Warm-Weather Vegetable Soup (Pot-Au-Feu) – Brothy soup prepared with onions, garlic, leek, mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots for a robust flavor. Nothing says comfort more than a big bowl of this incredible French soup.
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Hearty, savory, delicious Vegetable Soup chock full of nourishing veggies that’s quick to make with very little effort. AND, it is a million times better than what you’ll get in a can!
Pot–au–feu, or pot on the fire, is one of France’s most famous classic dishes. It features different beef cuts and vegetables, simmering in a flavorful broth until tender. It’s what we United Statesian would call, “clean out the fridge soup”. I think!?
Sure, pot-au-feu can be made with other meats like chicken or pork, but there’s no real rule about it, which is why our recipe features vegetables, only. With a bright boiled (or poached) egg on top.
Who needs meat when you can enjoy a huge bowl of this soup packed with all the vegetables sitting inside that veggie tray in the fridge.
VEGETABLE SOUP
This is a healthy Vegetable Soup and it’s versatile to suit your taste. Perfect for those following a low calorie diet, but ideal for everyone that wants a delicious healthy dish for lunch or dinner.
You can serve it as a main for a light meal, or you can serve it alongside your favorite protein, like grilled lemon chicken or baked salmon.
HOW TO MAKE A VEGETABLE SOUP
A simple Veggie Soup is a family favorite, and it is just a whole lot of vegetables – potatoes, spinach, leek, onions, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms – cooked in vegetable broth.
- We first combine potatoes, carrots, onions, and leek, and sauté until tender.
- Add in some garlic, lemon zest, and lemongrass. If you don’t have lemongrass, just use around 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
- Pour in the broth; bring to a boil, lower heat and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the veggies are just tender.
- Stir in the asparagus and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the spinach and continue to cook for 1 minute, or until spinach is wilted.
- Taste soup for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Serve.
HOW TO STORE VEGGIE SOUPS
Store completely cooled Vegetable Soup in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
HOW TO FREEZE VEGGIE SOUPS
Store completely cooled Vegetable Soup in freezer bags or in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
MORE SOUP RECIPES
- Easy Soba Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup with Kale and Beans
- Asparagus Soup
ENJOY!
TOOLS USED IN THIS RECIPE
Warm Weather Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 leek, white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise and rinsed
- 6 small new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 4 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 piece lemongrass, split lengthwise (2-inch long piece), if you don't have lempongrass, use 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 8 asparagus spears, trimmed
- 4 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, and sliced
- 10 ounces baby spinach
- 4 to 6 eggs, poached or hard-boiled (optional)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc...)
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a dutch oven.
- Add in the onions, leek, potatoes and carrots; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring gently, for 5 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften a bit.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Mix in the broth.
- Toss in zest and lemongrass.
- Increase heat and bring soup to a boil, then lower heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until the vegetables are just short of tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- With the soup at a gentle simmer, drop in the asparagus and mushrooms; cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add spinach over the vegetables and cook another 2 minutes, just until slightly wilted.
- While the vegetables are simmering, slip the eggs into a pot of simmering water and boil to desired doneness.
- Taste finished soup for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Ladle the vegetables and broth into shallow soup plates, scatter with chopped fresh herbs, and finish each with a poached or boiled egg on top; serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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Recipe originally published on June 3, 2011. Updated on April 24, 2019.
Such a GREAT idea! Who doesn’t love soup….all year round!
I’d love to give this a try! Looks so comforting!
I always find the greatest dishes on your blog; this was amazing and my whole family loved it!
What an awesome recipe for vegetable soup! Love your added touch with the hard boiled egg; yum!
This looks perfect! Love Love Love it.
Had this for dinner and it is incredibly delicious! Will be making again
This looks like a hearty and warming soup!
This vegetable soup looks so cozy and delicious! Such a delicious dinner for a cold night!
I love a clear vegetable soup but have not yet come across a good recipe for one…yours looks totally divine….
-Shilpa
Ohhh I would have used the bread too! That looks too delicious!!! And healthy… who can ask for more???
This looks yummy….you have a lovely blog…I am having a giveaway in my blog..Y dont you check and join that
http://yummytummy-aarthi.blogspot.com/2011/05/chocolate-recipe-and-chocolate.html
Yours is a beautiful soup. Wish I had one of those pieces of bread with my soup. I would have definitely used it to soak up the broth!
Yum! This looks delicious! I actually love the idea of a poached egg on top of soup!
I love the egg topping the soup. I think it’s lovely that eggs are topping just about everything these days.
It look wonderful and I love the poached egg idea! Pot au feu means pot on the fire.
