Vegetable Soup Recipe
Vegetable Soup is a light, broth-based soup made with mixed vegetables and seasoned with soy sauce and black pepper. My recipe includes cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, French beans, onions, garlic and button mushrooms, while mung bean sprouts and celery are optional. It is easy to prepare in one pot and takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Serve it as a starter or light meal during monsoons, winters or whenever you want a warm bowl of soup.
An Easy Vegetable Soup I Make at Home
I make this Mixed Vegetable Soup much like the vegetable broth I prepare for Tibetan Thukpa, but without the noodles. It is a light, broth-based soup rather than a thick vegetable soup, though you can add a little cornflour slurry if you prefer a slightly thicker consistency.
Vegetable & aromatics used: The soup is made with onions, garlic, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, French beans and button mushrooms. Soy sauce gives the broth a umami flavor, while black pepper adds a bit of heat.
Mung bean sprouts and celery are optional, so you can easily leave them out if you do not have them. You can also add tofu for some protein or include boiled noodles to turn the soup into a more filling meal.
This is also a practical recipe for using vegetables available in your kitchen. You can replace some of the vegetables with green peas, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy or spinach. Just add the firmer vegetables first so that everything cooks evenly.
Serve the soup on its own or with crusty bread, soup sticks, steamed rice or noodles. I especially enjoy making it on rainy days and cool winter evenings when a warm bowl of soup feels just right.
If you enjoy light, broth-based soups, you can also try my Clear Soup, which has a more delicate seasoning, or my Chinese Soup, which is centered around mushrooms, ginger and spring onions.
I hope you enjoy this simple and healthy Vegetable Soup as much as we do at home.
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How To Make Vegetable Soup (Stepwise)
Prep & Sauté Vegetables
1. First, chop all the vegetables – I added carrots, French beans, red cabbage, button mushrooms and red bell pepper.
You will need about 2 to 2¼ cups of chopped mixed vegetables and ½ cup of chopped mushrooms.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ¼ cup chopped onions and 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic.
You can use a neutral flavored oil and even olive oil to make this soup.
3. Sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent.
4. Next, add the chopped mixed vegetables and celery. You will need:
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped celery, can be skipped if you do not have
- 1 cup shredded or chopped cabbage
- ½ cup finely chopped carrots
- ½ cup sliced or chopped button mushrooms
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper – can be red or green or yellow bell pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped french beans or haricot beans
Note that I have made the soup with the purple colored cabbage, but regular green cabbage also works wonderfully.
5. Mix and stir to combine.
6. Sauté on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Add ⅓ cup Moong Sprouts and mix well. Sauté for 2 minutes on medium-heat.
Note: Moong sprouts are optional can be omitted if you do not have them.
Add Liquids & Season
8. Add 3 cups water or Vegetable Stock or broth. If using canned vegetable stock, ensure it is labelled low-sodium.
9. Add 2 teaspoons soy sauce. You can add more, if you prefer.
10. Then, add salt according to taste.
11. Add ½ teaspoon black pepper powder or as needed. Stir and mix well.
Make Vegetable Soup
12. Cover the pan with its lid and simmer the soup on medium-low to medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes.
If you want to add tofu cubes, add them when the vegetables and mushrooms are tender and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
13. Once the veggies are tender, check the seasonings and add more salt or black pepper, if needed.
14. Serve Vegetable Soup hot or warm. You can garnish with some fresh herbs like coriander leaves, parsley or chopped spring onion greens, if you like.
The soup can be had as it is or with some boiled noodles or steamed rice added into it for a filling, hearty meal.
Helpful Tips
- Cut the vegetables evenly: Chop the vegetables into small, similar-sized pieces so that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Cook the vegetables well: Cook the vegetables until they are completely tender but not mushy. Check that firmer vegetables, such as carrots and French beans, are cooked through.
- Choose the oil: Use a neutral-flavored oil, light olive oil or a small amount of toasted sesame oil. Sesame oil has a stronger flavor, so use it sparingly.
- Adjust the seasoning: Since soy sauce already contains salt, taste the soup before adding more salt. For a spicier soup, increase the black pepper or add sriracha, red chilli sauce or red chilli paste.
- Change the consistency: For a slightly thicker soup, add a cornflour slurry and simmer until the soup thickens lightly. To make it thinner, add some hot water or vegetable stock. Taste and adjust the seasonings afterward.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Vegetable Soup Recipe (Mixed Veg Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil – any neutral oil, olive oil or sesame oil
- ¼ cup or 1 small-sized onion – finely chopped, can use spring onions instead
- 1 teaspoon garlic – finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons celery – finely chopped, optional
- 1 cup cabbage – shredded
- ½ cup carrots – finely chopped
- ½ cup button mushrooms – sliced or chopped
- ½ cup bell pepper – chopped, red, green or yellow
- ¼ cup French beans – finely chopped
- ⅓ cup Mung Bean Sprouts – optional
- 3 cups water or Vegetable Stock
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (black pepper powder)
- salt as required
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse and chop or shred the cabbage. You could also blanch the cabbage prior to chopping it.
- Rinse, wipe and then slice the mushrooms. Chop the bell pepper.
- Rinse and finely chop the french beans. Also finely chop the onions and garlic.
Sautéing
- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are softened and become translucent on medium-low to medium heat.
- Next add the chopped mix vegetables and celery. Stir to combine and sauté on a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the moong sprouts and mix well. Sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add water or vegetable stock and combine. Then add soy sauce, black pepper and salt. Mix again.
Making vegetable soup
- Cover the pan and simmer the soup for 12 to 14 minutes on a medium-low to medium heat until the vegetables are cooked and tender.
- Once the vegetables are tender, check the seasonings and add more salt or black pepper if needed.
- Serve the nutritious Vegetable Soup as is or accompanied with some boiled noodles or steamed rice. You can garnish with some fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or thyme if you prefer.
Dassana’s Notes
- Adding moong sprouts and celery is optional.
- You can add vegetables that you like. Ensure that the vegetables are tender and cooked well, but do not make them mushy.
- You could make the same recipe with different varieties of edible mushrooms.
- To add a boost of some protein, consider adding some tofu cubes.
- Soy sauce can be omitted. For a gluten-free soup, add tamari instead of soy sauce.
- This recipe can be scaled up to make for more servings.
Nutrition
Vegetable Soup recipe from the archives was first published on Dec 2014.
