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.
This recipe for Vegetable Soup has to be the best vegetable soup I have ever made. In fact, only have 1 cup of the soup left. Next time will double the recipe. Followed directions, however, did not have cabbage; cauliflower; nor zucchini. So used what veggies I had on hand. One half pkg of frozen mixed veggies,; diced celery; frozen baby spinach, 6 cups of Vegetable Broth and the Italian Seasonings, 3 dashes of hot sauce, and 1/4 cup of Pastina. Because family member and tomatoes do not agree, only used 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. That individual loved the soup and ate 2 bowls of it. DELICIOUS! Thanks Holly for sharing your recipe.
love veggie soup recipes.
This hearty soup is delicious. But the recipe is for 12 people. Is there a recipe for 6?
If you select ‘print’ in the recipe card, you should be able to adjust the number of servings :)
A fantastic recipe that the whole family really enjoyed! Thank you for this tip and keep it up!
This delicious and hearty soup is definitely a keeper! My husband and I both love it and am making another batch today! It freezes well for future meals but I like that it keeps up to four days in the refrigerator. This has become a staple to make meal planning easy! Thanks much!
I make a similar soup to this and it’s delicious…. I added celery and didn’t even think to use zucchini?? Will need to try that! When I’m trying to lose a few pounds I eat this. Will eat just a bowl of soup for lunch and if I’m super hungry for dinner, I make another big bowl plus cook a small baked potato. Pour some of the soup over the potato. Tastes great and is filling. Plus helps drop a few pounds quick! :)
We loved it! Can the leftovers be canned with a pressure cooker?
I have not tried canning this recipe so I can’t say for sure Audrey. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Loved this soup so much, I made a large batch and froze individual portions for
later! So easy and my husband said on a “scale of one to ten, this rates a 12!”
Most definitely saving in my collection as it is a keeper!
Great tasting soup.
I love this recipe! And I love that it has no potatoes! Pair it with a sandwich and you’ve got a low-cal but filling lunch!
very good ,fast and easy .
I love this recipe. It is similar to the Mayo diet cabbage soup but way better. My family loves to nosh on this delicious soup for lunch with a half a sandwich. I love how variable it is as I have mixed in kale, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, potatoes, and other root vegetables. I count carbs so having a soup that is nutritious as well as low carb is a giant plus.
Great recipes are a starting point and this one has become one of my go to recipes for the start of the year.
Thank you for sharing Dormeil! I’m so happy to hear how much you love this soup. It’s definitely a favorite around here too!
Make it a meal by browning a pound of lean beef or turkey in the first step and adding some cooked mini bowtie or ditalini pasta to it.
Is this recipe doable in a slow cooker? Any adjustments needed?
We use this vegetable soup recipe to cook in the slow cooker
This recipe is terribly put together. I recommend not making this. Simmer carrots for 10 minutes does not cook them.
Hi Joanna, the carrots are added in step 2 and then the soup cooks for a total of 20 minutes after they are added so they should be nice and tender. If you prefer them softer, you can continue cooking the soup until they are your desired level of softness. I hope this helps!
This is a great recipe for vegetable soup. I made this tonight and it turned out great. Will make this again
Great flavor.
I’m making this today, I’m thinking about adding some sort of mushroom. Has anyone done this? What kind of mushrooms did you use??
Love, love, Looooved this soup. Sooo tasty and the depth of flavor amazing. Used McCormick beef base I had on hand, doubled thyme and basil, used an extra bay leaf (mine were kind of small), used 28oz of fresh, chopped, ripe tomatoes (it didn’t even need salt, I’m guessing it balanced out from sodium in the beef base), oh and I forgot to add pepper. Had two whole cups… and then a third. This recipe makes a whole lotta chunky soup, plenty to gift or for other days. Loved that too.
perfect!!!