Nothing is better than a pot of cozy soup and this is a favorite.

Hearty and healthy, this vegetable soup recipe has a rainbow of vegetables, including carrots, cabbage and zucchini, cooked in a flavorful broth.

Naturally low in fat and calories, it’s the perfect lunch, snack, or starter!

bowls of Vegetable Soup Recipe

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A Feel Good Vegetable Soup Recipe

  • Quick & Delicious: This veggie soup recipe is fast to prepare and it’s both delicious and healthy!
  • Low Cal & Low Carb: Since it’s so veggie packed, it’s filling and low in calories (only 52 calories per 1 cup). It’s 0 points if you follow Weight Watchers, it’s low carb and keto friendly too!
  • Versatile: Add the veggies listed below or your own favorite vegetables.

Ingredients in Vegetable Soup

This is the ultimate soup for any kind of add-in. It will still turn out perfect!

Broth or Stock – We use either beef broth or chicken broth but you can use any homemade stock or broth or vegetable broth if you prefer.

Veggies – A variety of vegetables make this soup fun and flavorful. The cabbage adds bulk and fills your belly. If you’re not a fan of cabbage, you can most certainly substitute kale or spinach. Keep in mind that kale will add more bulk and spinach will shrink down quite a bit.

  • Low Carb Veggies: Cabbage, beans, cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, celery
  • Starchy Veggies: Carrots, potatoes or sweet potatoes (may need longer to cook), corn, green peas.

Add your favorite seasonings. Minced garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and basil add a subtle flavor to the soup that complements the vegetables. Optional additions include red pepper flakes or a squeeze of lemon juice.

cabbage , beans , cauliflower , broth , carrots , tomatoes , onion , zucchini , peppers and seasonings to make Vegetable Soup Recipe with ;one;s

More Soup-er Add-Ins

Homemade vegetable soup is so versatile!

  • Protein: Add fresh or leftover proteins like chicken, ground beef, or sausage.
  • Legumes: Keep it vegetarian and add white beans, chickpeas, or your favorite cooked/canned beans.
  • Grains: Hearty grains like barley or pasta like rotini, shells, or fun bowties will also make this a new dish every time!
Vegetable Soup in a pot

How to Make Vegetable Soup

Homemade vegetable soup is perfect for make-ahead lunches or batch cooking. I learned to make this healthy soup recipe years ago and it’s always a staple in our kitchen.

  1. Cook garlic & onion according to the recipe below.
  2. Cook the firmer vegetables until tender. Add the broth and seasonings.
  3. The softer vegetables and & simmer. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Serving Suggestion: Serve soup with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese or a small dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Storing Veggie Soup

If you’re trying to cut calories it’s perfect to have in your fridge ready to enjoy when you need a healthy snack or a quick meal!

This soup reheats well so mix up a big batch and enjoy it throughout the week!

Keep vegetable soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze chilled soup in zippered bags or a freezer-safe container for up to 4 months. Reheat or thaw directly on the stovetop.

Vegetable Soup in a pot with a ladle

More Veggie Packed Soups

Did you make this Vegetable Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
plated Vegetable Soup Recipe
4.95 from 415 votes

Vegetable Soup Recipe

Servings 12 servings
This Vegetable Soup recipe is one of our favorites. Loaded with veggies and naturally low in fat and calories, it’s the perfect lunch, snack, or starter!
Servings 12 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups chopped green cabbage approximately ¼ head of cabbage
  • 1 cup diced carrot
  • 1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 bell peppers red, yellow, or green, chopped
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets or broccoli florets
  • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
  • 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups sliced zucchini

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the cabbage, carrots, & green beans and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Stir in bell peppers, cauliflower, undrained tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, and seasonings. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add in zucchini, simmer an additional 5 minutes or until softened.
  • Remove bay leaves before serving.

