This thick and chunky vegetable soup is packed with big, hearty pieces of sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, and black beans in a flavorful tomato broth. A homemade soup spice blend makes this easy one-pot recipe especially good, and the leftovers are perfect for lunch.
There are so many veggies that I didn't even miss the meat. I ate the leftovers for lunch all week!
- Abby G.
Jump to:
from my actual life
(feel free to skip to the soup)
Have you ever pulled a little container of homemade spice blend with a handwritten label out of your pantry and then proceeded to make a delicious homemade meal using it?
It’s a high like no other (if you’re a 43-year-old mom of three).
It just gives you this feeling (albeit brief) of, yep, I’m crushing life.
So, we’re doing it. We’re going to make a big batch of a really good spice blend, put some away for later because we will be making this soup again, and then cut up an unreasonable amount of vegetables into big, rustic pieces.
We’re making soup. Homemade soup, seasoned with our own proprietary spice blend.
And then we’re going to serve it for dinner, eat the leftovers for lunch, and feel pretty good about ourselves because, well, we made vegetables taste good AND we’re eating them.
-Bailey
P.S. - If you love vegetable soup, this vegetable taco soup is pretty great too!
the good soup blend
I’m not going to offer substitutions for this one. You could absolutely leave something out or swap one spice for something different. Of course. But, this blend is really really good and when something works this well, I don’t mess with it.
check your spices. You’ve got to use fresh. I can’t negotiate on that either. As I’m writing this, I’m realizing I have very rigid opinions about flavoring my soups. If your spices have lost their smell, they’ve probably lost most of their flavor, too. This is a great excuse to replace some basics.
not ready to commit? I whole-heartedly want you to make a jar of the spice blend and make this soup again and again. But, I think I’m bordering on being controlling here so, the amounts for a single pot of soup are below.
the good soup blend (for one pot)
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
ingredients + substitutions
olive oil: any neutral cooking oil works here.
garlic: My favorite hack … frozen minced garlic cubes work well. I haven’t minced garlic in months. Just please, don’t use the pre-minced jarred stuff. I love a shortcut, but that stuff’s not it.
sweet onion: It really couldn’t matter any less. Use absolutely any onion you have.
carrots: Parsnips would be delicious here. Not required, but I do love using rainbow carrots. They make me feel how I imagine I’d feel shopping at a farmers market on Nantucket.
bell pepper: Pick the color you think will look the prettiest in your soup. I go red. Any color works. If you don’t like peppers, swap them for a cup of chopped green beans.
sweet potato: Yukon Gold potatoes or butternut squash are great switches.
zucchini: Yellow summer squash is the easiest swap.
fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Regular diced tomatoes are not ideal, but usable. You’ll lose a little flavor.
vegetable broth: I’ve made this with chicken broth many times. I suspect beef broth would work as well but I haven’t tried it.
bay leaf: There really isn’t a great substitution, if you don’t have one, just skip it.
black beans: The type of bean you use really doesn’t matter. Just use a fully cooked canned bean. I have tried Cannellini beans, kidney beans and chickpeas. They all taste great.
baby spinach: Chopped kale works, but will need a little extra time to soften. I would add it once the pot comes to a boil instead of with the black beans.
** see recipe card for quantities
top tip: make it faster
Frozen pre-chopped vegetables work here, too. The soup won't taste exactly the same as it does with fresh veggies, but it's still good and you are still eating vegetables.
instructions
In a small bowl. combine the herbs and spices. Transfer to an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. Label and store in a dry place.
Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
Add vegetables, broth and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Simmer until veggies are tender. Add spinach and drained beans to the pot. Cook until spinach wilts. Remove bay leave, season with salt and pepper.
worth knowing
accidentally vegan. I didn’t set out to create a vegan soup, but it is. Perfectly fine by me, although considerably less acceptable to Joe. If you’re married to someone who believes meat and potatoes go together, add shredded rotisserie chicken or sliced, precooked sausage.
use what you have. Now is where I go back to my easy breezy self. Use vegetables you like and have on hand. Soup is not that serious. Hate squash? Skip it. Don’t have sweet potatoes, use Yukon Gold potatoes. Just aim for roughly 8-9 cups of fresh vegetables, plus the spinach. Check out substitutions below the recipe for specific swaps.
make it ahead. Soup is perfect for easy lunches throughout the week. The vegetables soften as it sits, but the flavor holds up well. If needed, you can always add a little extra vegetable broth.
storage and freezing
refrigerate: Let the soup cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
freeze: Cool completely and freeze in airtight, freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Leave a little room at the top for expansion.
reheat: Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of vegetable broth if the soup has thickened. The vegetables will be a little softer after freezing.
