Mediterranean Vegetable Soup (Printable)
A vibrant vegetable soup with sun-kissed Mediterranean flavors, fragrant herbs, and tender cannellini beans.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, diced
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2 carrots, sliced
05 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
06 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
07 - 1 zucchini, diced
08 - 1 medium eggplant, diced
09 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
→ Broth & Beans
10 - 5 cups vegetable broth
11 - 1 can (14 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
→ Herbs & Seasoning
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 bay leaf
15 - Salt and pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
17 - Lemon wedges, for serving
# How to Cook:
01 - Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, sautéing for about 2 minutes until fragrant and softened.
02 - Add the sliced carrots, celery, diced bell pepper, zucchini, and eggplant to the pot. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
03 - Stir in the diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, cannellini beans, dried oregano, dried thyme, bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
04 - Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes until all the vegetables are fork-tender.
05 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste the broth and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Ladle the hot soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle each serving with chopped fresh parsley and serve with a lemon wedge on the side.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It uses whatever vegetables are crowding your crisper drawer, so nothing goes to waste and everything tastes intentional.
- The broth develops a richness that tricks people into thinking you spent hours hovering over the stove when you barely touched it.
02 -
- Salt the soup at the very end because the broth reduces and the tomatoes concentrate, and if you salt too early you will end up with something from the sea.
- Eggplant acts as a natural thickener here, so do not skip it even if you are on the fence, because it disappears into the broth and makes everything silkier.
03 -
- Do not rush the initial sauté of vegetables, because those eight minutes of patient cooking build the sweetness and depth that carry the entire pot from good to unforgettable.
- A squeeze of lemon at the very end brightens every single ingredient and makes the flavors taste more like themselves, so never skip it even if you think it will not matter.