Go Back
–+ servings
Close-up of a wooden bowl filled with rustic Italian vegetable soup—chunky carrots, potatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and herbs in a clear broth. Cozy, homemade, healthy soup recipe; Italian comfort food.

Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup

Nesting Lane
Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup is a healthy soup recipe with escarole, spinach, zucchini, fennel, bell pepper, tomatoes, and fresh herbs for a simple Italian meal.
No ratings yet

Recipes are written with one action per step for accessibility. Short lines. Fewer rereads. A calmer kitchen on mobile or desktop.

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8

Equipment

Soup Pot
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups escarole chopped
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
  • 2 small zucchini chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 cup onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
  • tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano finely chopped
  • crushed red pepper flakes to taste
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions
 

  • In a large soup pot, place the escarole, spinach, zucchini, fennel, red pepper, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
  • Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Lower the heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 10 minutes.
  • Stir in salt, black pepper, parsley, and basil.
  • Serve hot.

Notes

0 Weight Watchers Points
2 Old WW Smart Points
Serving Size: 1½ Cups Per Serving.

Tips and Tricks

Balance the Flavors

Taste the soup before serving and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

Use Fresh Herbs at the End

Adding parsley and basil at the end keeps their flavor bright.

Ingredient Substitutions

Escarole

Use kale or Swiss chard if escarole isn’t available.

Fennel

Try celery if you don’t have fennel.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat until warm. This soup also freezes well for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5CupsCalories: 56kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gSodium: 108mgPotassium: 362mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1970IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Let us know what you think!Mention @nestinglane or tag #nestinglane