SOUP VEGETABLES: BEST STRATEGIES
Making any simple, broth-based vegetable soup is easy as long as you know how to prepare the various vegetables and when to add them. This chart describes how to deal with the most common soup vegetables.
VEGETABLE
PREP
COOKING TIME

Carrot
Peel and cut into ½–inch chunks
20 minutes

Cauliflower
Separate into florets, slice stems ¼ inch thick
20 minutes

Celery
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Celery Root (celeriac)
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Jicama
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Kohlrabi
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Leek
Thinly slice or dice
20 minutes

Onion
Thinly slice or dice
20 minutes

Parsnip
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Potato
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Radish
Cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Rutabaga
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Sweet Potato
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
20 minutes

Asparagus
Cut into 1-inch lengths
10 minutes

Bell Pepper
Cut into ½-inch chunks
10 minutes

Broccoli
Separate into florets, slice stems ¼ inch thick
10 minutes

Butternut Squash
Peel and cut into ½-inch chunks
10 minutes

Cabbage
Slice ⅛ inch thick
10 minutes

Collard Greens
Roughly chop leaves, cut stems into 1-inch segments
10 minutes

Green Beans
Trim and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 minutes

Kale
Roughly chop leaves, cut stems into 1-inch segments
10 minutes

Summer Squash
Cut into ½-inch chunks
10 minutes

Zucchini
Cut into ½-inch chunks
10 minutes

Arugula
Remove tough stems
5 minutes

Brussels Sprouts
Pull off leaves
5 minutes

Chard
Roughly chop leaves, cut stems into 1-inch lengths
5 minutes

Corn Kernels
Cut off cobs (separate into individual kernels if necessary)
5 minutes

Lima Beans, frozen
None
5 minutes

Peas, frozen
None
5 minutes

Baby Spinach
None
5 minutes

Curly Spinach
Roughly chop
5 minutes

Watercress
Roughly chop
5 minutes