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Home » ALL RECIPES » Easy Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe

Easy Winter Vegetable Soup Recipe

Author: Karon Grieve Published : January 2014

Recipe Video
winter vegetable soup
winter vegetable soup
winter vegetable soup

Seriously simple but sensationally tasty. Like a hug-in-a-mug this easy winter vegetable soup is a classic and a must-have for your recipe collection to see you through those chilly winter months.

winter vegetable soup in two bowls

Winter Vegetable Soup

It is cold and wet and windy here in Scotland. Winter is upon us, but not in the pretty but chilly snow-filled way, more in the bone-cold and damp sort of way.

When the weather is like this there is just nothing better than holing up in the house and keeping warm by the fire. Add a big bowl of hearty comforting winter vegetable soup and the picture really is complete.

Basket of vegetables

Seasonal vegetables

This easy winter vegetable soup is all about those basic winter veggies that don’t ring the bells in the glamour department, they are far more earthy, down-home and some would even say a tad boring.

Potatoes, carrots, leeks, parsnip, spinach, cabbage and celery. No chilli fire, no real drama.

Instead, there is depth of flavour and simple goodness.

Now don’t be put off by the list of ingredients here, once you have your veggies washed and peeled it really is just a case of tossing things into the pan, so please resist any temptation to run away and give up at the long list here.

ingredients on table

Ingredients for this winter vegetable soup

An onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, sweet potato, potatoes and garlic.

Actually, you can use any vegetables you can get your hands on. Swede/turnip is always a good choice.

Some green veggies like cabbage and spinach.

Beans for filling fibre. I’ve used a can of cannellini beans but you could just as easily use butter beans or anything else lurking in the cupboard.

Tinned tomatoes and vegetable (or chicken) stock.

There are no spices other than salt and pepper and for herbal interest, I’ve used thyme. You could use rosemary if you prefer. I love the earthiness of thyme in this winter vegetable soup.

Pro tips

I’ve used dried thyme but feel free to use fresh thyme if you have it. Use half the amount of dried herbs to fresh herbs though as their flavour is much stronger.

You could use swede/turnip or cauliflower for this soup, broccoli or butternut squash or pumpkin. just use any veggies you can get your hands on in winter.

If you don’t have any canned beans you could always use lentils instead or chickpeas.

chopping the vegetables to same size

What size to chop the vegetables?

When chopping the veggies you don’t want to make the pieces tiny in small dice.

Simply chop them into pieces about 1cm in size and try to keep everything about the same size so they cook evenly.

  • saute the vegetables
  • add beans, tomatoes and stock
  • chop the cabbage finely
  • add cabbage and spinach to soup
  • simmering pan of winter vegetable soup

How to make winter vegetable soup

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrots and celery, parsnip and both types of potatoes (don’t bother to peel these as the skins add flavour and vitamins) for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and add these along with the tomatoes and stock.

Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the cabbage and spinach and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

two bowls of soup on table top down shot

Serving suggestions

I like to serve my winter vegetable soup with a spoonful of homemade Pistou as I always feel this veggie soup is a bit like a winter version of the French summer soup de pistou.

You can also add a dollop of pesto instead of pistou. Check out my pesto section for lots of great pesto recipes. I even have an Ebook ‘A Passion For Pesto’ with over 50 great pesto recipes and serving ideas.

I also serve my vegetarian Scotch broth with kale pistou. It’s a great way to brighten up any simple soup.

A sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some crusty bread on the side.

How many does this serve?

This winter vegetable soup recipe will serve up to 8 people.

