Stir up Some Flavor With This Herbed Vegetable Soup (2024)

Most soup recipes call for plenty of broth of stock, but sometimes you need a warm, filling meal and you don't have any prepared broth on hand. Thanks to some flavorful ingredients like garlic, ginger, onions, bay leaf, and dried herbs, this vegetable soup makes its own broth. It's an easy and cost-effective vegan and vegetarian meal.

Even though it's not stock-based, this warming vegetable soup has plenty of flavor thanks to the liberal use of herbs and spices. Plus, because success doesn't rely on exact measurements, this recipe is a great candidate for experimentation. Try adding beans or changing the vegetables to suit your taste.

Serve the herbed vegetable soup with crusty bread, cornbread, crackers, or a green salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
3 (1/4-inch) slices peeled ginger
3 large cloves garlic
6 cups water
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, chopped
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1 large zucchini, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 largeYukon Gold potato, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh basil, or parsley, for optional garnish

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

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Heat the oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, ginger, and garlic. Sauté until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the water, tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, potato, and barley. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
Once the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat and add the salt, basil, thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper (to taste). Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables and barley reach desired tenderness.
Remove the ginger, garlic cloves, and bay leaf. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs (if desired).

Recipe Variations

You can easily swap out or add to the vegetables in this soup to suit your tastes. Good options include turnips, parsnips, green beans, peas, other leafy greens like kale, corn, bell peppers, and sliced mushrooms.
If you're not vegetarian, you can add cooked, crumbled sausage or ground beef for protein. Try spicy sausage for a flavorful soup.
Add a can of beans to make this soup more filling. Chickpeas, white beans, and kidney beans are all good choices.
Try topping the soup with some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Vegetarian Bean and Barley Vegetable Soup

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
202	Calories
6g	Fat
35g	Carbs
6g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	202
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g	7%
Saturated Fat 1g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 846mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate 35g	13%
Dietary Fiber 7g	26%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 25mg	124%
Calcium 153mg	12%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 1063mg	23%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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