This hearty vegetable garden soup (sopa de verduras) is a healthy and delicious way to eat more vegetables. Fill it with your favorites from the Farmer's Market. Then, enjoy the savory, spicy broth and top it all with some queso fresco. It's the perfect lunch or way to start your dinner.

I have mixed feelings about summer.

On the one hand, I love all of the farmer’s markets with fresh fruits and vegetables during this season. On the other hand, I really dislike the heat. You know, those days when the thermometer reaches above 90 degrees with lots of humidity.

If you've ever been to Texas, you know exactly what I am talking about.

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Have you ever heard of sopa de milpa?
Frequently Asked Questions About Sopa De Verduras
Easy Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe
How To Make Sopa Verduras: Step By Step Tutorial
More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy
More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy
📖 Recipe
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When we have those extremely hot days, I keep myself indoors, or as my mom will say, “inside the fridge," as if I were a ham that would spoil outside in the hot weather.

But I do have to admit- All of the homegrown fruits and vegetables available in the summer make the heat worth it. This soup uses all of your favorite veggies in it, so it's a fantastic way to use up leftovers.

Have you ever heard of sopa de milpa?

For today's recipe, I will show you how to take your summer veggie harvest and turn them into a delicious vegetable garden soup!

Now, there are two different names you could call this recipe. You might hear it called 'sopa de milpa' in the central states of Mexico. This literally translates as 'corn field soup'.

Milpa is the parcel of land where corn is grown in Mexico. Mesoamerica ethnic groups wanted to be self-sufficient regarding their food. They created this type of farming system called Milpa. Milpa in Nahuatl means “place for farming.”

They planted corn, beans, and peppers in one piece of land and altogether formed the milpa. The combination of corn, beans, and peppers forms a complete protein, ideal for those days when you want a meatless meal.

Along with corn, beans, and peppers, there are other vegetables like squash, tomatoes, and tomatillos. And, in the rainy season, some other edible plants grow along with the cornrows. These edible plants, besides being rich in vitamins and minerals called “quelites” provide a good source of fiber. Some of these plants are purslane or lambs quarters.

Frequently Asked Questions About Sopa De Verduras

Before I share my garden soup recipe, here are a few questions I've been asked about homemade vegetable soup.

Can you freeze this veggie soup?

Yes, you can freeze vegetable soup! It will last about 2 months in the freezer with the veggies still having a good flavor. If you freeze the soup for a longer time, the vegetables lose flavor and shape.

Here's how to freeze this soup and save it for later:

First, cook it like usual and let it cool completely.
Then, put all the soup in a resealable freezer-safe food storage bag or a freezer-safe container.
Lay the sealed soup bag flat on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer.

After it freezes completely, you can remove the baking sheet. Doing it this way prevents the soup from freezing around other items in the freezer. And it also helps you have more room

What vegetables can you not put on your soup?

Because some vegetables need to maintain their texture, potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, and squash are more challenging to use. However, they can be added to your soup if cooked appropriately.

What makes the vegetable soup taste better?

Fresh vegetables, chicken, and vegetable stock make any soup taste better. Other ingredients like tomato paste, saute onions, fresh parsley, and mushrooms add richness to the recipe.

Can you use frozen vegetables for this soup?

Yes, you can use either fresh or frozen vegetables for this soup. Using frozen vegetables might save you some prep time.

Is this recipe vegetarian?

This recipe is meatless but doesn't qualify as vegetarian or vegan since I used butter and chicken broth. If you want it to be completely plant-based, use margarine and vegetable broth.

Can you make it in a slow cooker?

Yes, you can make this in the slow cooker. Roast the poblano over the flame, and then add all the vegetables to your slow cooker. Cook it on low for 4 hours or on high for 3 hours.

Easy Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe

Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make this dish...

Roasted Poblano Peppers, is you don't find poblanos use bell peppers
Corn Kernels, if using frozen corn kernels, drain well before adding them to the soup.
Epazote Leaves, fresh is the best option; however, dried epazote works too.
Vegetable Oil
Butter
White Onion
Garlic Cloves
Squash or Zucchini
Chicken Broth
Squash Blossoms, you can skip this ingredient if you don't find it in your area.
Panela Cheese or Queso Fresco

Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post!

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Ingredients like, corn, poblano and squash blossoms on a table.

How To Make Sopa Verduras: Step By Step Tutorial

To make things easier for you, I will break down the directions for this recipe into sections.

Prep The Peppers and Other Vegetables

Roast the poblano peppers over a medium-high flame and let them sweat inside a plastic bag or in a kitchen towel.
Rub the peppers with your finger to remove the charred skins, or use a kitchen towel to remove the skins.
Make a slit lengthwise and discard the seeds.
Pat dry and cut into strips or cubes.
Mince garlic and chop onion.

Cook Corn and Squash

Place the corn, 2 cups of water, and epazote leaves in a large pot.
Cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the squash or zucchini to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. By this time, the corn is almost ready.
Pour the corn and its cooking liquid into the pot with the zucchini and onion mix.

Process of vegetable soup, by sautéing and cooking vegetables.

Add All Ingredients To The Soup Broth

Add the poblano peppers, squash blossoms, and chicken broth to the pot and simmer for a couple of minutes.
When all of the vegetables are almost done, season with salt and pepper.
Serve and enjoy!

Simmering squash blossoms, poblanos and vegetables on a pot.

What To Serve With Vegetable Garden Soup

Whenever I make this vegetable soup, I serve it hot and garnish it with cheese. And you can't forget the warm corn tortillas!

This soup is a filling lunch or an appetizer before your dinner. If you are going to serve it as an appetizer, here are some more easy Mexican recipes that you can serve for dinner:

Most of the time, I just like to eat a big bowl with a few slices of jalapenos and 2 or 3 teaspoons of panela crumbles on top. Enjoy!

More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy

If you enjoyed this recipe for Sopa de Verduras, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:

I hope you make this recipe for hearty vegetable soup! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!

¡Buen provecho!

Mely,

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