Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup
I opened the refrigerator and found a handful of spinach, some carrots, chicken stock and a few stalks of celery. In the pantry were a few tomatoes and an onion. In the freezer I found the remnants of two bags of frozen veggies, corn and peas. For me, that meant using it all to make a pot of Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup. In less than 30 minutes I had a delicious lunch and made great use of some veggies that needed to find their way into a recipe.
Using what I have in the pantry and refrigerator to make a meal has always been my philosophy when cooking. This Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup is a perfect example of just that. I rounded up all the fresh and frozen vegetables I had on hand and made a comforting soup. It only took about 5 minutes to gather and chop the vegetables. Lunch was ready in less than 30 minutes and was a delicious, complete meal served with crackers and cheese.
The best part of making this recipe is that you can use ANY veggies you want to use. Don’t have celery? Use yellow or green pepper. Don’t have tomatoes? Use a can of chopped tomatoes. Don’t have frozen peas? Use frozen broccoli. In any busy family, it is important to get a good meal on the table quickly. Using what you have on hand for this recipe saves you time and money.
If there is one vegetable that I wouldn’t leave out, it would be the carrots. They lend a nice sweetness to most recipes and give the broth in this soup great flavor. They also add a color contrast to a mostly green and red blend of vegetables.
Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in thirds
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup uncooked ring-shaped pasta (optional)
How to make easy vegetable soup?
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh tomatoes and the Italian seasonings and stir, cooking for 5 more minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach and pasta. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes. The soup will develop more flavor if allowed to simmer longer.
- If desired, add the uncooked pasta to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach just before serving. The recipe makes 4 servings. Serve with crackers and cheese or crusty bread.
There’s such a nostalgic aspect to this soup for me. When I was a growing up, my mother would often give us vegetable soup for lunch. It was affordable and easy to make and we all loved it. That’s why I often put pasta in soup, it reminds me of eating it when I was a kid. Comforting and delicious!
Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in thirds
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1/2 cup uncooked ring-shaped pasta, optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh tomatoes and the Italian seasonings and stir, cooking for 5 more minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the spinach and pasta. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 10 minutes. The soup will develop more flavor if allowed to simmer longer.
- If desired, add the uncooked pasta to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the fresh spinach just before serving. The recipe makes 4 servings. Serve with crackers and cheese or crusty bread.
Equipment
- 1 large saucepan or Dutch oven