Storage

This winter vegetable soup will keep fine in the fridge for about 5 days in a sealed container and of course, it freezes well for up to 6 months.

larder links

Looking for more hearty soups to see you through the winter months? Then check these out before you go;

Vegetarian Scotch broth with kale pistou

Rich and creamy garlic mushroom soup

Quick and easy tomato and mascarpone soup

Broccoli and stilton soup

Curried cauliflower potato and kale soup

Spiced carrot and cauliflower soup

Traditional 5 ingredient Scottish cock-a-leekie soup

Chunky vegetable soup

Scottish classic Cullen Skink soup

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
winter vegetable soup in two bowls

Easy winter vegetable soup recipe

Karon Grieve
a super easy rich and hearty vegetable soup that will fill you up and warm your heart in the chilly winter months
4.11 from 19 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Soup
Cuisine British
Servings 8 people
Calories 232 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 3 carrots chopped
  • 2 sticks celery chopped
  • 1 parsnip peeled and chopped
  • 1 small sweet potato peeled and chopped
  • 2 large potatoes chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tbsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 400 g cannellini beans canned
  • 400 g canned tomatoes
  • 600 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 250 g green cabbage chopped
  • 150 g fresh spinach
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrots and celery, parsnip and both types of potatoes (don’t bother to peel these as the skins add flavour and vitamins) for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and add these along with the tomatoes and stock.
  • Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage and spinach and season well with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
  • Serve with a spoonful of pistou and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some crusty bread on the side.

Video

Notes

Chopping the vegetables; I have said roughly chop these veggies as they don’t need to be in a tiny dice or anything. Just try to keep your veggie pieces about the same size when chopping them so they cook at around the same time.
I kept the skin on the potatoes, its full of nutrients.
You can use frozen spinach but defrost first and squeeze out excess water.

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 535mgPotassium: 944mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 8240IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 4mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Keyword soup, vegetables
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Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Super Soups, Trending Now, Vegetarian Recipes, Winter

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Comments

  1. Linda says

    December 22, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    5 stars
    OMG! I just made this wonderful soup for our family of vegan, and gluten-free adults. They absolutely loved it. I used fresh tarragon instead of thyme and four cloves of garlic. The flavors of the vegetables and sweet potato just combine amazingly well. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 28, 2016 at 10:41 am

      Hi Linda
      Glad you liked it so much.
      K x

      Reply
  2. Stacey says

    November 9, 2019 at 1:39 pm

    Hi. This soup is amazing. Can it be frozen?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      November 27, 2019 at 12:28 pm

      Glad you like the soup. Of course it can be frozen and used within three months
      K

      Reply
  3. Anita Taylor says

    August 23, 2020 at 4:03 am

    Love to try need to can some have extra only 2 of us hate to waste need easy way save my soup freeze full!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      August 23, 2020 at 9:37 am

      Hi Anita
      I think it would probably take between 60-90 minutes for water bath canning. Hope this helps.
      K

      Reply
  4. JR says

    January 13, 2021 at 3:44 am

    Can you describe how you chopped each vegetable?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 13, 2021 at 9:57 am

      Hi Jill
      I chop my veggies into about 1cm pieces and try to keep things about the same size so they cook evenly. Thanks for mentioning this, I have updated the recipe showing this.
      K

      Reply
  5. mandy johnson says

    December 1, 2021 at 10:39 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious. Lovely flavours.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 2, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Hi Mandy
      Thanks so much, glad you liked it.
      K

      Reply
  6. Rod says

    January 28, 2022 at 7:42 pm

    New fan here! I’m an Irish guy that grew up watching my Gran and Mum making soup like this.

    Just made this and it was absolutely beautiful – reminded me so much of when I was young back in Ireland.

    Thanks so much for this. I’ll be checking your other recipes for sure.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 31, 2022 at 3:28 pm

      Hi Rod
      Glad you liked this recipe so much and that it brought back some nice memories for you. Hope you’ll find other recipes on my site that you enjoy.
      K

      Reply
      • Rod says

        February 3, 2022 at 4:26 pm

        Thanks Karon.

        Making it today again!

        It is snowing here in Sweden and -7 so this perfect for these evenings..

        Reply
        • Karon Grieve says

          February 4, 2022 at 7:59 am

          Hi Rod
          Glad you like this soup so much and are making it again. Wish it was snowing here.
          K

          Reply
  7. Cheryl says

    January 16, 2023 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    I thought I’d freeze some but it was so good it went fast! I made it in my instant pot using the sauté setting. Thanks for a new soup to add to my collection.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      January 20, 2023 at 9:17 am

      Hi Cheryl
      Glad you liked the soup so much that there was none left for freezing.
      K

      Reply

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