This classic vegetable rice soup recipe combines tender rice with a medley of colorful vegetables, all simmered together in one pot!
Why this recipe works
Vegetable rice soup fits the saying of “eat the rainbow” with a slew of colorful veg from carrots, spinach, leeks, corn, and tomatoes to tender rice and a vegetable broth base to help warm the bones.
You can easily (or quite literally) beef up this soup with some added protein from shredded chicken, chickpeas, beans, or beef (I’m looking at you, vegetable beef soup) if you want – but there’s just something extra comforting about a big bowl of hearty veggies during the chilly months. The rice gives it plenty of backbone while also helping to thicken the base, and it’s cooked right in the pot with the other ingredients. I wouldn’t stress about this one not filling you up!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SPINACH – Fresh or frozen spinach will both work, but you’ll want to add fresh spinach closer to the end of the cook time if that’s the route you take. We prefer to use bagged frozen spinach.
LEEKS – If you aren’t a fan of leeks, feel free to substitute with another veggie of your choice. Celery is the go-to substitute when you can’t get your hands on leeks, but peas, sweet potatoes, zucchini, green beans, and mushrooms are all great options as well.
STOCK – We used vegetable stock as this is a vegetable-based soup, but you can easily substitute with chicken stock if that’s your preferred flavor profile.
SEASONINGS – Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes add even more flavor. If you like your soup with a little more of a kick, up the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, or to taste.
How to Make Vegetable Rice Soup
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for about five minutes, or until they start to release their moisture.
- Add the red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Stir and cook it all for a couple of minutes. Add the leek, carrot, corn, and chopped spinach and stir it all together.
- Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, 1/2 cup of water, bay leaf, and salt. Give it a stir to combine, and then raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the rice and lower the heat so that the soup is simmering. Cook the soup and rice for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice is tender.
- Serve the soup garnished with the grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
This particular recipe cooks the rice right in the same pot as the other ingredients. Doing so helps thicken the soup base a smidge and avoids any extra dishes to clean. It also helps add a lot of flavor to the rice! If you plan on stretching out this soup for a couple of days, you can absolutely cook the rice separately and add it to your individual bowls. Both ways work perfectly fine.
White rice is the go-to as it cooks quickly and has that classic texture that vegetable rice soup is known for. You can use brown rice or wild rice instead, but keep in mind that they both take longer to cook and have a chewier texture.
Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. As this soup sits the rice tends to absorb a lot of the liquid. When reheating, you may want to add more stock or a bit of water to help loosen it back up. If you plan on saving leftovers and don’t want the rice to absorb the liquid, I would recommend cooking it separately from the soup.
Absolutely! However, if you want to freeze this soup, it holds up best when the rice is kept separate. The same rule is applied for freezing as it is for storing – if you plan to freeze, I would suggest cooking the rice and adding it in fresh to avoid too much liquid being absorbed. Place the cooled vegetable soup in an airtight container or large freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your vegetable rice soup with a side of crusty homemade Italian bread or garlic bread. Optionally garnish with grated parmesan cheese, freshly chopped parsley, and cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy!
More Soup Recipes
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Vegetable Rice Soup
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Pin It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large leek sliced (white and tender green parts only)
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach see note
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 32 ounces vegetable stock
- ½ cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup long grain white rice
- grated Parmesan cheese optional as garnish
- chopped parsley optional as garnish
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Instead of buying a block of frozen spinach look for bagged frozen spinach and it will be easier to measure out one cup.
- If you like your soup with a little more of a kick, up the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, or to taste.
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them for about five minutes, or until they start to release their moisture.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 cup red onion
- Add the red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Stir and cook it all for a couple of minutes. Add the leek, carrot, corn, and chopped spinach and stir it all together.1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, 4 cloves garlic, 1 large leek, 1 large carrot, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
- Add the tomatoes, vegetables stock, 1/2 cup of water, bay leaf and salt. Give it a stir to combine and then raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil.15 ounce can diced tomatoes, 32 ounces vegetable stock, 1/2 cup water, 1 bay leaf, 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the rice and lower the heat so that the soup is simmering. Cook the soup and rice for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the rice is tender.1/2 cup long grain white rice
- Serve the soup garnished with the grated cheese and chopped parsley.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. As this soup sits the rice tends to absorb a lot of the liquid. When reheating, you may want to add more stock or a bit of water to help loosen it back up. If you plan on saving leftovers and don’t want the rice to absorb the liquid, I would recommend cooking it separately from the soup.
