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Vegetable soup seasoning guide featuring a bowl of chunky vegetable soup, dried herbs, garlic and a whole bay leaf.

Vegetable Soup Seasoning Blend (Salt-Free Starter)

An adjustable salt-free blend of dried herbs, garlic, onion and black pepper for seasoning a pot of vegetable soup made with about four cups of broth.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 1 batch for one pot of soup (4 cups broth)
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry seasoning blend
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary crush finely so hard needles do not dominate
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder not garlic salt
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder not onion salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper optional if avoiding pepper
Optional when making soup
  • 1 whole bay leaf add to simmering soup and REMOVE before serving; do not grind into blend
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley optional at end, not in the dry mixture

Method
 

Mix and use
  1. In a small bowl combine the dried thyme, oregano, parsley, crushed rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper.
  2. For a vegetable soup containing about 4 cups broth and 2–3 cups chopped vegetables, begin with this small batch of seasoning. Add after the broth and vegetables go into the pot. If you use a whole bay leaf, place it into the pot separately.
  3. Allow the soup to simmer until the vegetables are tender, generally around 20–30 minutes depending on the vegetables. Remove the whole bay leaf before serving.
  4. Taste the soup after simmering. Add salt only as needed, taking account of the sodium in the broth. Add optional fresh parsley near the end, stir, and adjust a pinch at a time.

Notes

Research-informed editorial starting blend, not a kitchen-tested proprietary seasoning formula. Utah State University Extension's Create a Soup guide recommends about 2–3 teaspoons of dried herbs for 4 cups broth and 2–3 cups chopped vegetables. This blend contains 2¼ teaspoons dried herbs plus aromatics and pepper. Dried herbs vary in intensity and freshness; season gradually. Bay leaves must remain whole and be removed before serving. If the soup already contains garlic and onion, adjust powders downward. This card is a seasoning guide, not a complete vegetable soup recipe, so its five-minute prep excludes soup preparation/cook time.