This Mexican vegetable soup (sopa de verduras) is a hearty and delicious dinner that comes together in 35 minutes! Made with a flavorful broth and packed with veggies like zucchini, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, and potatoes, this soup is perfect for those times when you need to whip up a healthy meal using ingredients you already have in your kitchen.
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As a busy mom, recipes like these are a life-saver when I’m low on time and don’t know what to make for dinner.
This Mexican vegetable soup is a great way to use up any vegetables you have in your pantry and is a tasty, healthy dinner option!
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It’s healthy and delicious. This soup is filled with fresh vegetables and infused with Mexican aromatics in a tomato-based broth, which creates a flavorful and comforting soup that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove all day. It’s also vegetarian and vegan!
- You can use what you have. This dish is easy to tailor to whatever ingredients you have on hand. You can subtract or add ingredients, including canned or frozen vegetables, depending on your personal preference.
- Preparation is quick and easy. Ready from start to finish in only 35 minutes, it’s perfect for busy schedules, as it can be prepared quickly with minimal effort.
What Is Mexican Vegetable Soup?
Mexican vegetable soup, or “sopa de verduras”, is a traditional Mexican dish known for its hearty and comforting nature. It’s very versatile and is often made with different vegetables depending on what’s in season.
This soup is similar to a vegetable or minestrone-style soup but with a Mexican twist. The rich tomato base is mixed with vegetable broth and Mexican spices, making it a cozy and delicious meal.
Ingredients in Mexican Vegetable Soup
- Tomato base: What sets this soup apart from other traditional vegetable soups is the tomato-based mixture that flavors the broth. For this, I used Roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, vegetable bouillon, and a cup of water.
- Vegetable broth: To keep this soup vegetarian and vegan, I used vegetable broth, but you can swap it out for chicken or beef broth if you prefer.
- Vegetables: I used a mix of carrots, zucchini, russet potatoes, yellow bell pepper, and green beans, but you can substitute other vegetables you have on hand, like green or red bell peppers, asparagus, corn, or broccoli.
- Seasonings: A simple blend of salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and a few sprigs of cilantro creates a delicious Mexican flavor profile.
How to Make Mexican Vegetable Soup
Make the tomato base. Blend together the tomatoes, garlic, clove, onion, vegetable bouillon, and water until completely smooth.
Saute the carrots in a large pot or Dutch oven in some olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes to soften. This is important since this is the vegetable that takes the longest to cook.
Then pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. This helps eliminate the raw onion and tomato flavor.
Add the vegetables and seasonings, including the zucchini, russet potato, bell pepper, green beans, vegetable broth, salt, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and cilantro sprigs.
Cook. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are fork-tender.
Serve. Once all the vegetables are cooked through, remove the cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with lime juice and cotija or queso fresco.
Recipe Tips
- You can swap out most of the vegetables for whatever you have on hand, like asparagus, green or red bell pepper, corn, broccoli, or even kale!
- Keep this soup vegetarian and vegan by using vegetable broth and bouillon, or you can substitute chicken or beef broth and bouillon if you prefer.
- To add a little spice, blend in a serrano or jalapeńo pepper when making the tomato mixture.
How to Serve Mexican Vegetable Soup
I love serving this soup with some queso fresco or cotija cheese, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of extra cilantro.
Accompany it with some warm corn tortillas, flour tortillas, or crusty bread.
Storing and Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To reheat, heat in the microwave in 1 minute increments until the soup is warmed. You can also reheat it on the stovetop in a pot over high heat until warmed.
More Mexican Soups
Mexican Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 Russet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup chopped green beans (fresh or frozen)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 sprigs cilantro
- For topping: Lime juice, cotija cheese or queso fresco, and chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Blend the tomatoes, garlic, onion, bouillon, and water in a large blender on high until completely smooth.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and saute for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the zucchini, potato, bell pepper, green beans, vegetable broth, salt, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and cilantro. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
- Remove and discard cilantro sprigs. Taste and season with more salt as needed.
- Serve immediately with some freshly squeezed lime juice and cotija cheese or queso fresco.
Notes
- Cut the vegetables in fairly uniform and equal sizes to ensure that they cook at the same rate.
- You can swap out most of the vegetables for whatever you have on hand, like asparagus, green or red bell pepper, corn, or even broccoli!
- Keep this soup vegetarian and vegan by using vegetable broth and bouillon, or you can substitute chicken broth and bouillon if you prefer.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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