Easy Vegetable Soup Recipe With V8 Juice (Small Batch)

Spicy V8 Vegetable Soup Recipe is so quick and easy and you get all those great spice flavors in the broth with the secret ingredient; V8 Juice. This is one of my all-time favorite easy homemade vegetable soup recipes because it’s quick, easy and you can make substitutions to fit your personal taste.

If you are a fan of soups then you need try this chicken vegetable soup and small batch tortellini and spinach soup , tasty tuscan tortellini, or a hearty split pea soup for one.

Click the recipe link at the top of the page to go straight to the printable recipe card which includes ingredient amounts with a detailed ingredient list, instructions, and recipe notes. You can also scroll through the post for helpful tips and step-by-step instructions. The recipe card is located at the bottom of the post.

This soup also tastes even better the next day, so why not make a double batch+!

Ingredient and substitution notes

These are the simple ingredients I use, but you can mix and match the vegetable to your liking.  Sometimes I add in a little parsnip or green beans. You can also substitute a spicy Bloody Mary mix instead of the V8 juice.  Years ago, I would use Snap-E-Tom but, I can’t find it in the stores anymore.

• Water – I prefer to use filtered or bottled water, it just tastes better to me. Use a chicken broth or vegetable broth as the base for hearty flavor.
• Spicy V8 Juice or Bloody Mary Mix – Adding V8 juice is an incredibly easy way to add flavor and depth to vegetable soup.
• Potatoes – You can substitute a Russet or step it up with bite-size baby red potatoes.
• Yams or Sweet Potatoes– these can be cooked either peeled or unpeeled. I typically peel my yams for soups, but its just my preference.
• Celery Seed – I don’t always have fresh celery handy but I always have dried celery seed, it tastes great and no chopping. My favorite is from Morton & Basset.
• Cabbage – Use a green cabbage and either slice it into small wedges or slices.
• Carrots – I sometimes use frozen carrots. In a pinch you can substitute canned, just make sure to rinse and add a few minutes before the soup is done cooking.
• Broccoli – I usually prefer the ease of using frozen broccoli florets.
• Onion – fresh diced onion or if you can always go with a dehydrated onion.
• Zucchini’s – I’m partial to using fresh but frozen is good to have on hand, as with most frozen vegetables the taste difference is minimal.
• Salt and pepper – a nice fresh ground pepper and kosher sea salt.
• Optional ingredients include some fresh garlic , for a very flavorful broth add in a few fresh herbs or your favorite Italian seasoning. I could go for days about all the ways to mix it up and change the flavor, but I hope you will experiment a bit yourself and this becomes one of your favorite soups.

Variations

• Switch up the fresh vegetables to the season, or just use whatever leftover veggies you have handy.
• For a more hearty soup recipe, add some lean protein; pre-cooked chicken or if you have some ground beef handy, make mini hamburger meatballs. Or add in a few Lima beans or Cannellini beans for a filling and easy meal.
• You can use fresh vegetable or frozen.  If you use frozen vegetable you save the time It takes to peel and chop everything. Check the cooking time on the package and adjust accordingly so you don’t overcook and end up with veggie mush.

Homemade Spicy V8 Juice

If all you have is tomato juice you can make your own spicy juice by adding in a little Tabasco or hot sauce, a dash of Worcestershire, and black pepper.

Easy Recipe Instructions

1. Start by rinsing, chopping and peeling the vegetables as needed.
2. In a a medium stockpot or dutch oven, add the water, potatoes, yams, cabbage. and onion V8 Juice, and celery seed and bring to a low boil.
3. Lower heat to low-medium and add the, zucchini and carrot, continue cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes and veggies are tender but not mushy.
4. Add the broccoli florets and continue cooking another 5 minutes until tender and hot.

Can I make this in a Slow Cooker?

Yes you can! I throw everything except the Broccoli into the slow cooker and cook on low for about 3 hours. Microwave the Broccoli for a few minutes the add to the slow cooker and continue cooking until the Broccoli is tender.

Now, that was an easy, add some warm crusty bread, a little grated Parmesan cheese and you have a classic peasant meal with tons of flavor.

How to Store Leftovers

I highly recommend making a double batch and freezing in individual portions. For best flavor freeze the vegetable soup without the potatoes, because the potatoes can get mushy when reheated.

When ready to eat, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat in the microwave. If you want potatoes then microwave the potatoes until tender then add in to the soup and continue heating. Now you can have a quick and easy meal tucked away in the freezer

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