It’s the perfect dish for a cold weeknight.
Key Points
- This 20-minute vegetable soup makes a quick, comforting weeknight dinner.
- Canned beans and frozen vegetables keep prep simple without sacrificing flavor.
- This fiber-rich, Mediterranean diet-friendly soup can be frozen for three months.
It is officially soup season, and that might be the best part of the weather turning colder. While I’ll miss light and fresh summer meals, there is definitely something special about enjoying a warm and comforting bowl of soup—especially when the temperatures outside demand it.
So while it still hasn’t dropped anywhere close to freezing in New York, I’m getting a jumpstart on seasonal cooking with the perfect simple, nutritious and delicious dinner recipe. Our 20-Minute Harvest Vegetable Soup is my new go-to for a busy weekday, and it even aligns perfectly with the Mediterranean diet—one of the healthiest eating patterns out there. Plus, it’s make-ahead friendly, so I always keep a couple servings in my fridge or freezer for nights I don’t feel like cooking.
If you think you might enjoy this recipe as much as I do (which I think you will!), make sure to save it to your MyRecipes account so you never have to worry about losing it.
How to Make It
Grab your favorite large pot or dutch oven and pour some olive oil into it before placing it on the stove over medium-high heat. Chop an onion, add it to the pot and cook it until it starts to brown. Then, stir in the rest of the ingredients: rinsed cannellini beans, tomatoes, frozen sweet potatoes, frozen cauliflower, broth, green beans, thyme, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
Once everything is combined, cover your pot and bring it to a gentle simmer on the stove. After about 5 minutes, uncover and check if your potatoes and green beans are fork tender. Once they are, remove the pot from the heat and serve, seasoning with a small pinch of salt and pepper and garnishing with some extra thyme leaves.
While all the flavors work beautifully together, you can always substitute. Any other kind of white beans would work great in place of the cannellini beans, and any other cruciferous veggie, like broccoli or cabbage, would make a good stand-in for the cauliflower.
Since it’s pretty light, I love to pair this soup with a piece of buttered baguette, but it’s also a great accompaniment to a warm sandwich or small salad.
Why I Love It
When you think about making soup, you might picture setting a crockpot to cook for 8 hours, or taking the time to chop your vegetables and prep all the other ingredients. This recipe sets itself apart from classic soup recipes by requiring only 20 minutes from beginning to end, along with leaning on canned beans and frozen vegetables to make prep super easy.
It’s also a great recipe to make ahead of time. It keeps for up to four days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer—an especially great quality for colder days when you need a little comfort but don’t have the time or energy to cook.
But just because this recipe is quick and convenient doesn’t mean that it sacrifices that aromatic, savory flavor that’s a signature in the best soup recipes. With a mix of herbs, spices and alliums, this soup packs plenty of flavor that melds perfectly with the more subtle earthiness of the cauliflower and cannellini beans. That, punctuated with the sweet notes from the sweet potatoes, makes for a bowl of soup that’s delicious and exciting down to the last spoonful.
As if it couldn’t get any better, this dish has plenty of powerful nutritional benefits, too. First and foremost, it fits into the Mediterranean diet with heart-healthy olive oil, beans and vegetables. Plus, it can help support healthy weight loss because it’s low in calories but high in dietary fiber. It’s also gut-healthy, anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy, vegetarian, vegan and low in sodium.
The Bottom Line
This soup recipe is the epitome of a quick, easy and healthy dinner that you’ll actually want to make this fall. Packed with comforting flavor, every bite is rich and savory—and the best part is that it won’t take all night to make. Prepare this dish on a busy weeknight or make it ahead of time to keep in your fridge or freezer for the evenings you need it. Plus, packed with veggies, beans and other nutritious ingredients, this recipe aligns perfectly with the Mediterranean diet. Make this recipe as soon as you feel a chill in the air—it’s sure to be your new staple all season long.