Recipe
Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup
This thick and chunky vegetable soup is packed with big, hearty pieces of sweet potato, carrots, zucchini, and black beans in a flavorful tomato broth. A homemade soup spice blend makes this easy one-pot recipe especially good, and the leftovers are perfect for lunch.
- Total Time40 minutes
- Yield6 servings 1x
Ingredients
for the good soup spice blend:
-
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
-
1 tablespoon garlic powder
-
1 tablespoon dried oregano
-
1 tablespoon onion powder
-
1 tablespoon dried basil
-
2 teaspoons dried thyme
-
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-
1½ teaspoons salt
-
1 teaspoon white pepper
for the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups of sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½" cubes
- 2 zucchinis, chopped into half moons
- (1) 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon soup spice blend
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
make the good soup blend: In a small bowl, combine smoked paprika (2 tablespoons), garlic powder (1 tablespoon), oregano (1 tablespoon), onion powder (1 tablespoon), basil (1 tablespoon), thyme (2 teaspoons), black pepper (1 teaspoon), salt (1½ teaspoons), and white pepper (1 teaspoon). Transfer to a small airtight container with a tight-fitting lid (this is what I use). Label and store in a cool, dark place.
soften the onion: Heat olive oil (1 tablespoon) in a large pot over medium heat. Add sweet onion (1) and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add garlic (4 cloves) and cook for 1 minute more.
add the vegetables: Add the carrots (3), bell pepper (1), sweet potato (2 cups), zucchini (2), fire-roasted tomatoes (28 ounces), vegetable broth (4 cups), good soup spice blend (1 tablespoon), and bay leaf (1). Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer.
simmer: Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
finish the soup: Stir in the black beans (1 can) and spinach (4 cups). Cook until the spinach wilts and the beans are heated through. Remove the bay leaf, taste, and season with additional salt and black pepper as needed.
Notes
the good soup blend: This makes enough seasoning for about 8 pots of soup. Use 1 tablespoon per pot and store the rest in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
not ready to commit to a whole batch? For one pot, combine ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon dried basil, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon white pepper.
vegetable substitutions: Use what you have. Aim for roughly 8–9 cups of chopped vegetables, plus the spinach. Yukon Gold potatoes or butternut squash can replace sweet potatoes, yellow summer squash works in place of zucchini, and green beans can replace bell pepper. Firmer vegetables may take longer to soften.
make it faster: Frozen vegetables work here, too. The flavor and texture won't be exactly the same, but you'll still have a good pot of soup with considerably less chopping.
add meat: Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken or sliced, precooked sausage toward the end of cooking. Let everything heat through before serving.
storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The vegetables will soften a little more after freezing. Add a splash of broth when reheating if needed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Meal
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Soup
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 242
- Sugar: 11.8 g
- Sodium: 454 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.6 g
- Protein: 11.5 g
- Cholesterol: 4.8 mg
Related
Looking for other recipes like thick and chunky vegetable soup? Try these:
Pairing
These recipes taste great served alongside chunky vegetable soup.
Lachlan Cartland
Just cooked this. I'm 28 and it's my first ever soup! It's absolutely lovely and i'm looking forward to sharing it with my friends. Thanks for the great recipe.
Bailey Sissom
I am so glad that it turned out well for you. Hope your friends love it!
Debbie Cleaver
This is a great way to up your veggie intake. First, the broth that is created is amazing, not too spicy. I didn't have smoked paprika so I researched a substitution of 2 part paprika to 1 part cumin. It was great. Also, I added tender chunks of leftover roasted chicken. A definite winner in my book. I cut the receipt in half and it worked out great for me and my husband. It fed us for two dinners. So the recipe here is for 8 servings. I think I will mix up the spices in a larger batch and keep them for future use. Thanks.
Bailey Sissom
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Great tip about the smoked paprika!
Steph
Your soup spice mix is fantastic. Omitted the salt because we are watching sodium. Also, for your other readers watching salt intake, there are salt-free versions of fire-roasted tomatoes and beans. Low sodium versions of packaged/can products is defined as the serving size in calories should be equal to the milligrams of sodium per serving, or somewhere in the ballpark. For condiments, sodium can be up to 4x the serving size in calories.
I used purple potatoes since we didn't have any sweet potatoes and used water instead of broth. Will definitely be making this frequently, and thanks for the "large batch" spice mix!
Bailey Sissom
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I love the lower sodium options you used. Big batch spice recipes are the best!
Janine
What a brilliant soup recipe! Thoroughly enjoyed it, as did my husband. The soup spice blend is so good to know, I shall be using it a lot. Thank you!
Glenn Fry
Sooo looking forward to making this vegetable soup! I was wondering, could this also be made in a crock pot? If so, would the recipe need to be altered? Thanks!