25 Easy Vegetable Soup Recipes to Cozy Up with This Winter (2024)

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25 Easy Vegetable Soup Recipes to Cozy Up with This Winter (1)

By Taryn Pire

Published Dec 10, 2021

Why should chicken soup get all the glory? There are plenty of options not starring meat or poultry that are every bit as comforting and nutritious. Load up on seasonal produce with these 25 easy vegetable soup recipes that are destined to become instant hits at your winter table. This list boasts something for everyone, whether you’re a pasta e fa*gioli stan or a sucker for loaded potato soup.

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Katherine Gillen

1. Sheet Pan Curried Butternut Squash Soup

You make whole meals on your baking sheet all the time, so why not soup? Roasting the butternut squash before blending concentrates its flavor in a way simmering just can’t.

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Adeena Sussman/Sababa

2. Freekeh Vegetable Soup

Not familiar with this popular grain? Freekeh is young wheat that’s picked and dried over wood, which makes it taste nutty and smoky. It offers flavor, body and heartiness to this mix of kohlrabi, carrots and zucchini.

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Aran Goyoaga

3. Carrot, Fennel And Miso Soup

Caramelized veggies and umami-laced miso pump this dish full of deep, savory flavor. Don’t even get us started on the sweet-and-spicy, seed-nut crunch topping.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

4. Roasted Tomato Soup

You’ll never go back to the canned stuff again. Roasting the tomatoes alongside garlic and onion intensifies their sweetness, making earthy, salty goat cheese the optimal finishing touch.

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Maria Siriano/The Probiotic Kitchen

5. Restorative Miso Noodle Soup

All the soothing power of standard, tofu-laden miso soup, plus satiating soba noodles, meaty mushrooms and vitamin-rich spinach.

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6. Easy 5-ingredient Corn Soup

Potatoes make the soup’s texture starchy and silky, while the in-season corn infuses it with natural sweetness. But the real pièce de résistance is the brown butter-sesame seed topping.

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Erin McDowell

7. Easy Lentil Soup

What’s the key to making a lentil soup that isn’t straight-up mush, you ask? Use larger heirloom varieties and cook them gently so each lentil retains its structure.

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Jacqui Melville/Apple

8. Curried Parsnip And Apple Soup

The parsnip is so underrated when it comes to winter root vegetables, despite its versatility and subtle sweetness. It turns out that crisp, acidic apples and heady, warm spices are its ultimate foils.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

9. Vegan Slow-cooker Detox Coconut Soup

Impossibly creamy without a drop of dairy, thanks to canned coconut milk. Finish the ginger-spiked broth with baby spinach, glass noodles, scallions, fresh herbs and sliced Fresno chiles.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

10. The Best Damn Pumpkin Soup

Making this soup is as simple as scooping out the seeds, pouring chicken stock and herbs into the pumpkin and roasting the entire thing in the oven. Might we suggest toasting and seasoning the seeds for a garnish?

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Healthyish

11. Loaded Baked Potato And Cauliflower Soup

Since the best part about a baked potato is the toppings (aka bacon, cheese, sour cream and chives), you won’t mind making the base lighter by substituting cauliflower for some of the spuds.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

12. Slow Cooker Pasta E fa*gioli Soup

Who knew that all you had to do to catch a flight to Tuscany was bust out the Crockpot? Veggies, white beans, pasta, herbs, white wine and a Parmesan rind unite for this slow cooker play on a classic.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

13. 15-minute Gazpacho With Cucumber, Red Pepper And Basil

When the weather’s hot and the farmers market is teeming with summer tomatoes, look no further than this lightning-fast cold soup.

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Photo: Michael Marquand/Styling: Nisha Vora

14. Instant Pot Spicy Thai Butternut Squash Soup

Come on: That presentation is pure artwork. And thanks to the pressure cooker, this autumn stunner will only take you 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

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Photo/Styling: Katie Wayne

15. Roasted Broccoli And Aged White Cheddar Soup

Panera Bread could never. The soup is decadent and delicious on its own—the garlicky sourdough breadcrumbs on top are just a bonus.

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Christopher Hirsheimer/Canal House Cook Something

16. Canal House’s Carrot Soup

A swirl of sour cream and a flourish of sliced scallions can make just about any bowl of soup look gourmet.

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Erin McDowell

17. Velvet Corn Soup

The secret to its silky-smooth texture is heavy cream, butter and a low-and-slow simmer. You can also strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve to make it even smoother after it’s blended.

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Erin McDowell

18. Kale Minestrone

Complete with a dollop of pesto on top. Serve the soup with crusty bread and extra grated Parmesan cheese for finishing.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

19. 15-minute Cucumber-avocado Blender Soup

No summer scorcher is a match for this refreshing cold soup (especially when it’s plated alongside buttery, Asiago-encrusted baguette).

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Ghazalle Badiozamani/Instant Pot Miracle Vegetarian Cookbook

20. Instant Pot Harissa Bean Stew

If you still haven’t gotten in on the harissa hype…well, what the heck are you waiting for? It’s a spicy chile paste hailing from the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa, and it’s the source of this stew’s intense heat and complex flavor.

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The Full Helping

21. Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Corn Chowder

You can make this soup with fresh corn in the summertime and freeze the leftovers for up to two months. But if you want to make it in the dead of winter, simply substitute canned corn kernels.

