Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

Made from scratch, grandma’s old-fashioned vegetable soup recipe is one of my favorite dutch oven recipes. This loaded vegetable soup without meat makes it a hearty, one-dish meal that the whole family will love.

Old fashioned Vegetable Soup without Meat

On the cooler days of fall and cold days of winter, there is nothing better than a large pot of warm soup simmering on the stovetop to serve your family at dinner time.

This old-fashioned vegetable soup recipe is easy to make, giving you a warm, hearty soup that your family will love.

Simmering on the stovetop in a dutch oven, carrots, corn, green beans, peas, onions, garlic, celery, and potatoes seasoned with parsley, thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, and basil make the perfect soup.

Whether cooked on the stovetop, wood stove, or over the campfire while camping, old fashioned homemade vegetable soup is sure to be the go-to vegetable soup family favorite recipe you use!

Why you Will Love Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

• Just Like Grandma’s Cooking: home-cooked comfort food at its finest, this is the kind of soup that would be simmering all day on grandma’s stove.
• Leftovers: one of the best things about this old-fashioned vegetable soup recipe is having leftovers for lunch the next day, making it an easy, healthy lunch. Not only does it store well in the fridge, but it also freezes well, making it the perfect freezer meal!
• Easy: This vegetable soup is made from scratch but is a very easy dinner to make. Healthy vegetables, flavorful spices, and potatoes make this a complete meal.
• Simple: simple, just like grandmas homemade vegetable soup, the ingredients are ones that you already have in your pantry. This recipe does not use tomato juice, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or Italian seasoning.

Kitchen Essentials You May Need

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• Dutch Oven: I love using my dutch oven because I can saute the vegetables and simmer the soup all in one pot. The dutch oven I use the most is my 4.5 quart Field Dutch Oven.
• Cutting Board
• Knife

Ingredients for Old fashioned Vegetable Soup

Making vegetable soup from scratch is easy because it can be made from ingredients you already have in your pantry. I prefer using high-quality ingredients such as organic herbs, spices, and vegetables from Azure Standard to make a healthy vegetable soup.

• Vegetables: You can make this recipe super easy by adding cans of vegetables, using a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, or dicing up a variety of vegetables. If you are using canned vegetables, be sure to drain the water out of the cans before adding the vegetables to the pot.
• Vegetable Broth: instead of using water for the liquid in this recipe, add vegetable broth or vegetable stock for flavor and nutrition. You can substitute beef or chicken broth if you don’t have vegetable broth.
• Herbs and Spices: to make the homemade vegetable soup more flavorful, add herbs and spices. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Tomato Sauce: you can use store-bought or home-canned tomato sauce, or another delicious addition is canned tomatoes.
• Potatoes: If using organic or garden fresh potatoes, leave the skin on for added flavor, texture, and vitamins. I prefer using organic yellow or red potatoes.

How to Make Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

I love making vegetable soup from scratch because it comes together in one pot and is super easy to make. Follow the simple steps below to learn how to make vegetable soup from scratch for a comforting bowl of homemade soup.

Step 1: Saute Vegetables

Heat butter in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add diced onions. carrots and celery to saute. Continually stir vegetables to prevent sticking and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir.

Step 2: Add Vegetables and Potatoes

Add in green beans, corn, peas, and cubed bite-size pieces of potatoes. If using canned vegetables, drain the liquid before adding the vegetables into the dutch oven or large stockpot.

For the potatoes, I use organic yellow potatoes and leave the skin on extra vitamins and flavor.

Step 3: Mix In Broth and Seasonings

Add vegetable broth, seasonings, and tomato sauce. Stir ingredients together with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined.

Step 4: Simmer

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low. Simmer the soup in a dutch oven on the stovetop for about an hour so that all of the flavors have time to come together and the potatoes are fork tender.

Step 5: Serve

Once the vegetables are tender, remove the vegetable soup from the stovetop and serve warm. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve with homemade dinner rolls, cornbread, dutch oven rosemary parmesan bread, or saltine crackers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Cook Soup in a Dutch Oven?

Yes, a dutch oven will cook any kind of soup. I love using my dutch oven to prepare soups and stews because I can saute and simmer in the same pan. Dutch ovens retain their heat which means you can serve the soup straight from the pot, and it is sure to stay warm.

As a word of caution, there is debate on using tomato paste or tomato sauce recipes in the cast iron cooking world. This is because the acid in the tomatoes can react with the cast iron, leaving a metallic taste.

While I have not had this issue, you can use an enameled cast iron dutch oven if this concerns you.

However, be sure you use a well-seasoned cast iron dutch oven before making soup. Check out THIS series if you are unfamiliar with caring for cast iron!

What Can I Add to Homemade Vegetable Soup for Flavor?

To add more flavor to homemade vegetable soup, be sure to start off by sauteing your vegetables. Then, use organic beef broth, spices, and herbs for the best flavor.

Can I Add Meat to This Recipe?

While we love the simplicity of this recipe with just vegetables, you can add stew meat or ground beef to make old fashioned vegetable beef soup.

Stew Meat: Before sauteing the vegetables, add stew meat to the dutch oven and sear so that the outside edges are brown, turning over as needed to brown all sides of the meat.

Ground Beef: Crumble ground beef into a large stock pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Then, add the remaining ingredients, and follow the steps in the recipe.

Tips for Making Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

• Vegetables: You do not have to use all of the vegetables listed in the recipe. If you do not like certain vegetables, leave them out, or add in what you do love. The beautiful thing about soups is that they are easily adaptable to suit your taste.
• Canned or Frozen Vegetables: To make this recipe super simple, use canned or frozen vegetables instead of chopping and dicing fresh vegetables.
• Make Extra: Old-fashioned vegetable soup without meat freezes really well, and it is great to have on hand for busy days. So, make an extra big batch to freeze.
• Cooking Method: If you do not own a dutch oven, you can use a slow cooker, instapot, crockpot, or a large soup pot. Use whatever you have on hand in your kitchen.

How to Store Leftover Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup

• Fridge: allow the vegetable soup to cool and then store it in a covered airtight container. Cooked vegetable soup will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Freezer: after letting the soup cool completely, pour the soup into a freezer-safe container or freezer bags. Leave 1-2 inches of space in a bag or container for the liquid to expand. Write the name of the soup on the freezer container and freeze it for up to 3 months.

More Delicious Soup Recipes

Soup is a powerhouse of nutrition; sometimes, a big bowl of soup is just what you need to warm yourself up or to nourish yourself well. I hope that you love the deliciousness of this homemade loaded vegetable soup!

Here are several other delicious homemade easy soup and dutch oven recipes for you to try!

• Dutch Oven Chili
• Dutch Oven Beef Stew
• Riced Cauliflower Soup with Chicken
• Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch
• Old Fashioned Dutch Oven Recipes

Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup Printable Recipe

If you make this Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup, leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

Originally posted October 15, 2020 Updated October 21, 2022

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