Hearty Vegetable Soup
This hearty vegetable soup is the perfect comfort food for cold winter days. You sauté an onion in a little oil, add water or stock, then simmer carrots, celeriac, red bell pepper and peas until tender. Finish with canned tomatoes, garlic and a splash of vinegar for brightness, and top with fresh parsley.
Vegetable soup is so effortlessly present in my life that I make it on auto-pilot. My mom used to make it, so I learned how to make it too, and now I cook it every time the cold season begins. It is a wonderful source of nutrients, vitamins and comfort, so it can only benefit you to have it more often.
The day I photographed this batch I did not have any fresh herbs on hand, which is a shame, because fresh lovage, parsley or celery leaves are what lift this soup from good to memorable. Add them if you have them. The recipe is forgiving, so go make your own combinations and let me know how it goes.
Key ingredients
Carrots, celeriac and red bell pepper are the backbone of the soup. Slice the carrots evenly so they cook at the same rate, and dice the celeriac small because that knobbly root takes longer to soften than it looks. Celeriac is what gives a vegetable soup its rounded, savory depth, so do not skip it. Pick a firm, heavy root with no soft spots, and a bell pepper that feels taut and glossy.
Onion and garlic do different jobs at different times. The onion goes in first and gets sautéed until golden to build the base flavor, while the six cloves of garlic go in near the end so they stay fragrant and sharp rather than cooking down into nothing. Slicing the garlic rather than mincing it keeps that late-added punch intact.
Canned tomatoes bring body and a gentle acidity. I add them late, after the vegetables are already tender, because tomato acid slows down the softening of root vegetables if you add it too early. A 400 g can of chopped, peeled tomatoes is plenty for a pot this size.
Dehydrated vegetable mix is my shortcut for a deeper, more seasoned broth. I use my own homemade mix, but any healthy, MSG-free veggie mix works. It is the difference between watery soup and one that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.
Apple cider vinegar or pickle juice is the finishing touch, and it is what makes this soup taste like a proper Romanian ciorbă rather than a plain broth. Add it off the heat, a little at a time, tasting as you go.
Tips for getting it right
- Take your time sautéing the onion until it is truly golden, not just translucent. That is where the base flavor comes from, and rushing this step is the most common mistake people make with a simple soup like this.
- Add the vegetables according to how long they take. Carrots, celeriac, bell pepper and peas all go in together and need about half an hour to turn tender. You know they are ready when a carrot slice gives easily under a fork with no crunch left.
- Hold the tomatoes and garlic back until the vegetables are soft. They only need five minutes at the end, which keeps the garlic aromatic and stops the acid from toughening the roots.
- Season the acidity off the heat. Vinegar and pickle juice taste much sharper when the soup is boiling, so add them at the very end and taste before adding more.
- If you have fresh lovage, parsley or celery leaves, stir them in right before serving. The heat of the soup releases their aroma without cooking it away.
Storage and make-ahead
This soup keeps beautifully in the fridge for three to four days, and the flavor actually improves overnight as the vegetables and broth settle together. Cool it fully before covering, then reheat gently on the stove. It also freezes well for up to three months, though I leave the fresh herbs out and add them after reheating so they stay bright. If you want to make it ahead, you can simmer the vegetable base and add the vinegar only when you serve, so each bowl tastes freshly finished.
If you love a warming bowl as much as I do, try my veggie soup with semolina dumplings, this comforting cauliflower soup, or a hearty vegan red lentil soup for the coldest days.
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Hearty Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 onion diced
- ½ cup celeriac diced
- ½ cup peas
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 8 cups water or vegetable stock
- apple cider vinegar or pickle juice to taste
- 400 g canned tomatoes chopped, peeled
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 Tbsp celery leaves or lovage chopped
- parsley chopped
- 1 Tbsp dehydrated vegetables mix I used my homemade mix, but you can use any healthy, MSG-free, veggie mix
Instructions
- Heat the oil in medium pot.
- Add diced onion and sauté until golden.
- Add 6-8 cups of water.
- Add condiments: salt, pepper, dry parsley, veggie mix.
- Add sliced carrots, diced celery root, red bell pepper and peas.
- Let it boil until all veggies are tender. (about half an hour)
- Add chopped tomatoes, sliced garlic and celery leaves.
- Let it boil for another 5 minutes.
- Make the soup a little bit more acidic by adding apple cider vinegar or pickle juice, to taste.
- Serve with fresh parsley on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
This version uses carrots, onion, celeriac, peas, red bell pepper and garlic, simmered in water or vegetable stock with canned tomatoes. Celeriac and a dehydrated veggie mix give it a deep, savory base, while fresh parsley, lovage or celery leaves finish it off. You can swap in whatever seasonal vegetables you have on hand.
Yes, this soup is fully vegan. It is built on vegetables, water or vegetable stock, canned tomatoes and a touch of oil, with no dairy, eggs or animal products. Just make sure the dehydrated vegetable mix you use is also plant-based and MSG-free.
Bland vegetable soup usually comes from under-seasoning and skipping the flavor base. Sauté the onion until truly golden before adding liquid, use a good dehydrated veggie mix or vegetable stock instead of plain water, and finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar or pickle juice. That final hit of acidity wakes up all the other flavors.
Add the canned tomatoes and sliced garlic near the end, after the root vegetables are already tender, and let them boil for just five minutes. Tomato acid slows down the softening of carrots and celeriac if added too early, and late-added garlic stays fragrant instead of cooking away to nothing.
Homemade vegetable soup keeps in the fridge for three to four days in a covered container, and the flavor often improves the next day. It also freezes well for up to three months. Cool it completely before storing, and reheat gently on the stove, adding any fresh herbs after reheating.
Yes, this soup is excellent for making ahead. Simmer the vegetable base and store it as is, then add the apple cider vinegar or pickle juice and fresh herbs only when you reheat and serve, so each bowl tastes freshly finished. It is a practical option for batch cooking through the cold season.
Perfect!
Amazing soup for a cold. I’m already feeling so much better! Thank you!
Glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Great recipe!
Thank you all! 🙂
Such a beautiful soup…a favorite for sure 🙂
Your soup photo is heartwarming (as are your stuffed button mushrooms a couple of posts ago — gorgeous!) I'm hoping the weather warms up for you soon. Congratulations on the Liebster Award from Exquisite Niche — well deserved! 🙂
Wonderful veggie soup. So bright colorful and healthy. I love your photos too.
Yes.. in Romania is very cold also.. -15 degrees at noon. Everybody should eat hot veggie soups or drink hot tea when it's so cold outside.
Some days back I was reading some where that more than hundred people have been found dead in Ukrine due to cold weather. It will be a good precaution to use beneficial soup in these conditions.