The Best Vegetable Soup

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of soups, especially when they don’t have chicken in them, but this healthy easy vegetable soup recipe with tons of veggies is a keeper! Benefits include: using up vegetables and not being hungry after. Plus getting in some lycopene, folate, iron and other good things into your body.

This veggie soup totally surprised me, in a good way. In a way where I wasn’t left begging the pigeons for crumbs during my daily walk after lunch. I was fully satiated and happy. Let me tell you after the holidays, I needed a soup like that. A soup without meat.

At first, I named it, very creatively, “Many vegetable soup”, because I used up many different vegetables while making it. It might sound uneducated, but you don’t really need education to make this healthy recipe. It’s super easy to prep.

But first, get out a scroll of paper and write down the infinite list of vegetables you’ll need for the soup (you don’t need all of them):

Easy Vegetable Soup Ingredients

• French lentils – have them soaked for a few hours to remove antinutrients
• onion
• potato
• carrot
• white button mushrooms
• cauliflower (optional – I needed to use it up)
• scallions
• garlic
• kale (or other greens you like to cook like spinach)
• salt, olive oil and water
• tomato paste
• fresh herbs
• Spices: paprika, cumin, oregano, crushed red pepper

How To Make The Vegetable Soup

The motto is chop chop chop, bring to a boil, simmer and eat.

So start by washing all the vegetables you will need. Thinly chop the onion, carrot and the potato.

Free up the cutting board and transfer these to a bowl. Then thinly chop the cauliflower, the scallions, kale, herbs. Also the mushrooms.

Now start sauteeing the onion with paprika, cumin, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and some olive oil to get things going. This will be 1-2 minutes.

Then add in the carrots, potatoes and some of the water to bring down the heat. Add in the lentils, a few good pinches of salt (if you’re using stock you might not need to do it) and the rest of the water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.

Once boiling reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Then stir in the tomato paste and do a taste test for salt. If needed add some.

Then add in the minced garlic, scallions, kale, mushrooms and cauliflower, fresh herbs.

Increase heat slightly and cook for 5-10 more minutes as needed.

Enjoy with some fresh herbs on top.

More Options

You could use any vegetables you like in this soup. You don’t need to stick with the ones I mentioned. Cauliflower was just something I already had, so I used that.

You can also use cooked chickpeas or beans if you don’t have lentils. And you can completely omit the potatoes if you want to keep this vegetable soup lower-glycemic.

More Easy Soup Recipes:

I hope you enjoy this healthy vegetable soup when you make it! For more easy soup recipes to enjoy during cold weather, check out some of these:

• Easy Salmon and Butternut Squash Soup
• 30-Minute Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Soup
• 10-Minute Coconut Curry Soup

Continue to Content

Easy Vegetable Soup

Yield: 5

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This easy vegetable soup recipe is a keeper, packed with nutrients, and is a perfect dinner idea for a cozy night in! Bonus: you get to use up the vegetables you already have and you won't be hungry after!

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Ingredients

• 2/3 cup French lentils*
• 1 large onion, thinly chopped
• 2 potatoes, chopped
• 2 carrot, thinly chopped
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp crushed red pepper
• a few pinches of salt**
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4-5 cups water (or stock)
• 4-5 white button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cup kale, thinly chopped
• 2-3 tbsp tomato paste (as needed)
• Fresh dill and oregano (or other herbs you like)

Instructions

1. Start by washing all the vegetables you will need. Thinly chop the onion, carrot and the potato. Free up the cutting board and transfer these to a bowl. Then thinly chop the cauliflower, the scallions, kale, herbs. Also the mushrooms.
2. Now start sauteeing the onion with paprika, cumin, dried oregano, crushed red pepper and some olive oil to get things going. This will be 1-2 minutes.
3. Then add in the carrots, potatoes and some of the water to bring down the heat.
4. Add in the lentils, a few good pinches of salt (if you’re using stock you might not need to do it) and the rest of the water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
5. Once boiling reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
6. At this point the lentils should be tender. Once they are, stir in the tomato paste and do a taste test for salt. If needed add some salt.
7. Then add in the minced garlic, scallions, kale, mushrooms and cauliflower, fresh herbs.
8. Increase heat slightly and cook for 5-10 more minutes as needed.
9. Enjoy with some fresh herbs on top.

Notes

*soak for a few hours to remove the antinutrients and to speed up the cooking process.

**It's important to taste test for salt after 20 minutes, especially if you're using water and not stock. Otherwise the soup might be bland.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 113mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 8g

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Originally published in January 2025, last updated in September 2025.