This Italian Vegetable Soup is a low fat soup rich in flavor that is both hearty and filling. It’s a good healthy soup to start off the New Year or keep you warm on a winter’s day. Watch the video in the post showing you how to make this soup, then scroll to the very bottom of this post and print out the recipe so you can make it at home.
Italian Vegetable Soup
If you’re looking for a healthy soup recipe to keep around for lunches and light dinners, this is it! Many vegetables are packed into this brothy soup, along with the addition of white beans. Individual servings are topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This soup is very much Weight Watchers friendly. If you’re following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you will find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card at the end of this post.
Is this an authentic Italian Soup Recipe?
If you’re looking for something authentic, this probably isn’t going to be your recipe. I’m not Italian, and I don’t live in Italy. This Italian Vegetable Soup recipe simply has nice Italian flavors. I think you’ll enjoy it.
The best soup pot recommendations:
The biggest bummer is when you start to make soup, and then you realize that the pot you’re using is too small. Because of this, I have the best, big soup pot. It’s far too big to keep in my drawer of pots and pans, so I keep my big soup pot in my pantry. It comes out whenever I make soup! I love that I can double my soup recipes too, and my pot will be able to hold it all.
The soup pot I purchased is the Rachael Ray Enamel on Steel 12-Quart Covered Stockpot. It’s tall, it has a wide base, and the lid fits snugly. I bought the bright orange one, but it also comes in blue and red. I love that it’s super easy to clean. It’s not stained from things sticking to the bottom of the pot. I’ve used this one for a couple of years now, and it’s still working great.
What kind of vegetable substitutions can I make in this recipe?
The great thing about soup recipes is that they’re usually pretty easy to manipulate to make them exactly what you want. Soup isn’t an exact science (like baking is), so you can pretty much just throw in whatever you’d like. Sauté vegetables, add broth and spices, and then get creative with added beans, pasta, etc. It’s fun to create a soup recipe!
Substitutions are welcome in this Italian Vegetable Soup. In the summertime, substitute fresh yellow squash for the butternut squash and fresh spinach for the Swiss chard. Add carrots and celery too if you’d like. Take a peek in your garden or at the local Farmer’s Market, and experiment with adding in other things too.
More soup recipes you might enjoy:
- Tuscan White Bean Soup with Prosciutto
- Beef and Barley Soup
- Mexican Street Corn Soup
- Loaded Potato Soup
- Easy French Onion Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- One Pot White Chicken Lasagna Soup
- Easy Lentil Soup
If you are looking for more recipes that are packed with vegetables, you might like to try my Summer Vegetable Quiche or this Grilled Vegetable Salad. Shrimp and Vegetable Salad, Easy Vegetable Lasagna and Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf are great veggie-filled recipes too!
Italian Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups peeled, seeded and chopped butternut or acorn squash
- 3 cups chopped zucchini (about 4 medium)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- Two 14.5-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
- Three 14-ounce cans fat-free low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- One 15.5-ounce can white beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 bunch cleaned & chopped Swiss chard (leaves only... leave out the ribs)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion to the pot and sauté for a couple of minutes, until softened a bit. Add the oregano and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in the squash, zucchini and corn, and continue to sauté a few more minutes until veggies begin to get tender. Remove from heat.
- Place 1 can of (drained) tomatoes and 1 can of broth in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into the pot with the vegetables and return to heat. Stir in the second can of (drained) tomatoes and 2 cans of broth. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the beans and Swiss chard to the pot and stir until the chard begins to wilt (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan on top of each individual serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This soup is so full flavored no one will ever believe it’s light in calories, too!