Thick & Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipe By Simple Green Moms (2024)

Hearty Vegetable Soup

One thing I absolutely love to eat anytime of the year is soup. Chicken noodle, tomato soup, butternut squash, any kind really, you name it and I want it! Thick and hearty vegetable soup has been on my list of recipes to make for a while now because it is warm, satisfying and loaded with flavor. Plus this soup is good old-fashion clean eating at its finest.

However, one of my soup pet peeves is when a soup claiming to be “vegetable” has no vegetables in it. I cannot stand when I order vegetable soup at a restaurant or pick one up in the store and the soup I receive is no more than some broth and a carrot or two. What kind of vegetable soup is that?!?

Well, don’t worry! That will not happen if you use this recipe because this soup is packed with vegetables, the way vegetable soup should be! You really shouldn’t be allowed to call something ‘vegetable soup’ unless there are at least three real veggies in there…

Since I put so many vegetables into this soup, it also definitely qualifies as being an extra healthy meal. From high fiber kale to vitamin C laden tomatoes, this soup is not only going to fill you up but also give you plenty of nutrient rich veggies to fulfill your daily requirements.

Selecting the Right Vegetables

While I have made many soups which call for freshly chopped vegetables, I have found that using frozen veggies is simply so much easier. When all you have to do is open a bag of mixed vegetables and add it to the pot, how much easier could it really get?

Not only is this the much easier way to get lots of vegetables into the soup but they really do taste just as good as if you slaved over peeling and chopping carrots for hours. So save yourself some time and stick to the frozen mixed vegetables, they are a chef’s best friend!

Did you know that frozen veggies are just as healthy, if not more so, than fresh veggies from a grocery store. When you see those veggies on the grocery store shelf, consider how long it took for them to get there. The further the veggies have to travel, the more nutrients are lost as they sit and age.

When vegetables are frozen, the nutrients are ‘frozen’ in place. So, those frozen bags of veggies actually may contain more nutrients than the old tomatoes sitting on the grocery store shelf. You will also have more luck finding organic or non GMO veggies in the frozen aisle of the grocery store. Even more reason to use the frozen veggies!

Now, you don’t need to wait for certain vegetables to go one sale or be in season if you want them in your soup. Simply check the freezer section of your grocery store while typically has a wide variety of vegetables that were frozen at the peak of their maturity. Just a side note too, the same holds true for frozen fruits!

Choosing the Right Broth for the Vegetable Soup

While I like to use vegetable broth when making vegetable soup (it just seems natural), you can definitely use chicken broth instead. Using chicken broth will give the soup a little more creamy mouth feel and add a new, deeper flavor that you may not get when using vegetable broth. If you do stick with the vegetable broth, then this soup can also be considered vegetarian!

Look for low sodium broth which tastes essentially the same as it’s traditional counterpart but is much more healthy. You should also be able to find organic broth options. Of course, you can make your own veggie broth which will give you complete control over what is going into your soup. Check out this video to see how easy it is to whip up some veggie broth. I recommend making a big pot and freesing it so you have it on hand for all your culinary needs.

Vegetable and Rice Soup

Now let’s talk rice. I am a big fan of wild rice in general as it has more protein and fiber but less calories than white rice (how is that possible?!). Brown rice would be my second choice for this recipe and also keep the soup as gluten free. However, there is another route you could go as well, noodles.

Any kind of noodle will also be delicious in this recipe. If you do choose to use noodles, add them to the soup in the last few minutes of cooking. Noodles cook much faster than rice (check your box for the exact time) and if they are in the soup too long, they may absorb a lot of the broth. If your noodles say then take 8 minutes to cook, add them to the soup 8 minutes before it is done. Simple enough!

Freezing Soup?

The final, and possibly most important, reason that I am obsessed with this soup is the ability to freeze it. Soups that freeze well are a lifesaver and anytime I make this recipe, I double it and freeze as much as possible. It will keep in the freezer for about three months when properly sealed.

Next time I need dinner in a rush or am feeling sick and need some soup, there it is! A super healthy, homemade soup just waiting for me I the freezer. All you have to do is take it out of the freezer and reheat it, voila! Fresh soup! This trick has saved my dinner more times than I can count!

My one piece of freezer advice is to skip the noodle option I mentioned previously. Freezing and reheating vegetable soup with noodles leaves you with just a big bowl of soup flavored noodles (I mean they are yummy, but just not real soup…). The noodles will absorb all the broth and you will have no soup broth left! Not exactly what you may have in mind when reaching for a bowl of vegetable soup. Stick to rice, it will work great!

Thick Vegetable Soup in the Winter

With cold weather upon us, there is no better time to try this recipe. Even if you don’t want to eat it today, make a big batch of this soup and store it for when it gets cold outside. Nothing will warm you up like a nice big bowl of homemade vegetable soup!

This souptruly makes all of those nutrient-packed vegetables taste like the little champions they are.It makes a big enough batch there will be plenty of leftovers for lunch and/or dinner the next day and is so easy that you will be eating fresh soup in no time! Havingsoup ready to go helps keep your clean eats right on track!

When making homemade soup, a great option is to use a soup blender to fully mix the ingredients. A creamy veggie soup is just another great twist for this delicious recipe. See our favorite blenders for hot liquidshere.

Hope you Enjoy! =)

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Thick + Hearty Vegetable Soup

★★★★★4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Simple Green Moms
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 53 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 3 mins
• Yield: 8 1x

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See Also

21 Soup Recipes to Make in 2021

Description

The name of this soup says it all- thick, hearty and full of vegetables!

Ingredients

Scale

• 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup chopped Onions
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 cups diced red potatoes (uncooked)
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice (or rice of your choice)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups of kale, take out stems – chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt / black pepper (to taste)

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Instructions

1. Place frozen mixed vegetables, onions, broth, celery, potatoes, tomatoes and garlic in Dutch oven (or large pot).
2. Place on stove top and bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes.
3. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add kale, rice, basil, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and pepper (to taste). Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
6. You can add broth or water depending on desired thickness.
7. Serve immediately.

Notes

-This soup keeps in the fridge for up to one week.

-Store this soup in the freezer for up to one month

-Frozen veggies work great but you can also easily use fresh (especially if they are straight out of your garden!)

-Add some shredded rotisserie chicken to enjoy a chicken and veggie soup

-Taste the soup before serving and add more salt and pepper as needed

-Sprinkle the soup with grated Parmesan before serving for a delicious extra flavor and pretty presentation