- Freezing – if you want to freeze this soup, it holds up best when the rice is kept separate. The same rule is applied for freezing as it is for storing – if you plan to freeze, I would suggest cooking the rice and adding it in fresh to avoid too much liquid being absorbed. Place the cooled vegetable soup in an airtight container or large freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.
This post was originally published on this blog on Oct 25th, 2017. The original recipe was contributed by Girl Gone Gourmet.
Amanda Davis
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Debbie says
Love it. Will this soup freeze well?
Amanda Davis says
yes
Gail says
We absolutely love this recipe! I am on a strict oil-free diet, but I substituted some broth for the oil, and it was perfect! I made it for my extended family for the holidays and everyone begged for the recipe. Thanks!
Mineka Thompson says
Great soup! Really enjoyed it@
Karyn says
BEST soup ever!
Quick and easy, hearty, healthy – I make a pot every Sunday and it’s my lunch every day!
Diane says
This came out great! My granddaughter has proclaimed it her 2nd favorite soup. I used fresh bagged spinach instead of frozen but other than that followed the recipe.
Cathy says
Amazing and easy too!
AT 145 cal per serving – great for my diet too!
Lindsey says
This is my 3rd week being a vegetarian and I am constantly looking for new dinner ideas to keep me feeling satisfied. I can say this is a great recipe and will be using again. I did make minor tweaks/didn’t have some of the ingredients but substituted will some veggies I had in the fridge. I didn’t have any leeks however I will be sure to try next time. I used yellow peppers, carrots, black beans, tomatoes and spinach for the veggies and also replaced the white rice with wild rice. I did have to cook the wild rice longer and I used about 1 cup of rice To make it more heartier. I like mine spicy so I add more then the recipe called for. The way I made it made it more like a chili or beef stew kinda, perfect with avocado.
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Michelle says
Hi!
Looking to make this soup tonight and wondering if I could sub brown basmati rice? And if you’d have any suggestions for cooking time?
Thanks!!
Amanda Formaro says
Brown Basmati takes about 50 minutes to cook, so you could either precook the rice, or leave the soup cooking longer until the rice is tender.
Janet says
Can I use cauliflower rice in place of regular rice?
Amanda Formaro says
I think you could. But it will cook a lot faster than regular rice so I would add it at the end. Maybe the last 5 minutes. Otherwise it could turn to mush.
Sharon L Frye says
Why do you use measurements 1.25 or .63 instead of 11/4 cups or Tbs. or Tsp.??? Seems to me newer cooks would become upset trying to convert…they would just throw in the towel and quit!! Maybe this has been commented on before. Thank You for your time. Sharon
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Sharon. I’m not sure what you talking about? The measurements on this recipe do not have decimals?
Beth says
Can this be cooked in a Crock-Pot?
Amanda Formaro says
I’m sure it can! If you are using regular rice you should be able to add it with all the other ingredients at the beginning. If Minute Rice, add it at the end, probably last 5-15 mins?
Paul Zelano says
Can you substitute Cabbage for Spinach? Not a huge fan of Spinach, but I love some cabbage.
Amanda Formaro says
I don’t see why not, but we haven’t tried that ourselves. :) Would love to hear how it was if you try it!
Shelley says
Made this fabulous recipe tonight. Came home at 4:30 after a frantic day and decided I was going to make it tonight before my 6:30 meeting. Started chopping onions and got my first of three phone calls while preparing the soup (I’m a REALTOR – my phone can ring all night). Since I was making Amanda’s Cooking Bone Broth Soup anyway, and it was simmering on my cooktop, I decided to replace the 32 ounces of vegetable broth with 16 ounces each of the bone broth and water. Oh. My. Goodness! What a wonderful exchange! (If you haven’t tried the Bone Broth, please do. My family loves it!) This is a super yummy, super fast, super easy, stuck to your ribs, serve it with cheese toast, kind of meal. We will definitely be having it again
Amanda Formaro says
Sounds wonderful Shelley, thank you so much for sharing and for your wonderful comment!
Kathy Deguido says
This soup was so delicious! I added fresh green beans as well! Easy to make and the best choice for after all those heavy holiday dishes! Loved it!
Amanda Formaro says
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s one of our favorites :)