How To Make Vegetable Soup At Home

If you are looking for a quick, healthy and low-cost meal during the week, vegetable soup is for you. As it's made from vegetables that can be found at any grocery store on hand, it's a budget-friendly recipe that you can try on your right now. And of course, there is no such thing as too many veggies. All in all, the vegetable soup recipe calls for a few key ingredients that will give your soup an overwhelming taste.

Vegetables like celery, carrots and cauliflower paired with tomatoes, corn and peas are the basis for a hearty vegetable soup at home. The best part is that it's easy to make as it can be prepared in less than an hour. Another reason why people enjoy these vegetable soup recipes during breakfast is that it can help them to reduce their cravings for carbs and fats until lunchtime. This, of course, makes eating vegetables a very healthy habit as well. If you are trying to lose weight or simply want to detoxify the body, having vegetable soup every day will help with the process.

Importance of Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is nutritious, tasty and easy to make. And because it's made from vegetables, which are low in calories, the soup can be part of a healthy diet. The recipe serves as a great meal, especially on days when you don't have time to cook or when you want something light.

It can also be a cost-efficient recipe if you look at how much vegetables you're consuming in one sitting compared to food with high carbohydrates such as pasta or rice. It's also rich in fibre, which helps maintain your health and improve your digestion system.

For the vegan population out there, vegetable soup is the perfect carb-free option that can be made at home by everyone.

Nutritional Values of Vegetables

The best part of vegetable soup is that it's made from a combination of fresh vegetables. And as we all know, vegetables are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that offer nutritional benefits for the body.

They are also good sources of dietary fibre, which help you feel fuller for a longer time. Vegetables contain many minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium in addition to vitamins C, E and A. Vegetables are used to make soup because they're inexpensive. They can also be cooked easily, either sautéed or boiled with little or no oil.

How to Make Vegetable Soup?

Vegetable soup is a great meal for the entire family. Its mild flavour makes it a perfect recipe for children who love to help in the kitchen. As it's made from ingredients that can be found at any grocery store and which are budget-friendly, you don't have to spend extra money on fancy vegetables.

Collecting the Ingredients

There are lot of vegetables that you can use to make vegetable soup. But the most common ingredients used to make it are potato, carrots, cauliflower or cabbage, celery and garlic. You'll also need onions and tomatoes as well as green beans or corn. To add some flavour and texture to your soup, you can also include butter beans, peas and lentils.

If serving the soup for vegetarians or vegans, use vegetable stock instead. Before adding the ingredients to your pot of soup, make sure to wash them thoroughly. This will help remove any dirt or pesticides that may have accumulated on their surface.

Preparation

After washing the vegetables, it is important to cut them into pieces before cooking them. Begin by cutting the carrots into halves or quarters depending on how small you want them to be. Next, slice your potatoes and onions into thin half rings. You can also dice them if you want a smaller bite while having the soup.

Chop up your tomatoes and cauliflower using a sharp knife or by using a vegetable cutter. Some people prefer to use a food processor for this job as it allows for even cuts. If you're using dried peas and lentils, soak them in water overnight to help soften them. You can also use frozen vegetables for quicker cooking as well as to add some colour and taste to your vegetable soup.

The next thing you have to do is sauté your ingredients. To do this, heat a skillet and add one tablespoon of oil or butter. When it has melted completely, add a small amount of onion and let it cook until translucent.

After that, add the potatoes first before adding the rest of the vegetables. Add salt and pepper for a better taste as well as any other seasonings like curry powder or paprika.

Use a spoon to mix the ingredients to prevent them from sticking to the base of the skillet. While doing so, make sure that you don't burn them as this will ruin your soup.

If you want, you can add water at this point for more flavour and a creamier texture. Stir constantly until the ingredients have become tender. After that, transfer your pot of soup into a soup pot and bring it to a boil before covering it with a lid.

As soon as your soup has come to a rolling boil, you can reduce the heat and let it simmer for about thirty minutes.

Preparing Garnishing for the Vegetable Soup

After thirty minutes of cooking, you can add your garnishing and serve the vegetable soup. Some people like to add cornbread to their soup while others choose a slice of bread or baguette. In addition, you can also make some fresh parsley or basil sprinkles as garnishing for an attractive-looking bowl of vegetable soup.

Making Time and Serving

Vegetable soup is usually served with bread or can be eaten on its own during lunchtime or dinner. Before serving the soup, let it cool for about ten minutes so that it's no longer piping hot.

Conclusion

After a few minutes, your vegetable soup is ready to be served. And if you want to add a little more flavour, you can do it by adding some shredded cheese, croutons or a dollop of sour cream. Hopefully, with this article, you are enticed to try out the vegetable soup recipe at home. It's not hard to make and will leave everyone at your table satisfied and full of nutrition.

FAQs

How long can you keep this soup in the refrigerator?

You can keep this vegetable soup in the refrigerator for a day or two. However, if you are serving them for a party, you shouldn't store it for more than four hours.

Can you freeze it?

Yes, you can freeze this vegetable soup recipe after adding all the ingredients to your pot and cooking the soup. While cooking, make sure that the ingredients don't burn before returning them to the pot and freezing it overnight. When defrosting, make sure that your carrots are soft enough to eat before continuing with cooking and reheating.

How often should you have vegetable soup?

Vegetable soup is a balanced meal that is served cold to be consumed at breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, most people have this dish in the morning soon after waking up as it is rich in high-quality nutrients like potassium and magnesium.