Thanks, Evelyne, for the translation!! đŸ™‚
I have to say my family wouldn’t eat it with the egg on top, but I’d love it. It makes such a pretty presentation!
This came out beautifully…one of my favorite soups đŸ™‚
Hope you are having a great weekend!
That looks so fresh & appetizing. That egg looks perfectly cooked and runny, just that way I like it đŸ™‚ And with that chunk of bread – perfect! Love it!
What a wonderful dinner! I think it’s great with the egg on top, and who needs a spoon when you’ve got that nice hunk of bread to sop up the juices! đŸ™‚ By the way, I eat with my fingers all the time. I think it makes food taste better somehow. đŸ™‚
Yes, sometimes, when we have a dish like this, who cares to use the spoons and forks?! Just gobble it up! What a great recipe: the eggs are making me more hungry!
This looks like a very healthy soup…! I love eggs in soups, I’d gobble that egg down completely without hesitation…;)!
Oh, I should have made bread. I knew I was missing something!
Looks great.
deliciously done colourful looking soup
Kate, your take on Dorie’s pot-au-feu looks so hearty and comforting. Definitely a stew to be eaten in front of the fireplace on a cool or cold snowy night. However, no reason not to eat it in an air conditioned dining room on a 90 degree night after a day at the beach. I’m a certified egg nut, especially when it comes to poached eggs, and have found myself adding one to sandwiches, stews and soups..all.the.time. I have to try this!
Such a hearty, warm, beautiful dish! I agree who needs a spoon, I would devour it all sooooo fast:-)
Hugs, Terra
Such a pretty photo, Kate! Loved this soup too. Wasn’t sure about the egg…it was my favorite part:) Yours looks delicious!
Ah but the egg totally MAKES this soup! Lovely pic!
Great photo of your ‘clean out the fridge’ soup. Love the egg sitting on top, just ready to add a whole new dimension – and I’d have used the bread instead of my spoon too đŸ™‚
I find that “clean out the” fridge/pantry/freezer dishes are often the most creative…and the most tasty!
Spoons, schmoons. Pfbt. Bread’s always better đŸ™‚ I’m glad you liked the egg on top of it. I think eggs add a wonderful addition to many dishes. Now I know a new fancy term for a kitchen-sink-veggie soup!
Looks like a great soup, Kate!! I feel like it is only me who hasn’t got that cook book yet đŸ™‚ and want it more and more any time I see your gorgeous goods…
Yum!! That is one beautiful meal!
Sounds very tasty for sure, perfect with a fresh crusty bread.
Now that’s what you call finger lickin good.
It’s like a musgo soup. LOL. This does look like a good bread worth soup. Yum!
what a wonderful summer soup, and the poached egg is such a nice touch!
I would have loved that lovely soup and especially that hunk of bread!
Cheers
Dennis
Your soup looks good! This one definitely called for a nice hunk of bread. I used mine to clean up the edges of the bowl. Congrats on your top 9 recipes this week. They were wonderful!
Oooo, I am such a poached egg fan – it sounds fabulous on this soup. Looks delicious!
Hubby and I are staying away from bread for awhile and last night he
was craving some just to dip in the soup. I enjoyed the egg, especially
when it blended with all the veggies and broth. Tricia’s family thought
the recipe was good and they loved it as well.
Nothing beats sopping up outstanding broth with good bread. And bravo to you for poaching the egg and adding it. Personally, I’d be tempted to put two on there. đŸ™‚
I can’t have soup without bread! Sounds wonderful!
I missed out on the bread, as well, but LOVED the soup. Yours is beautiful!
So beautiful, Kate! And I forgot the bread to sop up the juices…but I’ll remember next time đŸ™‚
Congrats on the Top 9!!! I love those M&M cookies!!!
Hi Kate! I’ve been sick for the past 2 weeks and haven’t cooked this week at all, and this pot-au-feu is totally calling my name! The addition of the egg was nice and making it more cozy & homey. And before I forget, congrats on Top9 today! I’m happily overwhelmed by your delicious sweets collection these days. đŸ˜‰
I a so glad you did the egg! Wasn’t it amazing?? I swear I am going positively evangelistic about runny yolks. Your dish looks gorgeous!
Yes to all – the bread to mop, those bewitching vegetables and the poached egg.
What a chic and tempting veggie soup!
wow, my curiosity is awakened! i love the veggies in this soup! and pandita just blogged about this too!
sounds like a soup full of flavor for sure! Great looking with egg and I would probably just use bread myself to soak the goodness!:))
But the egg sounds lovely! You can send their servings to Cayman đŸ™‚ Well done!
Haha! I love it! Who needs spoons?!??!!??! Happy Friday Kate!