Delicious and Nutritious: Canning Vegetable Soup Recipes
Vegetable soup is a classic comfort food, and it's even better when you have a pantry full of jars ready to go. Canning your own vegetable soup is a great way to preserve the flavors of summer and have a delicious, healthy meal on hand all year round.
Here are a few tips for canning vegetable soup:
Choosing Your Vegetables:
- Fresh is best: Use fresh, in-season vegetables for the best flavor and texture.
- Variety is key: Don't be afraid to experiment with different vegetables. Popular choices include carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, green beans, corn, tomatoes, and zucchini.
- Consider your preferences: If you like a chunky soup, use larger pieces of vegetables. For a smoother soup, chop the vegetables finely.
Tips for Canning:
- Use a pressure canner: Vegetable soup requires pressure canning to ensure it's safe to eat.
- Follow the recipe carefully: The processing time for vegetable soup will vary depending on the ingredients and the altitude.
- Use jars and lids in good condition: Make sure your jars are free of cracks and chips, and that the lids are new and unused.
- Process jars correctly: Follow the instructions in your pressure canner manual to ensure proper processing.
Recipe Ideas:
Here are a few delicious and easy vegetable soup recipes perfect for canning:
Classic Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the kidney beans, corn, and peas. Heat through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Process in a pressure canner according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound beef chuck roast, cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the beef on all sides. Remove the beef and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- Stir in the beef, kidney beans, corn, and peas. Heat through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Process in a pressure canner according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Spicy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or more to taste)
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeno pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, black beans, corn, peas, chili powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into clean, hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Process in a pressure canner according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Enjoy Your Homemade Canned Soup!
With these recipes and tips, you can enjoy the taste of fresh vegetables all year long. Don't forget to label your jars with the date and contents, and enjoy!