Summer Vegetable Soup

5 from 3 votes

A light and healthy summer vegetable soup for the stovetop, Crock Pot, or Instant Pot is the perfect way to take advantage of all of the season's fresh produce!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword garden vegetable soup, homemade vegetable soup, Instant Pot, Slow Cooker Dinner, Vegetable Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings cups

Calories 79.2kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 teaspoons minced garlic
3 medium ears fresh corn, kernels removed (or 2 ¼ cups frozen corn)
2 lbs. tomatoes (about 6 medium), peeled, seeded and chopped (or about 28 ounces diced tomatoes, not drained)
1 sweet bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen lima beans
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small eggplant, peeled and diced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tablespoon vinegar (I like red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but balsamic vinegar or white vinegar are also great)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more, to taste)
Ground black pepper, to taste
Optional, for serving: chopped fresh herbs; grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté (stirring regularly), just until onion is tender (about 5-7 minutes).
Add remaining ingredients to the pot; bring to a boil.
Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and gently simmer for about 1 hour (or until the vegetables are tender). Stir the pot occasionally as it simmers.
Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve!

PRESSURE COOKER (INSTANT POT) INSTRUCTIONS:

Press “sauté” button on the pressure cooker. Add olive oil to the stainless steel insert. Wait 2 minutes for it to preheat.
Add onion and garlic to the oil. Saute, stirring frequently, just until onion is tender (about 5 minutes).
Press "off/stop" button.
Add remaining ingredients to pot.
Place lid on the pressure cooker and make sure the valve is set to "sealing".
Press "soup" setting and timer to 12 minutes.
The Pressure cooker will beep and start cooking. It may take about 20 minutes for it to come to pressure before the timer starts.
When the cooking is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for about 5 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure by carefully switching the valve to "venting".
Carefully remove the lid, away from your face, and set aside.
Stir the soup. Let cool slightly before serving.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Notes

A big can of diced tomatoes in their juices is a tasty, easy shortcut if you don't want to peel, seed, and chop fresh tomatoes. You can also use a can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, breaking up the larger chunks of tomatoes with a wooden spoon in the pot.
Any type of vinegar will work. I typically reach for apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, but white distilled vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, and balsamic vinegar are all good options as well. Lemon juice is another great way to add a bright, acidic note to the soup instead of the vinegar.
If you've got them, fresh herbs are a great way to add even more flavor to the soup. Use them as a garnish, or swap them in for the dried Italian seasoning. We love basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, chives, and rosemary here.
Garnish each individual bowl with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese and freshly-ground black pepper.
You can add just about any vegetables that you like to this soup. For instance, add peeled, diced carrots or peeled, diced potatoes. Celery and green beans are also popular additions to a summer vegetable soup, or try chopped broccoli or cauliflower florets.
Season the pot with fresh herbs when they're available, or with a couple of bay leaves.
Replace the eggplant and/or mushrooms with other hearty options that will bulk up the pot. For instance, try adding meat like ground beef, ground turkey, sausage, or cooked, chopped chicken. You might also like to add cooked rice or cooked pasta to the pot.
Instead of lima beans, use extra corn or frozen peas. You might also like to substitute a can of drained, rinsed white beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, or pinto beans for the lima beans.
Add chopped kale to the soup, or stir in some fresh spinach towards the end. The spinach will wilt almost as soon as it hits the hot broth, so add it when the soup is done.

Nutrition