This easy homemade vegetable soup is a textbook Mediterranean diet recipe and a delicious way to amp up your veggie intake. It’s loaded with zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, chickpeas and fresh herbs. It’s cozy, comforting, vegan and gluten-free, but trust me, meat eaters will love this vegetable soup as much as veggie lovers do. Take it from us!
This soup recipe is an amped up version of healthy vegetable soup with a host of nourishing ingredients like garlic, onions, whole tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and chickpeas. Fresh herbs, lime juice, and a good dash of warm spices (turmeric, coriander, and paprika) give this soup a Mediterranean twist.
This soup recipe is similar to Italian minestrone soup, minus the pasta. Remember that virtually all vegetables will work in an everyday vegetable soup recipe like this one. Homemade vegetable soup is a great way to use up what veggies you have on hand, so feel free to substitute.
Homemade Veggie Soup
Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive oil
- 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, washed, dried, stems and leaves separated, then each chopped
- 1 medium-size yellow or red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
- 2 medium zucchini, tops removed, sliced into rounds or half-moons or diced
- 2 golden potatoes, peeled, small diced
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. turmeric powder
- ½ tsp. sweet paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 28-oz. + 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand in large bowl
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp. dry thyme
- 6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- Zest of 1 lime
- Juice of 1 lime
- ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts, optional
Directions
- Sauté Mushrooms: In a large pot heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the pot and set aside for now.
- Add fresh veggies and spices: Add more olive oil, if needed and heat. Add the chopped parsley stems, (save the leaves for later), onions, garlic, celery, carrots, zucchini and small diced potatoes. Stir in the spices, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened a bit.
- Add the chickpeas and tomatoes: Now add the chickpeas, tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and broth. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover partially and cook for 15 more minutes.
- Return mushrooms to the pot: Uncover and add the sauteed mushrooms. Cook for just a few more minutes until mushrooms are warmed through.
- Add finishing touches: Finally, stir in the parsley leaves, lime zest, and lime juice.
- The finish: Remove from the heat. Remove bay leaves. Transfer the vegetable soup to serving bowls and top with toasted pine nuts, if you like. Add a side of your favorite crusty bread or pita along with extra lime wedges and crushed red pepper.
Adapted from a recipe by Suzy Karadsheh
Accounting for Taste 