This Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup is the perfect healthy lunch on a chilly Fall day. Fresh veggies, an assortment of spices, garlic, and chicken broth come together to create a soup that is nutrient dense and satisfyingly filling.
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In “food-blogging” recipes are created and often “shot” 1-2 months before being posted. With October fast approaching, there has been no shortage of pumpkin-esque baking going on in the kitchen at my house. I mean, I gotta be honest.. pumpkin week is going to be a Big. Deal. this year (make sure you’re following @simplysissom on Instagram so you don’t miss it).
If my personality wasn't such that I'm either "all in" or "all out," this may not present such a problem, buuuuuut the combination of my go-big-or-go-home attitude AND preparing for pumpkin week (aka, delicious baked pumpkins recipes made no less than 3x each), well... let's just say I have eaten more than my fair share of All. Things. Baked. Pumpkin.
In short, I need a little healthy in my life. No, not just need... CRAVE.
So, yesterday I spent the afternoon whipping up this Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup. I went for the double-batch (½ for dinner this week and ½ for the freezer). Soup is one of my favorite go-to things when cold weather hits. It's warm, hearty, and comforting all while packing a serious nutritional punch. And while the whole "good-for-you" thing is a bonus, the real reasons that I get a little obsessed... 1-pot, make-ahead friendly, does great in the freezer, and most importantly... it couldn't be easier!
WHAT IS THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP?
Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup is your new favorite make-ahead friendly lunch option. It’s loaded with nutrients, low-calorie, dairy-free and has vegan and Whole 30 substitutions available. The entire recipe comes together in about 40 minutes.
HOW DO YOU MAKE THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP?
FIRST: Chop those veggies!
NEXT: Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Once the onions caramelize add all the ingredients except the black beans and spinach and let them simmer.
FINALLY: Once the potatoes are fork tender, stir in the spinach and pour in the rinsed black beans. Let the soup continue to simmer until the spinach is wilted and the black beans have warmed through. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a quick grab and go meal option.
FAQ’S ABOUT THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP?
CAN YOU ADD MEAT TO THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP?
Absolutely. You can add some ground beef (toss it in after you sauté the onions and garlic), or pre-cooked sausage that has been sliced (toss it in with the spinach and beans so it can warm up before serving). I think that shredded chicken would also be a great addition. There are no rules, use what you like!
CAN THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP BE FROZEN?
Yes! I often double the recipe (use 2 separate pots, there will be a lot of soup) and freeze half for later. I have used smaller ziplock bags to freeze individual portions and larger bags to freeze family size amounts. Both work fine as long as you allow the soup to cool completely before packing it up. To thaw, just pull it from the freezer and warm in a pot on the stove.
IS THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP VEGAN?
It can be. Substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth or stock.
IS THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP WHOLE 30 COMPLIANT?
Almost. You just need to eliminate the beans. There is no substitution necessary. The soup is still great without them!
WHAT ARE SOME TRICKS FOR MAKING THICK AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP QUICKLY?
The most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping the veggies. Here are some time saving tips:
- Purchase pre-washed baby spinach. This eliminates the need to chop!
- You can sub out butternut squash for the sweet potatoes. They cook faster and often can be found pre-chopped.
- Using baby carrots instead of full-size carrots will eliminate the need to wash and peel the carrots.
- You can purchase pre-diced or frozen diced onions. Both work well and anytime you skip chopping an onion, it’s a good thing!
Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Meal
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Soup
Description
This Thick and Chunky Vegetable Soup is the perfect healthy lunch on a chilly Fall day. Fresh veggies, an assortment of spices, garlic, and chicken broth come together to create a soup that is nutrient dense and satisfyingly filling.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots
- 1 bell pepper (any color is fine)
- 2 cups of sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 zucchinis, chopped into half moons
- 1 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 TBS of my vegetable soup spice blend (recipe below in notes)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- 4 cups of baby spinach
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed (skip if doing Whole-30)
- 4 cups of chicken broth (Vegan- use vegetable broth)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add carrots, bell pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and vegetable soup spice blend. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Add bay leaf.
- Allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in spinach and beans. When the spinach is wilted, season with salt and pepper and remove bay leaf. Serve immediately.
Notes
Soup Spice Blend:
Recipe makes enough spice to make this soup recipe about 6 times. DO NOT pour the whole spice blend into the soup! Just add 1 TBS and store the rest.
- 2 TBS of smoked paprika
- 1 TBS garlic powder
- 1 TBS dried oregano
- 1 TBS onion powder
- 1 TBS dried basil
- 2 tsp. thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1 tsp. white pepper
Keywords: Vegetable Soup
Helpful Hints:
- Homemade chicken broth is SO easy to make and allows you to control the quality and quantity of the ingredients. I use THIS SLOW COOKER CHICKEN BONE BROTH RECIPE.
Let’s Connect:
You can find Simply Sissom on Instagramwhere I share even more recipes (some that aren’t on the blog), behind the scenes pics and videos AND tips and tricks to make healthy eating realistic for your busy family.
Did you make this recipe? If you tried the recipe, I would love to see it, and have you share! Tag me @simplysissom using the hashtag #simplysissom.
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Lachlan Cartland says
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 says
I am so glad that it turned out well for you. Hope your friends love it!
Debbie Cleaver says
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 says
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Great tip about the smoked paprika!
Steph says
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 says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I love the lower sodium options you used. Big batch spice recipes are the best!