Simple Fall Vegetable Soup Recipe
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This simple fall vegetable soup, made from the season’s harvest, needs very little seasoning since all the flavor comes from the vegetables — and it’s the best way to sneak vitamin-rich veggies past a picky eater.
Autumn means falling temperatures, so vegetable soup becomes a more frequent dinner here to combat the cold outside. This simple fall vegetable soup is made with vegetables from the fall harvest — all you need to do is chop them and cook on low heat. Very little seasoning is needed, since all the flavor comes from the vegetables themselves.
A simple, nourishing vegetable soup is an easy way to feed the family a healthy meal without much effort, and it’s a good way to use up a good garden harvest. It also happens to be the best way to get a vegetable-averse child to eat all those vitamin-rich vegetables — so it gets made as often as possible.
Table of Contents
How to Make This Simple Soup
There are several ways to cook this soup these days. An Instant Pot works well, programmed for 1 to 2 hours on slow heat. Without one, the stovetop is the usual choice — though a pressure cooker is handy when short on time, getting the soup ready in under 20 minutes start to finish.
Why Slow Cooking Wins on Flavor
Cooking this soup slowly on the stovetop tends to taste noticeably better than the pressure cooker version — the vegetables have more time to release their natural flavor, so you taste them much more clearly.
What Vegetables Work for This Soup
Any vegetables work here, based on what’s available — it’s a great way to use up loose vegetables sitting in the fridge too. Typical fall soup vegetables include potatoes, onions, carrots, celery bulb and stalks, pumpkin, fennel, zucchini and tomatoes. Savoy cabbage often gets added too, since it’s harvested around this time in Switzerland. No exact quantities are needed — just use whatever’s available and adjust the seasoning to taste.
How to Make Simple Fall Vegetable Soup?
Ingredients List
- 2 potatoes, 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 celery bulb, 2 stalks celery
- ¼ pumpkin, 4 carrots
- 1 onion, 2 tomatoes
- 3L water
- Pepper, nutmeg, thyme, stock powder
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Cooking Instructions
Prep the Vegetables:
Wash and chop all the vegetables into cubes.
Start Cooking:
Add all the chopped vegetables to a big stock pot along with 3 liters of water.
Simmer:
Cook on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are soft.
Season:
Add the seasonings, salt and oil.
Blend if Needed:
If you have a picky eater, blitz the cooked soup with an immersion blender before serving.
Serve:
Serve with a dollop of fresh cream, garnished with fresh herbs.
What to Serve This Soup With
How you serve this soup depends on the occasion. Try it:
As a main: with cheese and bread for a winter supper.
With lentils stirred in: for a more protein-rich, filling meal.
With soup balls or croutons: a favorite here.
As a starter: with just a dollop of fresh cream and herbs on top.
Tips for Simple Fall Vegetable Soup
Hide the vegetables: blitzing the soup with an immersion blender disguises vegetables a picky eater might otherwise avoid.
Slow cook for more flavor: stovetop, slow cooking brings out more natural vegetable flavor than a pressure cooker.
Use what you have: this recipe is flexible — swap in whatever vegetables are on hand or in season.
How Long Does This Soup Last?
This soup keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, so it’s worth making a little extra for a second meal. Cool completely before storing in airtight jars or glass bottles.
Making This Soup Vegan
Yes — simply leave out the cream or butter. This soup is often made vegan by default here, since fresh cream isn’t always on hand.
A Naturally Nourishing Soup
Since the vegetables do all the work here, this soup ends up naturally light on salt and heavy on the vitamins those fall vegetables bring — an easy way to get a properly nourishing meal on the table without much effort.
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Recipe Card
Simple Fall Vegetable Soup
- Total Time: 135
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A simple, nourishing vegetable soup made from the fall harvest — needs very little seasoning, since all the flavor comes from the vegetables themselves.
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 1 celery bulb
- ¼ of a pumpkin
- 4 medium carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 liters water
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh double cream (for garnish)
- A few parsley leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
-
Prep the Vegetables:
Wash and chop all the vegetables into cubes.
-
Start Cooking:
Add all the chopped vegetables to a big stock pot along with 3 liters of water.
-
Simmer:
Cook on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the vegetables are soft.
-
Season:
Add the seasonings, salt and oil.
-
Blend if Needed:
If you have a picky eater, blitz the cooked soup with an immersion blender before serving.
-
Serve:
Serve with a dollop of fresh cream, garnished with fresh herbs.
Notes
Keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Leave out the cream for a vegan version. A pressure cooker speeds things up to under 20 minutes, though slow stovetop cooking gives the best flavor.
- Prep Time: 75
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: Soups
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 2
Frequently Asked Questions
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