Creamy Vegetable Soup – Quick and Easy
It’s no secret that I love my Granny’s classic vegetable soup — but I also love variations like this creamy vegetable soup.
My Granny’s recipe is still my everyday favorite, not just because it is attached to many good memories but because truly is the best recipe I’ve ever had for a basic vegetable soup. When you use all fresh ingredients, there’s not much better. Well, maybe serving it with my fried cornbread makes it better, but it’s wonderful by itself, too.
Sometimes though, I crave something different, like the richness of a super creamy soup. Creaminess equals comfort to me. I have a few standbys ready: creamy tomato soup, creamy vichyssoise, and now this creamy vegetable soup recipe.
How To Make Creamy Vegetable Soup
You can make almost endless flavor varieties of this creamy soup by starting from the basic recipe below and adjusting the ingredients. Try different vegetable combinations and add your favorite herbs and spices.
What vegetables are best?
Vegetable soup is naturally packed with nutrition and great taste. Any diced veggie mix will add healthful vitamins and fiber to your soup. As noted in the recipe, you can use either fresh or frozen vegetables. Vegetable soup is a fantastic way to use up leftovers from last night’s dinner as well as surplus from your garden.
Good options for a creamy vegetable soup include:
- broccoli
- carrots
- cauliflower
- corn
- green beans
- zucchini
- peas
- onion
- sweet potatoes
- mushrooms
- celery
What makes the soup creamy?
The creamy part of this soup is 2 cups of heavy cream blended with the chicken broth. Real cream makes this soup delicious, but if you need to limit saturated fat in your diet, you could try fat-free half-and-half to get a creamy consistency without the fat and cholesterol.
Vegetable stock or broth can be substituted for the chicken broth. Coconut milk and several kinds of plant-based cream also are available to make a completely vegan soup. So if you have to avoid dairy, you can still get a creamy texture.
How do you increase the flavor of vegetable soup?
You can’t go wrong with this recipe’s simple seasoning of salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, and lemon. But feel free to add the herbs and spices of your choice. Flavor additions you could try are:
- a few pressed garlic cloves
- bay leaf, oregano, or fresh thyme
- hot red peppers or red pepper flakes
- a dash of your favorite hot sauce
- parsley for garnish
- grated cheddar cheese
Make It Faster
Of course, you could make this soup 100% homemade with your own chicken broth and fresh vegetables, but you don’t have to. Plain old frozen or canned mixed veggies and store-bought chicken broth (or vegetable broth) will work just fine for this soup. Using pre-diced vegetables will save you a lot of chopping. Additionally, you could start from one of those dried vegetable soup starter mixes if that’s what you have on hand.
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- ¾ cups flour
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 5 pounds diced vegetables of your choice frozen diced vegetables work great
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- Parmesan Reggiano cheese for serving
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven melt the butter. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook until light and golden. Slowly add the broth and whisk until smooth. Allow the mixture to slightly thicken.
- Add the vegetables and bring soup to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the vegetables are soft.
- Add the salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Add the whipping cream and turn off the heat.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, add extra cream if you like. Sprinkle Parmesan Reggiano over each bowl and serve with cornbread or crackers.
