As a dish served around the world, vegetable soup can be complex or simple, and it can be served either as a main course or a side dish. Of course, it can be bought in a can, but like most foods, vegetable soup tastes a lot better when it's homemade. There are many vegetable soup recipes available online as well as methods for learning how to properly prepare the soup.

Main Components

While vegetable soup can be made out of any number of ingredients, there are some features that all types of vegetable soup share.

• Liquid: A flavorful liquid base is the most important element of any soup. The broth for vegetable soup can come from a variety of sources. It can be made with seasoned water, vegetable stock, milk, or flavored broth.
• Vegetables: The main ingredient of vegetable soup is, of course, vegetables. Any vegetable, or even some fruits like tomatoes and squash, can be used. Leafy vegetables can add a crunchy texture. Also, many vegetable soups can be pureed and strained to create a creamy texture.
• Other Ingredients: Vegetables alone can be very bland. This is why it's important to add other ingredients to vegetable soup. Seasoning and spices are a crucial ingredient. Additionally, items like noodles, tofu, and beans can be added to the soup.

Preparation

Vegetable soup can be cooked several different ways. Vegetables can either be chopped or left whole. Some vegetable soup recipes call for the vegetables to be browned before being placed into the soup. Other recipes require the vegetables to be steamed first.

Usually, the basic steps taken to make vegetable soup include heating the liquid base of the soup and then adding vegetables. The soup is often brought to a boil and then allowed to simmer for several minutes to allow the ingredients to cook fully.

Recipes for Vegetable Soup

Almost any edible vegetable can be used in the creation of vegetable soup, but some are more popular than others. Any recipe using the vegetables listed below will most likely be a good recipe. Many soups combine several vegetables to create a blend of natural flavors.

A few vegetables that common to use in a vegetable soup recipe include:

• Carrots
• Celery
• Spinach
• Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Onions
• Kale
• Scallions
• Zucchini
• Okra

Top 5 Routes for "Vegetable Soup"

1. Thespruce.com This site contains a basic vegetable soup recipe. Cooking this recipe teaches one how to cook a vegetable soup from scratch. The recipe can be changed and ingredients altered, but the basic technique will stay the same.
2. Delish.com This site is a gigantic database of recipes and cooking techniques. Recipes are added frequently. This site gives users the options of rating recipes and saving their favorite recipes. Delish.com also contains a number of articles on nutrition.
3. Thegardeningchannel.com This site contains a comprehensive list of vegetables in alphabetical order. Each entry describes the appearance and taste of each vegetable as well as advice on how to grow it.
4. Cooking.newyorktimes.com This site presents guides for every aspect of cooking. Lists of kitchen tools and cooking equipment can be found along with instructions on how to cook basic and complex meals.
5. Foodnetwork.com This site has several recipes and techniques as well as a catalog of instructional videos. The videos include a series in which expert chefs give advice on proper cooking methods. The site also has a list of restaurants that readers may find interesting.