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Update: I wrote this post years ago when tomato-heavy meals didn’t always agree with me. I still make this soup regularly, and it’s just as delicious with or without tomatoes. It’s a hearty, plant-based vegetable soup that busy moms can whip up without spending hours in the kitchen—simple, wholesome, and perfect for a make-ahead lunch or dinner.
I love tomatoes, but they don’t always love me—at least not in the quantities I enjoy them. After a few helpings of tomato-based foods, my stomach has a way of letting me know it’s had enough.
You’d think soup would be a safe option, free from tomatoes. But tomato-based stock shows up in a lot of vegetable soups. I spent over a year looking for a non-tomato vegetable soup and came up empty. So I finally decided to make my own.
Making it myself also meant I could cut back on the high sodium found in many store-bought soups. This one is loaded with fresh vegetables, and because there are so many, it only takes a handful of each.
Most people think of soup as a winter food—something to warm the soul. But soup and salad is one of my favorite go-to lunches in the summer. Plus, a pot this big means plenty of leftovers, which keeps me out of the kitchen on hot days.
Try it with this summer salad and let me know what you think.
Fully Loaded Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 4 qt water
- 4 Tbsp of Vegetable Broth dry mix
- 1 large Red Potato
- 2 Cups fresh Green bean
- 1 Cup of fresh Broccoli
- 1 Cup of fresh Cauliflower
- 1 Cup Red Onion
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- ½ inch Piece Ginger
- 3 Medium Carrots
- 2 Ribs of Celery
- 4 Fresh corn on cob
- 1 Small Yellow Squash
- ⅓ Cup of dry or 1 of Can Red Beans or Kidney Beans
- Fresh herbs
- Seasoning and other spices
Instructions
- Prep beans: If using dry kidney beans, soak in water for up to 2 hours before cooking.
- Start the base: In a large pot, combine water and vegetable broth dry mix (or stock) and bring to a low simmer. Add beans and cook until tender, about 40 minutes.
- Add sturdy vegetables: Chop green beans and potato; add to the pot. Cook 10 minutes.
- Add remaining vegetables: Add carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, garlic, ginger, corn, and squash. Cook until all vegetables are tender, about 10–15 minutes more.
- Season and serve: Stir in fresh herbs and your preferred seasonings. Taste and adjust as needed.
Notes
- Cut vegetables into small, uniform pieces to cook faster and evenly.
- Add sturdier vegetables first, then more delicate ones.
- You can use low-sodium vegetable stock instead of water and dry mix—homemade or store-bought works.
- Leftovers keep well for several days and are great for reheating or freezing.
- Use seasonal vegetables you have on hand—no need to stick exactly to the list.
AI may have helped refine this post, but every idea, recipe, and opinion is 100% mine. I thought it, cooked it, and tasted it—AI is just the assistant, not the chef. No robots were harmed (or fed) in the making of this content!
