French vegetable soup (also known as a potage) is a traditional vegetable filled soup popular throughout France that's both healthy and warming.
One of the most wonderful things about food is how it can bring you back to a certain feeling or moment, allowing you to re-live an experience: the people, the place, how you felt, all sparked by the act of making something to eat. That’s what making this French vegetable soup does for me.
It’s the kind of soup my grandmother and great-grandmother often had simmering on the stove; a simple vegetable soup that can be found in most French homes and in every grocery store.
Often referred to as a vegetable potage or by the number of vegetables it contains such as a 7 vegetable soup (soupe aux 7 legumes), it’s a thick and velvety soup that’s cozy and comforting and a staple during the colder months. The most common ingredients are a base of leeks, carrots, and potatoes to which celery, zucchini, turnips and tomatoes are added along with fresh herbs and garlic.
Please don’t underestimate the potential for the amazing depth of flavor this soup possesses by the relative simplicity of its ingredients. No single vegetable dominates here, rather each works together in harmony with the others to create something greater than can possibly be anticipated. The slow simmering of the vegetables together with a few seasonings in water, rather than broth, coalesces them into a soup every bit as delicious as more complex preparations. It’s a satisfying soup that is both healthy and comforting and one that everyone should know how to make at home themselves.
How to make French vegetable soup:
This recipe is an adapted version of the vegetable soup my grandmother and great-grandmother made many years ago. Easy to make, even better the next day; this soup has an infinite number of possible variations as far as the vegetables are concerned.
- First you start by sweating leeks in olive oil over low heat until they soften. Next garlic is added in and stirred until fragrant.
- It’s at this point that the vegetables and herbs are added. Everything goes in the pot at once, is covered with water and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- The soup is brought to a boil then slowly simmered for at least an hour to allow for all the flavors to mingle.
- After an hour the soup is poured into a blender, and pulsed until smooth and creamy. That’s all there is to it!
As with most soups this one keeps well in the fridge for a few days, so you can make it ahead of time and reheat as needed.
More soups to warm up with:
French Vegetable Soup
A traditional French soup filled with fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 leek (white and pale green parts only), well rinsed and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
- 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium or 2 small yellow potatoes, cut into cubes
- 1 small or ½ a large turnip, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛th teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Enough filtered water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches
Instructions
- In a large heavy stockpot or soup pot heat the olive-oil and cook sliced leeks (stirring occasionally) over low heat (do not brown) for 5 minutes to soften. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (less than a minute).
- Add the remaining vegetables along with the herbs, salt and pepper and cover with enough water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour until the vegetables are very tender, and the broth has reduced slightly (the longer the soup simmers the more flavorful)
- Carefully remove the bay leaves and thyme branches and discard. Pour soup into blender jar and
pulse until smooth. - Ladle into bowls and garnish with more black pepper and a few sprigs of thyme if desired.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheat the next day.
Notes
The soup can be puréed in a blender or with a hand-held immersion blender.
Variations: Add or substitute any other winter vegetables such as parsnips, turnips or celery root to the soup as you please, always remembering to cover the vegetables with at least 2-inches of water.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 153Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 588mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 6gSugar: 6gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
foodwanderings says
Sylvie, SImple yet delciious!! As always love your photography especially the carrots shot, gorgeous!! Shulie
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
That's what I love about children, it just takes one positive experience to change their entire outlook! We've just had a revolutionary moment with mushrooms at my house!
This looks like a fantastic winter dish~will try it soon.
Anh says
Amazing post Sylvie! You have inspired me to make a pot when winter comes to my end of the world...
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
This soup sounds so delicious and comforting! I love that you were inspired to enjoy soup after trying this. Family recipes are indeed the best!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
This is just the hearty vegetable soup that I could use right now. This frigid cold is unbearable and I know that this soup would break through that.
And, as always, your pictures are stunning.
Katie | GoodLife Eats says
This sounds perfect. I would love a bowl right now. The photo of the carrots is stunning!
Jennifer (Delicieux) says
Looks deliciously comforting Sylvie.
I've always loved soup, I think because my Grandmother always made wonderful soups and I enjoyed them for as long as I can remember. My favourite soup recipe isn't really a recipe as such. It's my minestrone. I simply throw together whatever I have in the fridge in whatever proportions I feel like at the time. It's what I crave when I am feeling run down or sick because it reminds me of the minestrone soup my Grandmother used to make.
Paula says
I think part of the magic of soup is the way it makes you slow down and truly savor the wonderful flavors through taste,smell,sight. I truly can live off of soups and would be quite content doing so!
One of the greatest gifts I received was an afternoon of soup making with a dear friend who has since passed away. He left me with his mom's "Italian" chicken soup recipe, a big old enamel stock pot, and a memory that will never,ever fade.
Sylvie says
I think I would be quite content to live off of soup myself! Thank you for sharing your memory of your friend and his mom's special soup recipe, those are the best kind of recipes to make, the ones with great memories attached.
Nadia says
That was a very heartwarming story, Sylvie. Lovely winter soup and wonderful photos. I love your lighting!
Becky says
My mom was a French teacher and is passionate about cooking. I cannot wait to share this with her. Your pictures and words make this soup sound delightful. Bon appetit!