It’s a homemade version of cup-a-soup!!! A creamy Vegetable Soup made without cream, with noodles and lots ‘n lots of veggies. Adapt this recipe to whatever veggies you have – fresh or frozen. This one is all about that creamy broth!
Creamy Vegetable Soup
This is a homemade version of the Cream of Vegetable Soup cup-a-noodle packs which is a little optimistically labelled with “lots of noodles!!” Because let’s be honest – a powder soup packet mix for a mug can only have so many noodles in it.
And while we’re on the topic, there’s not that much veggies in it either. (And I STILL loved it growing up!)
Hence the beauty of homemade!
Secret Ingredient: Vegeta
This is a standard creamy soup recipe, thickened with a roux made with melted butter and flour. It’s made with both milk and vegetable or chicken broth (or flavour), plus one very important secret ingredient: Vegeta.
Vegeta is a vegetable stock powder and this is what I use in place of salt in this soup. More flavour!! It’s widely available here in Australia, found in the herbs & spices section of supermarkets.
A NOTE ON STOCK POWDERS AND MSG
Vegeta contains MSG which is a food additive. In years gone by, there has been the misconception that MSG is “bad for you”. MSG is one of the most extensively researched food additives and studies show that MSG does not contain anything that is specifically harmful to you. However, there are people who are sensitive to it, just like with many foods like peanuts.
Here is some information on this topic from the Food Authority of NSW, Australia, and here is some more information on Vegeta, including other recipes I use it in!
Fridge forage time!
I’ve made this cream of Vegetable Soup using ingredients that I (think I) spy on the packets of the cup-a-noodle soups. A mixture of fresh (carrots, celery, onion, capsicum) and frozen (peas and corn), all vegetables that make my weekly shop.
However – and regular readers know I say this a lot – feel free to make this using any vegetables you want! Use 7 to 8 cups of chopped veggies of choice, including onion.
I like to break the pasta into short pieces to make them easier to eat with a spoon, because as much as we all love the long pasta pulls, nobody likes hot soup slapping around on their chin.
To mimic the cup-a-noodles, I use linguine here, but any pasta will do – short or long.
Soup dunkers
I know this has noodles in it, so one could consider a side of bread as carb overkill. But nobody ever says no to warm crusty bread for dunking into creamy soup broths, right?? Here are some of my favourites!
Best way to store noodle soup
If you leave cooked pasta in any liquid, it becomes bloated and overly soft. My Asian roots make me a rice snob – I cannot stand overcook mushy rice – and this snobbery extends to pasta.
So if making ahead or you know you’ll have lots of leftovers, cook the pasta separately and place into bowls then ladle over the soup. This is because pasta left in any liquid becomes bloated and overly soft.
This applies to all noodle and pasta soups! – Nagi x
PS I should probably mention the SUPER LOW CAL version of this Cream of Vegetable Soup (what’s the secret??!🤫)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Creamy Vegetable Soup with Noodles (No cream!)
Ingredients
- 50g (3 tbsp) butter , unsalted
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/3 cup (70g) flour (Note 2 cornflour/cornstarch GF)
- 3 cups (750 ml) milk , any (I use low fat)
- 2 cups (500 ml) vegetable or chicken broth , low sodium
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 3 tsp Vegeta or other stock powder (Note 1)
- 200g / 7oz linguine or other pasta , broken into 4 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables (sub 8 cups any diced veg):
- 2 carrots , diced
- 2 celery ribs , diced
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , diced
- 1 cup corn kernels , frozen or canned drained
- 1 cup frozen peas
Optional garnish:
- Fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Then add carrot and celery. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then add capsicum and cook for another 1 minute.
- Add flour and mix, cook for 1 minute.
- Add about half the broth and mix. Once flour is incorporated into the broth, add remaining broth, milk, water, dried thyme, Vegeta and pepper. Mix, then add corn and peas.
- Bring to simmer then lower heat slightly.
- Break pasta into 4 pieces and add into pot. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is just cooked. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve, garnished with a tiny sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Other favourite soup recipes
Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch, using a whole chook or try this faster Chicken Noodle Soup
Classic Pumpkin Soup – or try this roasted No Chop Pumpkin Soup
Lentil Soup (it’s amazing!)
Life of Dozer
This is what happens if you sit at the table next to me at the coffee shop.
This soup is sooo good! I’ve just made it for the second time and added in curry powder at the first step and it was delicious! Thanks Nagi!
Sounds great Megan!!
Hi Nagi! I absolutely love this recipe and find myself craving it on the regular. Unfortunately, although my husband likes it too – he has an aversion to recipes cooked with too much flour (it’s like he can tell every time!)
Maybe a dumb question, but is there any way to make this dish and substitute the flour for something else? Thanks a bunch!
Hi Doug, I haven’t tried to be honest as this is the thickening agent. Does he also have an aversion to corn flour as this would be a great substitute.
Made this the other night with a combination of fresh and frozen veggies. I substituted almond milk for milk and it worked out great. I was tempted to add leftover turkey from Thanksgiving but I didn’t want to ruin the flavor. It was delicious and paired nicely with a glass of white 🙂 Next day, the noodles soaked up a lot of the liquid so I added more broth and all was fine. Thank you!
Yum!
Delicious! Made it with frozen veggies in the freezer and added in a couple cubes potatoes. We have white wine from a previous dinner party and added a couple splashes— YUM!.
Love your blog and Dozer’s adventures 😆😆
Glad you enjoyed this Jenny!! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Delicious and easy! Thank you for another great recipe😊
Will file this one away for when the weather really gets cold. Thanks for posting!
This looks better than any Cup-A-Soup I have had !
I will check out your low fat version too..
