Easy Vegetable Soup

Save money and enjoy a hearty meatless meal with this Easy Vegetable Soup. It comes together quickly, tastes amazing, and reheats beautifully. You’ll want to start Meatless Mondays just to make this soup!

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My friend Kate, who lives in the frozen tundra of Smithers, British Columbia, can’t understand how I can eat soup in San Diego. She claims that it just doesn’t get cold enough here. To which I say, cold is relative.

Seriously.

Or rather, people adapt. When we moved to Kansas City for a short stint in the early 2000’s, we were California folk adapting. I bundled up at the first sign of a chill. By the end of our time there, I busted out flip-flops and capris when the temps warmed up to 40 degrees.

Likewise, I’ve adapted to living in a moderate climate. Forty degrees necessitates gloves, hat, scarf, and winter coat for me now. And hot Vegetable Soup.

Actually, I can eat soup on a 90-degree day, too. I just like soup. Weather not withstanding.

Soup is good food. We’ve known this for years. Not only does it warm your insides and offer comfort, but it’s also one of the most affordable meals you can make. It comes together with just a handful of ingredients. How can one not love soup?

Lately, I’ve been pushing our family to eat more meatless meals. I did the math and realized that meaty meals cost me a minimum of $8 more per meal. Including three meatless meals into my meal planning each week saves us $24/week, almost $100/month, and $1200/year. See? Math is our friend!

Plus, I’ve been doing some reading that suggests a move toward plant-based eating is a good one in terms of health. So, veggie soup is a win-win.

How Do I Make Homemade Vegetable Soup?

This homemade easy vegetable soup, like our Velvety Creamy Vegetable Soup, is one that is quickly becoming a favorite at our house. The potatoes and beans guarantee that stick-to-your-ribs quality you might find in meatier meals. The generous herbs and spices ensure that this is no bland Vegetable Soup.

To Make This Vegetable Soup:

1. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

2. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes, and cook, stirring until the onion turns translucent, about 7 minutes.

3. Add the water and tomato sauce, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. In the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the beans, peas, and corns as well as the spices. 

You want to start by using a large pot and heating a bit of oil until shimmering. Then add in your onions, carrots, potatoes and celery. You will cook these until the onions are translucent.

Then simply add in the tomato sauce and water. Then cook until the potatoes and carrots and other vegetables are tender! Easy right?

What Vegetables Can I Use In A Vegetable Soup?

Virtually any! That’s what makes this a good cheap eat. It’s a great way to use up any odds and ends of veggies you  have in your fridge.

It’s a great way to clean out the fridge. If you’re like me, then you always have frozen veggies and beans on hand in your freezer to throw together a weeknight soup quickly.

What Can I Add To A Vegetable Soup To Add Flavor?

This easy vegetable soup is made with water. But if you want to up the flavor, then try using a chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth. Just be careful on the amount of salt you add then!

You can also try increasing the amounts of the different herbs and spices in the recipe. Just season as you go. Add a little bit extra. Give it a stir. And see what you think!

How to make this good and cheap:

Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:

• Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. You can really make this soup with any veggies you have on hand, so when you see a good deal on produce items, don’t hesitate to stock up.
• Freezer cooking – By cooking in bulk I save time and effort. I don’t need to get take out when I can heat up a small dish of soup that I made my very own self!
• Using up leftovers – This easy vegetable soup recipe is very forgiving. Mix and match whatever you’ve got on hand.

How I make this recipe easy:

This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.

Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:

• plastic cutting boards
• a good knife
• glass measuring cup
• wooden spoon
• a large soup pot

Can You Freeze Vegetable Soup?

Yes. And you should! As I said above, I highly recommend cooking in bulk. Make a large batch of this soup and freeze any leftovers for a quick last minute dinner. 

What Do You Serve With Vegetable Soup?

Some of you may say that your people don’t count soup as a meal or that they have to have meat. You can easily stir in some chopped ham or chicken into this veggie soup to assuage the carnivores.

I’ve also found that if I serve salad or sandwiches alongside soup and include some great bread, no one makes a peep. A nice glass of wine goes well, too. 😉

Be sure to check out my post, Make Soup Night a Success with These Simple Tips.

Something new here on Good Cheap Eats that I’m slowly rolling out is the option to rate the recipes you try. After you’ve made this Easy Vegetable Soup, I’d love for you to come back and tell me how you liked it. Be sure to give it a starred rating in the comments. Thank so much!

Easy Vegetable Soup

This Easy Vegetable Soup is a great meatless option for a hearty dinner. It comes together quickly on the stovetop and reheats beautifully.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Jessica Fisher

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion , chopped
• 2 carrots , sliced
• 2 rib celery , sliced
• 4 russet potatoes , chopped
• 6 cup water
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans
• 1 cup frozen green peas no need to thaw
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels no need to thaw
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• dash ground cayenne pepper

Instructions

• In a large heavy pot, heat the oil until shimmering.
• Add the onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes, and cook, stirring until the onion turns translucent, about 7 minutes.
• Add the water and tomato sauce, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• In the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the beans, peas, and corns as well as the spices. 

Notes

Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 1377mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5720IU | Vitamin C: 48.7mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 10.7mg

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