540 vegetable soup recipes

Low-fat roasted vegetable stock made with caramelized onions, carrots, leeks, and celery. This vegetarian brown stock adds deep, savory flavor to soups, risottos, and sauces without a drop of meat.

Italian rice and endive soup with fresh tomatoes, carrots, and basil. A light vegetarian meal ready in 45 minutes, simmered in vegetable stock with curly endive for a pleasantly bitter depth.

Turkey crunch casserole with leftover turkey, cream of mushroom soup, vegetables, and crispy chow mein noodles on top. A retro one-dish dinner that uses up holiday turkey in 45 minutes.

Potato barley soup simmers pearl barley with carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes in beef or chicken stock for a thick, hearty grain-and-vegetable bowl that gets better the next day.

A silky blended soup of brown rice, fresh asparagus, and aromatic vegetables in chicken broth, brightened with soy sauce, parsley, and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Light, clean, and spring-ready.

Asian braised vegetables with miso, ginger, daikon, mushrooms, and winter squash tossed in a glossy soy-cornstarch glaze. Vegan, hearty, and done in an hour. Bonus: leftover stock makes a quick tofu soup.

Pisnyi borsch is a meatless Ukrainian beet soup with dried boletus mushrooms, beet kvas, root vegetables, and fresh dill. A clear, jewel-toned broth served over vushka dumplings for a traditional Lenten meal.

Maryland-style crab soup simmered with beef shin, tomatoes, mixed vegetables, and a pound and a half of crab meat. A slow-cooked Chesapeake Bay classic loaded with briny sweetness and deep beefy broth.

Creamy minestrone soup blends puréed white beans into a hearty vegetable broth packed with cranberry beans, kale, zucchini, potatoes, and carrots. A vegan minestrone that gets its silky body from beans instead of cream.

This bean soup sports a colorful mixture of vegetables and rich spices reminiscent of Mexican cuisine. It tastes even better after a night in the refrigerator. Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips and low- fat sour cream, if desired.

Here is a nice change from rye bread. Simply use tomato juice or vegetable juice for the liquid. This tangy, tasty bread makes great sandwiches--especially when they include cheese. It adds a festive touch to soups and winter casseroles, too.

My hearty soup starts with a homemade stock simmered low for hours, then strained and skimmed clean before a load of vegetables, pasta, and pulled meat go in. A from-scratch, stick-to-your-ribs bowl made the old-fashioned way.