Video

Notes

Add any type of vegetables you’d like. Quick-cooking veggies like spinach and zucchini should be added at the end of cooking.
To make a hearty meal, add in cooked protein before serving such as shredded chicken or ground beef. Whole-grain pasta or rice can be added to each serving as well.
Optional flavor additions include: replace the dried herbs with Italian seasoning, a few dashes of hot sauce, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, or fresh herbs. 
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze the cooled soup in individual portions for up to 4 months. Reheat or thaw directly on the stovetop.
Slow Cooker:  Cook onions in a skillet with a bit of oil. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours or until veggies are tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Instant Pot: Cook onions using the saute function. Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, naturally release for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.
4.95 from 415 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 52 | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2650IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
plated Vegetable Soup Recipe with a title
pot full of Vegetable Soup Recipe with a title
close up of Vegetable Soup Recipe with a title
Vegetable Soup Recipe in the pot and plated with writing

This is NOT medical advice. This recipe is provided for informational purposes and enjoyment only.  Eating this soup doesn’t guarantee weight loss.  Before starting any weight loss program, be sure to consult your doctor.

NOTE: Nutritional information is auto-generated and is based on the quantities, amounts, and brands of products I used in this recipe.  Actual amounts may vary based on your preparation and the products used.  For informational purposes only, this is not medical information or advice.

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

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4.95 from 415 votes (299 ratings without comment)

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Comments

    1. You do not have to add the bay leaves and thyme, they are added just for flavor. You can add chicken to make this a complete meal.

  1. Does anyone know how long it will keep when frozen? I made the soup tonight with no salt added canned tomatoes and green beans, still had loads of flavor without the sodium. It filled 15 containers for the freezer, each holds a 1.5 cup serving :) I love the recipe, thanks for sharing!

      1. I freeze it in containers, then pop it pop it out of the container (still frozen). Then I vacuum seal it. Keeps up to a year or longer and tastes just as fresh as when you made it. 

  2. Do you have the nutritional information for this soup? It looks great and im strictly counting my calories however I’m not familiar with the weight watcher’s point system.
    Thanks!

    1. If you use canned vegetables they have a lot of sodium, you can rinse them off in a colander . Cardiologist said always use fresh if you can,t use frozen. Only use canned if you have nothing else and always rinse. Thought this could be helpful for ppl. With health problems. Thank You

    1. It could be suitable for a low carb diet depending on what vegetables you put in it. You can calculate the nutritional information at MyFitnessPal.com to see if it’s a fit for you!

    1. You can leave them out or substitute other herbs you may have on hand. They are just there to add extra flavor.

  3. The soup looks so inviting and tempting. As i am a carb n calorie watcher. I am definitely going to try this soup. Thank you in advance.

  4. The recipe has it cooking so quickly I’m just wondering how it will work if you want to cook it in the slow cooker?

      1. Low temp usually 6-8 hrs, if that. But if you’re working, I’d put just a little extra liquid so it doesn’t go dry on you.

      2. I have also done it in the slow cooker. Mine has an Auto Shift button. I use that option when I’m not going to be home to monitor the amount of liquid. I have also done this in my pressure cooker to get a batch done quickly after coming back from snowmobiling or skiing. Takes about 10 mins to complete

  5. Those green tabs are awful. They are in the way and when I try to tak a photo of the recipe I end up having to take extras as I can only see a small art of the recipe at a time. Plesae move them. Thanks.

    1. Thank you for letting me know. I had some recent site updates and just learned of this problem. I have someone looking at it today.

  6. This soup is wonderful! We added extra lean ground turkey and a cup of chopped celery. What do you consider a serving of this soup – 1 cup?

      1. When cabbage is boiled it will turn bitter. Red cabbage will retain its color and have a great taste if not boiled.

      2. Ive never had regular cabbage turn bitter i boil it a lot, & love it with corned beef.

      3. Ive never had cabbage turn bitter on me either.. Its always cooked up to a slight sweet natural taste to me.

      4. When using cabbage, make sure to remove the core. The core is bitter. Otherwise cabbage should not be bitter at all.

      5. I just wanted to weigh in… when you cook or saute garlic too long it can take on a bitter taste as well. I always add my garlic towards the end of my cooking. I’ve never had issues with cabbage being bitter.

    1. Ground turkey!!! Yes! I’m making this tonight my daughter loves her veggies, but she likes to have meat with it too. So going to add ground turkey tonight when we make this with all the snow, thanks!

  7. This soup looks so hearty and comforting! I love being able to freeze soup for later, too since I live alone. Beautiful photographs!

  8. This soup is gorgeous! And whether it’s for weight loss or not, I could eat it every day! It’s like how I eat my salads (with tons of veggies in them) but in soup form, love it!

      1. Its just like the cabbage soup diet…. Last year I lost 13 pounds in 8 days. I followed it step by step