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! To make this a heartier main dish for dinner, we often add our favorite proteins or some whole grains.
A Delicious Skinny Vegetable Soup Recipe
- This veggie soup recipe is delicious, healthy, and filling!
- It’s great for weight loss because it’s filling and low in calories. I enjoy a small bowl of this vegetable soup before meals or enjoy it as a snack to tide me over until dinner.
- And if you follow Weight Watchers, this is a 0 point soup… a freebie and it’s low carb and keto friendly too.
- This soup is quick to make, reheats well and you can add proteins or whole grains to make a hearty meal.
- Prepared as directed, this vegetable soup comes in at only 52 calories per 1 cup serving and is loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals.
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.
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 until softened.
- Add cabbage, carrots, & green beans, cook until tender.
- Add remaining ingredients (except for zucchini) & simmer as directed in recipe below.
- Add zucchini & cook until soft. 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
While this soup isn’t a magic weight loss secret, if you’re trying to cut calories it is perfect to have in your fridge ready to enjoy when you need a 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!
Vegetable Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups cabbage chopped, approx. ¼ head of cabbage
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1″ pieces
- 2 whole bell peppers chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower florets or broccoli
- 28 ounces low sodium diced tomatoes with juice
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon basil
- pepper to taste
- 2 cups zucchini sliced
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion & garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add 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. Simmer 8-10 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.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
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.
In the weight loss veggie soup, can I sub chicken broth instead of beef broth
Yes, you can swap chicken broth for beef broth!
I never make a recipe exactly as written so take my review with a grain of salt. I used this recipe as a foundation because I liked that it didn’t have potatoes, peas, or corn like most other veggie soup recipes online.
My tweaks:
– More garlic (We love garlic. I used about 8 cloves in all.)
– I added about a cup of diced celery and sauteed it with the onions in the beginning.
– I used a 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes. The liquid was more sauce than juice, so I reduced the tomato paste by about 1 tbsp.
– I left out the fresh bell peppers. Instead I blended about a cup of roasted red bell peppers (from a jar) with some of the sauce from the canned tomatoes to add even more richness to the stock.
– I used vegetable stock instead of beef broth.
– I added about a teaspoon of ginger paste.
– Additional seasonings, measured by heart/to taste: salt, dried dill, paprika, ground ginger, oregano, and yes, garlic powder. I actually didn’t have thyme or basil on hand (bummer), but will add it next time. It was still very flavorful.
– Finally, I ended up adding about 2 tbsp of sugar to cut the salt a bit. In the future, I’ll try leaving out both.
We loved it. Definitely going in my soup rotation.
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, Sarah! So happy this recipe worked as the perfect base.
This is, hands down, the best vegetable soup I have ever had.
Now, that being said – I did make a few minor adjustments:
1. I used vegetable stock instead of beef broth.
2. I used one 14 oz. can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes l, and one can of diced tomatoes with green chilis (mild).
3. I added one can of dark kidney beans (drained and rinsed).
4. I added 1 cup of broccoli.
5. I used bagged coleslaw mix in lieu of chopping cabbage.
It was a huge hit.
Wonderful, flavorful, beautiful soup! Cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, zucchini and broth, garlic, spices, bay leaves, tomatoes and paste…what a lovely marriage! Have made it twice thus far and is my new favorite go to soup. Thank you!
If I wanted to make this with chicken broth and not beef nor the tomatoes/stock how much chicken broth would I use? It sounds like a great filling meal!
Hi Dianne, We haven’t tried this recipe without the tomatoes but you could sub the beef broth for chicken broth in matching quantities. I would maybe add an additional cup or two of broth in place of the juices found in the tomatoes. Hope that helps!
I made this a Vegatarian soup. I started with a base of 3qts water, 2qts V-eight vegtable juice.
Is the V-eight juice a problem? It is low sodium juice.
Hey Dolly, that sounds like a delicious substitution. I would run it through an app like MyFitnessPal to determine the new calories.
I am really sorry, but I did not love this soup, I wanted to. So the broth and it has no taste other than tomato. I was going to add potatoes at the end but I had no room left in the pot, so will mix in when serving. I am curious how you can cook without salt? Or a salt substitute? I am relatively good home cook and I watch every cooking show I can and you need some salt. Also, way too much tomato, I wish I had used 1/2 or a 1/4 of the can. At the end I added a teaspoon of Vegetable Better than Bouillon saved it….and salt, lots of salt.
