Hearty Vegetable Soup (Printable Version)
Comforting vegetable soup with carrots, beans, tomatoes, and spinach—ready in under an hour.
# Ingredient List:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, chopped
06 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
07 - 1 zucchini, diced
08 - 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
09 - 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
10 - 1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
11 - 1 cup baby spinach leaves
→ Liquids & Seasonings
12 - 6 cups vegetable broth
13 - 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
14 - ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
15 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
17 - 1 bay leaf
18 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)
# How to Make:
01 - Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic; sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
02 - Add the sliced carrots, chopped celery, and diced potatoes to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
03 - Stir in the diced zucchini, green beans, corn kernels, and diced tomatoes. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine.
04 - Add the salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, dried basil, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
05 - Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are fork-tender.
06 - Stir in the baby spinach leaves and cook for an additional 2 minutes until wilted. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It cleans out your vegetable drawer in the most delicious way possible and never tastes the same twice.
- Every single spoonful delivers a slightly different combination of textures and flavors, which keeps even picky eaters curious.
- The broth absorbs so much character from the herbs and tomatoes that nobody will believe it came together in under an hour.
02 -
- Do not skip removing the bay leaf before serving because biting into one is an unpleasant surprise you only make once.
- Simmering uncovered rather than covered concentrates the broth and gives you a richer, more flavorful soup in less time.
- Cutting all your vegetables into roughly similar sizes ensures everything finishes cooking at the same rate without turning some pieces to mush.
03 -
- Tossing a parmesan rind into the simmering broth adds an incredible depth of savory flavor that costs nothing since you were going to throw it away anyway.
- Dried herbs need time to rehydrate and release their oils, so always add them early in the cooking process rather than at the end.