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Katherine Gillen

22. Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup

Behold, the most flexible soup recipe of all time. Adjust the amounts of garlic and ginger to your heart’s content, substitute vegetable stock or water for chicken stock to make it vegan or trade coconut milk for dairy, if you’d prefer.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

23. One-pot Vegetarian Chili

This crowd-pleaser is basically as easy as dumping all the ingredients in a pot and simmering them to perfection, so it’s prime for preparing during commercials on football Sunday.

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Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Sarah Copeland

24. Yellow Tomato Gazpacho

This golden beauty has a summery surprise inside that balances the herby, peppery soup with juicy sweetness: two ripe peaches.

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Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

25. Easy Ramen

The noodle soup that got you through college tastes even better when it’s loaded with vegetables. We’re talking spinach, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, scallions and fresh cilantro.

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RELATED

29 Dairy-Free Soup Recipes That Are Undeniably Creamy and Delicious

For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.

25 Easy Vegetable Soup Recipes to Cozy Up with This Winter (27)

Taryn Pire

Food Editor

Taryn Pire is PureWow’s food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She’s developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and investigated food trends at...

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25 Easy Vegetable Soup Recipes to Cozy Up with This Winter (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to my vegetable soup to give it more flavor? ›

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

What is the secret to soup? ›

7 Tips for Successful Soup Making
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. It is worth investing in a heavy pot with a thick bottom to use for making soup. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

What are the best spices to put in vegetable soup? ›

Boosting Flavor

For more flavor add in more dried herbs (or even triple the amount of dried thyme). Other good herbs to add include basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, or Italian seasoning. Another option to add more flavor is to use a homemade chicken stock or vegetable broth.

How do you make vegetable soup less bland? ›

Add a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to your soup to make it taste better. Use a high-quality broth or stock as a base for your soup. Roast or caramelize your vegetables before adding them to your soup to bring out their natural sweetness.

How do you add depth of flavor to vegetable soup? ›

You can also add tomato paste or fresh or dried herbs like oregano or thyme. Starchy root vegetables like potato, parsnips, turnips and swede will add body to the soup and turn it into a true meal in a bowl. Using a good-quality stock (or making your own) will enhance the flavour of the soup.

What is the flavorful liquid that adds more flavor to a vegetable meal? ›

A stock is a very flavorful liquid that is made by gently cooking bones and other ingredients such as vegetables in a liquid.

What not to do when making soup? ›

The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
  1. Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
  2. Not using enough salt. ...
  3. Ignoring water. ...
  4. Overcooking the vegetables. ...
  5. Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
  6. Neglecting to garnish. ...
  7. Not trying a pressure cooker.
Nov 19, 2014

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

How can I make soup more satisfying? ›

11 Ways to Make Your Soup More Satisfying
  1. Gently poach your chicken for better broth. ...
  2. Blend bacon into creamy soups and chowders. ...
  3. Make thick and creamy soups without any dairy. ...
  4. Turn a bag of frozen hash browns into a soup. ...
  5. Make a mellow garlic soup with mayo. ...
  6. Poach an egg directly in your ramen or miso soup.
Jan 26, 2023

What gives soup the best flavor? ›

Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. "Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices.

Why does my vegetable soup have no flavor? ›

Not Browning Vegetables

It may be tempting to toss all your chopped ingredients into a pot, add the broth and simmer until tender. But if you take the time to brown all your ingredients before adding the broth, you'll be rewarded with extra flavor and sweetness.

How do you fix boring vegetable soup? ›

Suggestions to improve the flavor:
  1. Celery salt or celery seed (preferably ground). ...
  2. White wine vinegar (for acidity and a richer flavor, and pairing with the cabbage and onions)
  3. Dry vermouth or white wine. ...
  4. A jigger of sherry or cooking sherry (the latter has salt, so add it before salting the soup).
Jun 21, 2011

How do you fix tasteless vegetable soup? ›

To completely change the taste of your veggie soup, add a little shredded cheese (or a lot of cheese) when serving -- different cheese, different taste!! My veg soup recipe calls for Italian Seasoning. It's not a hot spicy just a flavorful spicey.

Can you use Worcestershire sauce in soup? ›

Adding Worcestershire Sauce To Soups

It will work in a broad range of dishes from your favorite French onion soup to velvety tomato bisque. It definitely does a great job of amping up the meaty flavors of a beef stew as well as giving vegetable soups a flavor lift, too.

How do you enrich vegetable soup? ›

Before serving, we'll brighten up the soup with a big squeeze of lemon juice (one of my other go-to soup tricks) and add another splash of olive oil for rich flavor. Taste the soup before and after these additions, and you'll notice a big difference! Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper, as necessary.

What should be added to enrich the flavor of the soup? ›

Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.

How do you increase Flavour in soup? ›

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Add a splash of vinegar (any kind!), or a squeeze of citrus. Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients.

How can I enhance the flavor of my vegetables? ›

Finishing touches can provide a big flavor boost. “We often add finishing touches to salads and pastas, like some grated parmesan. You can also sprinkle sesame seeds or fresh herbs, drip on garlic-infused vinegar, or spritz some lemon on your cooked veggies,” Gerber suggests.

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