The Best Vegetable Soup

Vegetable soup is probably my very favorite kind of soup, but let's face it, it can be bland, bland, bland.  This soup is anything but bland!  Full of delicious vegetables with a tomato-y broth and a little kick from some dried red pepper flakes.  It's real secret is one can of condensed tomato soup...yup...just one can.  The addition of the canned soup adds flavor and texture, but it still tastes 100% homemade.



You can substitute almost any kind of vegetables for the ones I have listed in the recipe.  I basically went with what I had on hand in the freezer and the produce drawer of my fridge. You can also use whatever kind of stock you prefer...I used chicken, but vegetable and beef stock are just fine too!  Two whole cups of soup per serving clocks in at 2 points+...not too shabby for a bowl full of goodness that is full of nutrition! 


(An adaption of THIS recipe is included in the cookbook, Prevention RD's Everyday Healthy Cooking!)  

The Best Vegetable Soup

from the kitchen of MKA

Printable Recipe

Yield - approx. 6 quarts of soup  Servings - approx. 12   Serving Size - 2 cups per serving   Points Plus per Serving - 2 points+

Calories - 99,   Total Fat - 0.8g,   Carb. - 20.2g,   Protein - 3.6g,   Fiber - 3.5g

1 tsp olive oil

1 med onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

dash of dried red pepper flakes ( or more if you like, just be careful...a little goes a long way)

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried marjoram

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2- ( 32 ounce) boxes of fat free, low sodium chicken stock ( or vegetable or beef stock ) 

1- (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with juices

2 cups diced new potatoes ( unpeeled ) 

2 cups of carrots, sliced into bite-sized pieces

1 cup celery, diced

6 - 7  fresh Brussels sprouts, ends cut off and roughly chopped

1 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup frozen green beans

1/2 cup fresh minced flat-leafed parsley 

1- (10.75 ounce) can of condensed tomato soup + one can of water

juice of half a lemon

additional salt and pepper, to taste

1.  In a 6 quart dutch oven or large stock pot, over med heat, warm oil.  Add in onion and cook until softened.  ( about 5 minutes)   Add garlic and cook another minute or so until fragrant.   Add red pepper flakes, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper and bay leaf.  Continue to cook for another minute or so.  

2.  Add in the stock and canned tomatoes and their juices and stir.  Add in the potatoes and stir.  Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and loosely cover.  Simmer until the potatoes are almost tender.  

3.  Add in the carrots, celery,  and Brussels sprouts.  Allow to simmer until the carrots are almost tender.  

4.  Add in the frozen corn and green beans and the parsley.  Bring back up to simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender.  Add in the condensed soup and water and the lemon juice.  Test for additional salt and pepper and season to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  You can garnish with fresh more fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if you desire. 

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Like many soups, this soup was actually even better the next day!  If you don't have or don't want to use Brussels sprouts, you can substitute green cabbage...but I think the sprouts gave the soup an interesting twist!  Sprout haters won't even know they are in there!  You may have noticed, like most of my soups, I finish this one with a little bit of lemon juice.  I have found that the addition of this acid at the end of  a long cooking dish, brightens and freshens the taste up tremendously!  I wouldn't make soup without it! 

It is supposed to get COLD here this weekend! They are saying we could see frost!  Yikes!  I am not ready for it yet!  I still have potted geraniums on my porch that are doing fantastic and grape tomatoes that need to be picked ( although the chipmunks are doing a great job of that! )   I have to admit, when that first real taste of fall arrives, I am a bit taken aback by it.  Are you still hanging onto summery thoughts like me?  lol