on hand. Just pay attention to cooking time. Quick cooking veggies should be added later so they don't get too soft.
• Add protein: To make this soup more filling, consider adding some protein. Consider using chickpeas, lentils, or cannellini beans to keep it vegetarian. You could also add chicken breast, ground turkey, or shrimp. You could even add both! Just note you may need some extra broth.
• More tomato flavor: For more tomato flavor, you have a couple of options. First, you can add extra tomato paste. That adds a rich tomato flavor. Another option is adding blended canned tomatoes. Lastly, you could use a tomato or tomato and chicken flavored bouillon cube.
• Spices: To keep things simple, I opted to just use some Italian seasoning in this soup. If you prefer more kick, you can swap in any of your favorite spices or spice blends. Fresh herbs are also great.
• Make it with tomato juice or v8: Some people like to swap in tomato juice or v8 for the chicken broth. You can use half and half or go with all juice.
• Ranch or taco seasoning: Another way to pack in extra flavor is with store-bought ranch or taco seasoning. This is a popular trick for adding lots of extra flavor. Onion soup mix and vegetable soup mix works as well.

How to Freeze Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is a great option to have in the freezer and it will keep for up to 6 months. Personally, I like to freeze my soup in individual servings to make it easy to grab and go meals. For the best results, make sure to let the soup cool completely before placing it in the freezer.

These one cup soup "ice cube" trays are one of my favorites since you can freeze the portions and then pop them out of the silicone mold and place them in a plastic bag for easy storage.

Can I make vegetable soup in the slow cooker?

This soup can easily be adapted to make in the crockpot. Add everything except for the green beans, corn, and peas to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 3.5 hours. Open and add the green beans, peas, and corn. Let cook for 30 minutes more or until green beans are cooked through but not mushy. Taste and season as needed.

How to make vegetable soup more filling?

A common complaint about vegetable soup is that it just doesn't keep you full for very long. For a more filling soup, you will want to add protein, fiber, or both to make it more filling. Some options include beans, lentils, or edamame. You could also add lean protein like rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, or turkey sausage. Another option is to take some pasta, rice, couscous, or quinoa. For all of these options, you may need to add some additional broth to the soup.

How many calories are in a healthy vegetable soup?

This vegetable soup has 147 calories for a 1.5 cups serving. Generally speaking, vegetable soup has between 100-200 calories per cup.