Simple Homemade Vegetable Soup Recipe

My homemade vegetable soup is cheap to source, simple to make, super healthy and can be cooked in bulk and frozen.  What more could you want?

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so versatile and easy to prepare, no matter your abilities in the kitchen.  Follow my simple steps to make this extra tasty soup from scratch.

First, select your ingredients.

I know most recipes tell you what to buy, and in what quantities, but that’s what makes this dish so special; it’s up to you.

When photographing for this post, I chose potatoes, carrots, broccoli, parsnips, leeks and an onion.  Other ingredients that work well include, but are not limited to: turnip, celery, sweet potatoes, cabbage, sprouts, cauliflower and kale.

Other important ingredients for this recipe are vegetable stock, a sprinkle of pepper and bouillon.  It’s really as simple as that!

To make the exact soup I created, you’ll need:

• 2 potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 1 broccoli
• 2 leeks
• 1 onion
• vegetable stock
• Bouillon
• Pepper

To prepare:

• A chopping knife
• Chopping board
• Large pan
• Hand blender

Secondly, chop up all of your vegetables.

As straightforward as it sounds; cut all of your vegetables up.  I like to chop mine into smaller chunks so the soup cooks through quicker and takes less time to blend, but this, again, is up to you.

Thirdly, put all of your ingredients into the biggest pan you can find.

I cook my soup in batches, so making a week’s worth in one go is what I usually aim for.  If you’re just wanting to make one meal from your soup, simply reduce the amount of ingredients.
Throw all of your cut up vegetables into a pan, make sure all the veg is covered with water and turn on the hob.  Add extra or less water depending on the consistency of soup you prefer.  Allow the pot to boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Fourthly, add seasoning.

I like to add my seasoning as I go along.  Cooking by taste means I won’t accidentally add too much seasoning to my soup, and that I can keep adding till I’m happy with the taste.  I usually stick to either one or two vegetable stock cubes, which I crumble up into the soup, and then add bouillon and pepper.  Don’t worry if you don’t have both bouillon and vegetable stock cubes; either works fine, I just like to throw both in for extra taste.  Pepper, again, isn’t absolutely necessary if you prefer your food with less of a kick.  Again, add according to personal taste.

Bouillon, if you’re not familiar, looks like this:

Adding a satisfying savoury taste to any dish, I absolutely swear by the stuff.
If you’re cooking up a recipe that’s missing that extra something, bouillon is an ingredient I always have at hand to add more flavour.  You can find this product in most supermarkets, but click here for the exact one pictured above.

Finally, blend the soup.

Once the soup is fully cooked and you have seasoned it to your required taste, it’s time to blend.  My favourite way to blend soup is with a hand blender.  For health and safety reasons, I advise you allow the soup to cool before blending, in case the soup manages to come into contact with your skin.  Regular blenders can also be used, or simply use a potato masher to create a more chunky texture.

Once the soup is blended, either reheat and serve immediately, or separate into portions for quick and easy meals later in the week.  I like to take mine to work for lunches, so I separate it into enough portions to keep me going till Friday.  Serving is as easy as microwaving the soup for 3-5 minutes on the day.  Any extra portions can be frozen to be used at a later date.

And there you have it, a hearty, healthy, homemade vegetable soup, made by you.  No nasty surprises, just fresh ingredients of your choice, making for a delicious, nutritious,  low calorie meal that you can use all week.  It’s veggie friendly too!

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