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!
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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.
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!
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.
- Cook garlic & onion according to the recipe below.
- Cook the firmer vegetables until tender. Add the broth and seasonings.
- 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.
More Veggie Packed Soups
Did you make this Vegetable Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
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
Nutrition Information
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© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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.
Sodium content is way too high. Best not to use canned tomatoes unless they are salt free. Other than that, the soup is a good warming all around soup for cold nights [and days]
Very yummy and filling!!! Made a double batch so I could freeze some extra. This is now part of my regular rotation for soups.
So happy to hear you love one of my very favorite soups Lisa!
Hooray! This is so good. I’ve been eating the traditional Cabbage Soup Diet soup, and while it’s good it lacks a hardiness I was needing. This is awesome. Low calorie and so flavorful. I’m keeping this recipe. Thanks for posting.
I am so glad you love it Gloria!
I made this today & it is fantastic! I’ll definitely make it again. I think it’s a great recipe that you can easily add or omit whichever vegetables you like or don’t like. Thanks for posting it!
So glad you loved it!
Are the onion and garlic to be cooked in oil or water?
I use a non stick pan, so I don’t use anything to start the onions and garlic. However you can use a little water if you like.
I made this once with a few tweaks, and it was delicious! Never thought I’d like cabbage or broccoli in a tomato soup, but it was so good! I want to make it again with noodles & beef (need some protein for my husband). Do you think it could work as a crock pot dish, cooking during the day while at work? Thanks!
Brooke, you may enjoy my , and . In any case, I think your idea will work well!
I made this soup and it was so bitter that we could not eat it. I did not use the broccoli because I thought it would make the soup bitter (ironically) and used yellow squash instead. Added chopped kale and spinach as well. What did I do wrong? The added greens? It was horrible. Had to throw it away. Wasted so much food!
I can’t say for sure as this recipe contains mainly fresh vegetables. If your veggies were bitter this could produce a bitter soup.
Oh, Holly is too nice!
What/How did I go wrong?
You didn’t follow the recipe…lol
I didn’t add this but I added all this other stuff instead…whattya think?
This dish is delish!
Follow the recipe first….then do your thing.
Personally, I don’t add the garlic until later for fear of burning it…I do the same with my sunday tomato sauce. Something my mama taught me :)
Linda, kale is EXTREMELY bitter… Especially for a soup like this. Broccoli would have been just fine.
Hi Holly,
just wondering how big the serving sizes are to get 14 servings from the batch.
Thanks!
Each serving is approximately one cup of soup.
It was absolutely delicious!!! I feel very privileged that we were there to taste test it! It’s definitely on my list of staples now.
I am on the keto diet and this soup is just perfect! I don’t ad carrots instead adding a little more broccoli.
Its delicious ,filling and I stay within my daily carb intake. Thanks for a great receipt!
So glad you enjoyed it Evelin!
I think I can make this soup, blend it and drink it from a cup… much easier when you’re in a hurry or just want it before your actual dinner!
That sounds good!
Thanks for sharing. I love this receipe however my little guy who is 3 also loves soup.He is not a fan of cooked broccoli and loves peas and corn. So I took part of it, put in a separate pot and added his faves.I also omitted the bell peppers, as I can’t tolerate them cooked and added, cabbage with the core removed..it wasn’t bitter.
So glad you enjoyed it! Great idea to add extras for your little guy!
My question is, I dont eat cabbage, will it taste ok,? I want to make it. And egg rolls, so I want to eat better, but I dont like peas, califlower,etc. any suggestions?
You can use any veggies you like in this recipe.
Try this; make a small batch. Cook it. When done, use a stick blender or regular blender (be careful and use a towel to hold the lid in place!) and puree it well.
I’ve been learning that sometimes, it’s not the flavor that is bothering us, but the texture. And once pureed well, the tastes tends to blend as well and so no one flavor is more prominent than another.
Also, sometimes we don’t care for a veggie prepared one way, but will love it prepared another way. Odd, but how we prepare it, affects not only taste, but texture as well.
Another thing is to perhaps change the proportion of things you like/don’t like. So that there’s less “objectionable” veggies and more of those you really like a lot.
Thank you for sharing Darlene
For extra lean protein, I add cooked ground turkey just before serving. Doesnt change the over all flavor at all. What a great receipe!
Sounds yummy, I am so glad you loved it!
Just found this recipe and intend to make it tomorrow. (after a trip to the market) Can I use fresh basil? If so, how much and when do I add it to the pot? thanks
Oh, by the way, at first I thought it had 31 g fat. lol……….then I saw the -sign………..what does that mean?
Yikes, I’m not sure why it was showing -31g of fat (lol, I do wish it had -31g fat though). Thank you for letting me know, I’ve updated the recipe.
How much fat per serving is in this recipe? Thanks!
This recipe is fat free.
Yes, I made this soup in 2016 when I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. The recipe is big , it took me three days to finish eating it. When I first made this soup I did not print it out , I just made it looking at the computer screen. I’ve been trying to find it since , but I’m glad I found it today. I’ll be sure to print it out for future use. I love this recipe!
So glad you found this great recipe again Bev!
Great recipe. Omitted the broccoli as I just didn’t have any. No other changes and will make again soon.
Enjoy, Robyn!
What is the carb count if I omit diced tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots and green beans? It seems those are the higher carb veggies to cut if I am on the keto diet. Thanks.
You can try My Fitness Pal to calculate your carbs. It’s free to use!
I just made this soup in slow cooker.
It is absolutely fabulous and with rice or beans as a side dish as a “vegan” you are set ! The only change I made is;instead of 6 cups of beef broth, I used 6 cups of water adding 2 vegetable bouillons.
”
Except the broccoli”,put everything into the slow cooker,stir well,put the lid on and cook it on HIGH for 5 hours. Do not peek,do not stir,leave it alone ! After 5 hours add in the broccoli and stir (broccoli can not be cooked for too long otherwise they will fall apart and get very mushy) ……………tadaaa you will have healthy,inexpensive,filling meal :-)
Sounds great Eva, glad you love the soup!
Scrumptious and delicious..
Can I substitute the beef broth for chicken broth?
Yes, you can use chicken broth. Enjoy, Diane!
You can also use vegetable broth for a completely vegan and even less calories!