Thanks Nagi!
the powder stuff pales in comparison! 😂
Yes, yes COLD, MORNING 06 C. Heating still going on. At moment cousin Daughter is traveling around Melb. ( from NSW ) 02 days ago went to Philip Island to see penguins over night was on Facebook saying: my ass will freez, it’s sooo cold. Now you just rest after trip to overcome jet leg. Good w/ end.
Wow that IS cold!!! It’s supposed to be spring now!!
So sad. It looks delish but way too high in sodium for me (so is Vegeta).
Hi Tess! Just use low sodium chicken broth and just add as such salt as you are comfortable using! 🙂 N x
Hey!How RU and the Dozer doin???This soup looks DIVINE!!!Started on Instagram a few months ago!!!Living by myself now,(well with the cat,and my furgrandbaby when I “furbabysit “LOL.Anyway,YOU were one of the FIRST PEEPS I followed!!💗💗😊😊ALWAYS LOVE SEEIN THOSE LITTLE HANDS OF YOURS COOKING!!
Dozer is GOOD I hear! I am still in Vietnam and Dozer is with the golden retriever boarding 🙂 Behaving himself I am told! 😂
Yes, yes, YUMI, now you are talking, SOUP, SOUP ! Yesterday we were freezing had heating going on all day. The day before Dear Friend brought me Hungarian ghoulish it was good. She MADED first time got recepi from google her daughter was on holiday in Europe and bought paprika for Mum so she done some continental cooking. As for VEGETA I grown up with this stuff. You can use it on everything and anything, roasts, soups, mince meat- for burgers any stew it’s good stuff. No to worry about photos you have done enough. You are spoiling us. Have safe trip.
COLD???!!! What???
did you know vegetta is full of MSG thats why I dont use it.
I wondered if anyone else knew this too, so I’m glad you brought it up.😊
I have a sensitivity to MSG (makes my heart race) but I’ve found that I can get away with using Vegeta occasionally as the amount needed for flavour doesn’t trigger a reaction.
Best not to use though if you want to avoid it altogether and when checking food labels be aware that they sometimes list a number instead – found that out the hard way with a Costco pizza 😳
Hello!
There has been heaps of research into the use of MSG in foods. It has been found to be safe to consume, but as with a lot of foods there are sometimes some people who are sensitive to it.
I think it is more of a myth that MSG is bad for you. It seems all things can be bad if not used in moderation (salt, sugar… heck you can even drink too much water!).
If you find you react when consuming MSG then of course avoid it ☺
http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/foodsafetyandyou/keeping-food-safe/other-topics/msg
Thank you Chantelle! I did not realise that there was still this misconception because stock powders are so widely used nowadays 🙂 I have popped a note in the recipe thanks to you! N x
Agreed! Thanks for the reminder Chantelle, I will pop a note in the recipe 🙂 N x
Hey HO so glad to see you back ..and a great recipe for the fall that’s approaching in Toronto..I love creamy soups and guess what we just had thanksgiving so into my pot will go some turkey.
Dozer you are so adorable with your service te all tucked in🐕💕
Not back yet!! Still in VIETNAM! 🙂 N x
I love your site. It is wonderful and I want to thank you for not absolutely ruining it with advertisements as is frequently a problem. Thank you for all of the fabulous easy recipes.
I’m glad you are enjoying my recipes Max! N x
I’m with the person that said, they eat soup in all 4 seasons and for breakfast, lunch and dinner. People look at me like I’ve lost my mind. I’ve read my Bible from cover to cover, no where do I find that a sin. I absolutely don’t think of soup as seasonal. I savor a nice hot bowl of soup for breakfast. I’m not a traditional breakfast food person. In many cultures soup is a standard breakfast food.
This recipe sounds delicious.
You may be Asian at heart Linda. They eat soup for breakfast 24-7 year round here even when it’s stinking hot!! 😂
We don’t have any vegeta powder here, but I’ll find something. We have bouillon cubes or powder and also soup bases for flavor. These kind of soups are great for the winter too.
We always had homemade meals when growing up too N. Lipton soup in a box with 2 packets also was and still is a stable.
I’ve always been the same way, when my kids were little, everything was homemade. They would beg me for a frozen meal in the supermarket and holler yay. The way people looked at me, like I didn’t feed them! That always embarrassed me! Little did they know, they got everything that they wanted and more! 😂
If Dozer came near me all cute like that I would hug him and give him a kiss on the head. Of course I would give him a few nibbles of what I was eating. If he rolled around in something, I would leave fast!😂
Bouillon cubes or powder is just fine J! N x
I love soups in any kind of weather. I even eat soup in 90-degree weather, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I don’t eat canned soups, only homemade.
I use Vegeta to give my soups flavor and I use water instead or homemade stocks. I love to use my hot pot for making quick soups the soups are done in no time and I only have one pot to wash.
I hear you Radojka! I’ve been eating piping hot soups for breakfast practically every morning over here in Vietnam!
Good to know I’m not the only one using stock powders for seasoning. I’m a big Massel fan myself, and have all three varieties in the pantry.
I used to love Massey now Aldi makes this great chicken stick powder that looks like massel but in my opinion is a hundred times better. I’m not getting paid to say this. It’s cheap and worth trying.
Gosh yes! It’s the secret ingredient! ❤️
I love your blog…Thanks for sharing your vacation with us, I enjoy your pictures, the history and knowledge I learn from wherever you may be visiting. Dozer is absolutely adorable and fun to hear his lovely adventures and life with you. Have safe travels!
Thanks Cynthia! I’ve really enjoyed sharing stories of my travels!! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, I love vegeta too, it goes in my mashed potatoes, sprinkled on roasted potatoes while they cook also on leftover pasta when fry it up in butter and garlic. So versatile.
Jan
You + me = two peas in a pod ❤️