We find that there is enough salt in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, and tomato paste in this soup. The soup is super versatile, and you can add salt to suit your diet and tastes!
I have to agree with you. There’s nothing flavorful about it, other than tasting straight up like tomatoes.
I am another one who measures nothing for soup I use whatever is in fridge an pantry maybe even freezer as I keep chopped onions peppers & celery in the freezer along with some frozen veggies. I don’t think my soup has ever tasted exactly the same 2 times in a row.
If I’m adding chicken to the soup, how much should I add??
Hi Jenna, I would add about 2-3 ounces of chicken per serving. I would add precooked chicken in the last 5 minutes or so to heat it through.
As said, there are so many variations of this sort of soup. It’s hard to go wrong when you combine so many “God provided” substances together, add heat and simmer long. I hit my teens in the 70s when the ‘diet soup craze’ began flying around in popularity, and one way I liked to make my own twist on it was to brown 2# ground turkey in 2 packages chili seasoning mix (McCormick’s was always the best back then, but I think all companies used McCormick’s as a guideline in producing their own). Letting that seasoning mix get absorbed in the ground meat seemed to be the key. The rest was up to you and your preferences. 32 oz. of beef broth OR 4-5 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 cups water came next before a good stir. Letting that come to a slow, rolling boil gave me time to prep the remaining ingredients. The ONLY starches I added were 2-3 15oz. cans of “Chili Hot Beans.” Vegetables were cut in ‘chunks’ making their prep time slight and easy. Bell peppers (of any quantity or color desired), onion, 2 cans diced tomatoes w/ juice, a 12 oz. can of V-8 juice, and an entire small(ish) head of cabbage roughly chopped (core removed) piled on top last. Once it all began to boil again I’d top it with a secure lid , reduce heat to a low simmer and come back to stir it all quickly every hour until all of the textures were just as I wanted. It’s best to let it simmer at least 4 hours — my opinion. The “rule” was to eat ONLY this soup for a week and drink as much water as you want, but NOTHING else. Be sure to eat it whenever you’re hungry and until you’re full. No sides of bread, cornbread, butter (of course), crackers or anything EXCEPT maybe a side salad of chopped lettuce with tomato and maybe some cucumber plus a drizzle each of olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar as a dressing. No croutons, but I would help myself to reasonable shakes from a Mrs. Dash seasoning bottle. Minimum amount of weight I would lose in a week was 5# and most was between 8-10#. Two weeks of this regiment was the longest I could/would go before loosening up A LITTLE. But if I needed to lose more weight I would allow myself to follow it another week or two. I stayed busy and sometimes active in sports, but I do NOT exercise, walk or run regularly.
Thanks for the suggestions, Pamela! Happy to hear you are enjoying this soup.
Everything so yummy
Yum!
I have tried many different versions of this diet soup and this is by the far the best one., I would have liked to have more broth in it, but truthfully I couldn’t fit anymore into the pot than what was already in it.
What amount is considered 1 serving? Thank you!
A serving is approximately one cup.
This is my base recipe for veggie soup and it’s the best. I did modify the recipe because I don’t like using anything out of a can, whatsoever. I use diced, in-season, fresh tomatoes, no paste, and fresh herbs, chopped up. Plus I’m vegan, so I use veggie broth or a veggie bouillon of some kind. And I add a whole heck of a lot of hot sauce. Finally, I don’t really measure the veggies, rather I just add whichever is about to go bad in whatever quantity that will produce the least amount of waste. Doesn’t matter with this particular combination of veggies listed on this site, the soup is TO DIE FOR! Thank YOU!
That sounds delicious, Janell! I will have to try adding in some hot sauce next time I make this recipe.
Sounds great can’t wait!
I wanna loose and feel better with energy and b able to help my body with fibro I have threw my body and b more happier
I love soup of any kind. I am definitely going to try this recipe . I think I will cook rice and pour the soup over the rice when done.
this soup is delicious!!!! i made mine spicy!!
Tried this before and it was very good