posted by Som Offor.
We have been making this soup for years. It’s simple to make, healthy, and comforting. Throw lots of vegetables into a big pot, add stock and herbs, and then simmer until done. Blend with a little cream or coconut milk and you’re done.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This
Three Ingredient Tomato Soup Recipe. We combine butter, tomatoes — canned or fresh, and onion. After some simmer time, it turns into a velvety, delicious tomato soup. A must make!
By the way, this vegetable soup is easy to adapt. Make it gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. I’ve shared how below.
How to Make Our Quick and Easy Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe
This soup comes together quickly. It’s also light on the prep.
The real trick to making this soup is cutting all the vegetables a similar size. We start by cooking onions, carrots, and celery in a big pot until softened. Then we add potatoes, garlic, stock, and herbs.
After simmering for 15 minutes, the vegetables will be soft.
Remove the herbs (I cannot even count how many times I’ve forgotten a bay leaf!). Then blend the soup until smooth. At this point, we like to add a splash of cream or half-and-half. You can skip it or use a dairy-free option like coconut milk.
Recipe Substitutions for Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Vegan Diets
This recipe is easy to adapt. Here’s how to change the recipe for specific diets:
Gluten-free Vegetable Soup: Some store-bought stocks contain gluten. Look for stock or broth that mentions it is gluten-free on the packaging. You could also consider homemade stock.
Vegetarian and Vegan Vegetable Soup: Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. For the best flavor, we recommend one that’s heavy on mushrooms. Instead of the cream, use coconut milk. You could also add some drained and rinsed white beans to the soup while it simmers. Once blended, they will add to the soup’s creamy texture.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This Easy Vegetable Lasagna Recipe with tender zucchini, yellow squash and roasted red peppers cooked in a light tomato sauce. So simple and easily adaptable.
Make Ahead Tips
Refrigerate the soup up to 3 days. Or, freeze up to 3 months. The soup will become very thick after freezing. When reheating, add more stock or water to thin it out until your desired consistency.
Recipe updated, originally posted December 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Quick and Easy Creamy Vegetable Soup Recipe
Created By: Adam and Joanne Gallagher
- 1 large onion
- 1 pound carrots, peeled
- 4 celery sticks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 medium thin-skinned potatoes (or 6 small potatoes)
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1/4 cup half-and-half, cream, or coconut milk
- Prepare the vegetables. Chop the onion, carrots, and celery into 1/2-inch chunks. Chop the potatoes into 1/2-inch chunks, but set aside from other vegetables.
- Sweat the onions, carrots, and celery. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Toss the onion, carrots, and the celery around in the oil. Sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and add the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables sweat, soften, and smell sweet; 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, garlic, and herbs. Stir in the potatoes, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes. (Add more oil if the pot seems dry).
- Add the stock and simmer. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork; about 15 minutes
- Remove the herbs. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Blend the soup. Remove the soup from the heat. Use an immersion blender, stand blender, or food mill to puree the soup until smooth.
- Finish the soup with half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Stir in the half-and-half. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary.
