Savory Vegetable Soup (Vegan)

This is a dump-it-all-in-the-pot kind of vegetable soup, and that simplicity is the beauty of it. A triple-tomato base of canned whole tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato juice creates a rich, deeply flavored broth without any stock at all (though the recipe adds bouillon cubes for extra body).

Everything goes in big, chunky pieces: potatoes, carrots, cabbage, celery, onions, whole mushrooms. The long simmer softens them gradually while they release their flavors into the broth. After a couple of hours, every spoonful is a different vegetable and the liquid tastes like it’s been building flavor all day.

Squeeze the canned whole tomatoes by hand as you add them. This breaks them into irregular pieces that dissolve partially into the broth while leaving satisfying chunks throughout. Dice them neatly and you lose that rustic, home-cooked texture.

Chef Tips

• Keep the vegetables in large chunks. This soup simmers for hours, and small pieces will disintegrate into a thick, mushy stew instead of a clear soup with distinct vegetables.
• Add water as the soup cooks to maintain the broth level. The potatoes and beans absorb liquid as they simmer.
• Remove the bay leaf before serving. It’s done its job after the long simmer and can be unpleasant to bite into.
• This soup tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld overnight in the fridge.

Variations

• Pasta addition: Add cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbow macaroni in the last 10 minutes for a more filling, minestrone-style soup.
• Spicy version: Add red pepper flakes and a few dashes of hot sauce to the pot for a soup with slow-building warmth.