Simple yet tasty! This is possibly the only easy vegetable soup recipe that you will need.
Use the template recipe below and interchange it with any vegetables that you have available.
I promise you that from this moment forward, your vegetable soup will be easy and delicious!
In this article and recipe, I will quickly explain how. Then you’ll be set, making the best vegetable soups at home!
Do I need stock or broth to make soup?
No, you do not need a stock or broth to make soup.
I never use stock, stock cubes, bullion cubes or broth to make soup. You just don’t need it.
I have been making vegan food for over 27 years, and can safely say that making vegetable soup is very effective and easy using a simple water base.
You don’t need to be concerned with adding stock, broth or bullion to your soup. The flavour of vegetable soup comes from the awesome simplicity of vegetables, salt, pepper and herbs.
What do I add to my vegetable soup for flavour?
How do you make vegetable soup without stock or broth? What do you add to make your soup flavourful?
It’s easy. Let’s keep this simple.
By adding a combination of the following you can turn simple ingredients into a truly delicious soup…
- Salt (preferably sea salt as it is better for you).
- Warming spices, such as ground coriander, Garam masala, cumin, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, paprika, or curry powder.
- Dried, powdered vegetable seasoning, such as onion and garlic powder, all give an instant depth of flavour to vegetable soup.
- Vegetables. Don’t underestimate the flavour that will infuse into your soup from the vegetables that you use. Think about how flavourful leeks, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and celery are. Then remember that as they cook, veggies such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower all lend themselves to a tasty medley of flavours in vegetable soup.
- Fresh herbs. As a rule of thumb, it’s best to add soft herb leaves such as basil, parsley, coriander (cilantro), and mint a the end of the cooking period. This unleashed the herb flavour, allowing it to infuse into your soup. One exception is rosemary. With tougher needle-like leaves, rosemary benefits from a longer cooking period to release its flavour.
- Roasting your vegetables before adding them to the soup releases a depth of flavour and earthy sweetness. This works especially well with pumpkin, squash, rutabaga (swede), onions, and garlic.
- Saute (a posh word for fry) your leeks, onions, mushrooms and garlic in the pan, before adding everything else. This will deepen their flavour and works wonders at giving your soups a delicious taste.
Can I just use water for making soup instead of stock?
Absolutely you can. Just use water instead of broth or stock.
Using water for making your soup is the easiest and simplest thing to do.
The flavouring will come from the vegetables and any simple seasoning that you add.
What vegetables can I use in my vegetable soup?
The easy vegetable soup recipe (scroll down below) is a template with a delicious, simple combination of vegetables to make your soup. You can however swap any vegetable out for your favourite vegetable. You might also have something in season, or less expensive that want to use instead.
Here are some vegetables that go well in soup…
- Parsnips
- Squash
- Pumpkin
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Zucchini (courgette)
- Rutabaga (swede)
- Beetroot
- Turnip
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Carrots
- Radish
- Sweet potato
- Potato
- Celery
- Celeriac
- Bell peppers
- Eggplant (aubergine)
- Chard
Often you will find that local seasonal vegetables that are in season are fresher and cheaper. Be willing to swap out for whatever makes more sense to you at the time.
Easy vegan vegetable soup
A recipe template for making a simple yet tasty vegetable soup. Either follow the recipe exactly, or use whatever vegetables you have available.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 large (500g) sweet potato
- 1 (200g) potato
- 200g (7oz) runner beans or green beans
- 1 litre (4 cups) water
- 400ml (1¾ cups) passata (or one tin of tomatoes)
- 1 heaped teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Chop the leek into small pieces and saute in hot olive oil in your soup pan for a few minutes. Stir a few times.
- Chop the other vegetables as small as you can. If you have other vegetables that you would like to use instead then simply swap according to what you have available. See notes above for suggestions.
- Destalk and finely chop the rosemary if you are using it.
- Add the other vegetables and rosemary into the soup pan along with the water, passata, salt pepper and onion powder.
- Bring the soup pan to a boil, with the lid on.
- Once it is boiling, reduce to a simmer and let it cook, with the lid on for at least 15 minutes. A longer cooking time will allow the flavours to dance a little more.
- This is ready to serve immediately.
- You can also put them into containers with lids and freeze if you want to batch make.
Pin easy vegetable soup recipe for later…
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Absolutely brilliant. So easy. Full of flavors.
Love it.
Thank you 🙂