Perfect for a light meal or a side dish this simple vegetable rice soup is made with classic vegetables, chicken broth, and rice. Reminiscent of chicken noodle soup but simpler and lighter.
At our house we call this ‘sick soup’ mostly because when I see the signs of a cold coming or when someone isn’t feeling well, I drop what I was going to make for dinner and fix this instead. Simple and comforting I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. So today I will be sharing this much loved family recipe, ‘sick soup’ or more commonly Simple Vegetable Rice Soup.
Now just because I call this ‘sick soup’ doesn’t mean I always make it when we are sick or you have to make it when you are sick. I make this soup as both a side dish and a main dish depending on the day. As a main dish I’ll often pair it with a salad or a simple sandwich like a grilled cheese, you know the deal ‘pick two’ soup, salad, sandwich… As a side I usually will pair it if I am making a meal based around meat to even the meal out, so I’ll pair it with a roast chicken or pork chops.
In my house I consider all the ingredients I have in this soup staples so I am able to make it at a drop of a hat, so let’s take a look at what is in this!
The Ingredients
Vegetables. The vegetables for this soup I consider basic and staples, onion, carrots, and celery. This trio of vegetables is also known as the ‘holy trio’ in some cuisines and in French cooking is called Mirepoix. A perfect base to a simple soup. Although a mirepoix is usually 2 parts onions, 1 part carrot, 1 part celery, for this soup I decided more carrots and celery was best.
The broth/water. So to be fair this part I definitely do a little different every time and feel free to use what works best for you. I either use my homemade chicken broth, bouillon with water, or store-bought broth. I also will sometimes use 4 cups broth and 4 cups water or when I want a richer flavor I will do all 8 cups broth.
Rice. I usually have Jasmine rice in my pantry so thats what I use, but almost any kind should work here. I would give your rice a quick doneness test before you serve it though if you do use a different kind.
Seasonings. I only season this with dried parsley because I like the simpleness of the soup and I don’t want to take away from that but you could also add a touch of salt or some bay leaves if you were looking for a little more flavor.
The Method
In a large pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until tender and translucent.
Add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil.
At a roiling boil add the rice and parsley. Cover, reduce to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serve immediately.
TIPS & TRICKS
• You can add other vegetables you have on hand, mushrooms, chopped potatoes, or peppers would all be a lovely addition to this soup
• This soup doesn’t keep super well, the rice absorbs most of the moisture if it sits overnight, my kids still love to eat it this way but it won’t be as watery as it originally was
Simple Vegetable Rice Soup
perfect for a light meal or a side dish this simple soup is made with classic vegetables and rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth*
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until tender and translucent.
- Add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil.
- At a roiling boil add the rice and parsley. Cover, reduce to medium heat and cook for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serve immediately.
Notes
*I almost always use Better than Bouillon to make this soup. You can also use a full 8 cups of broth for a deeper flavor.
I don't find that I need extra salt in this soup but depending on what broth you use you may want to add a little
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Peace & Love
Lauren, The Schmidty Wife
P.S. Looking for more soups like my Simple Vegetable Rice Soup? Check out my Homestyle Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup or my Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup.
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Looks awesome. I usally make soup in the slowcooker.
Planning to make this one today!
Thank you for sharing.
Mona.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it Mona!
This seems rich enough to impress guests at a luncheon but mild enough for children to enjoy too. Thank you! It really is a great staple recipe to have. 🙂
Does this heat up well? it is only me and my husband so i like bringing left overs to work.
Due to the nature of the rice, when this soup is refrigerated the rice continues to soak up the broth. That being said I personally still think it reheats well, it is just going to be a lot thicker as a leftover than when you have it fresh. Hope that helps!
If you cook the rice seperately and just put a scoop in the bottom of your bowl, it will hold better.
Thanks for the tip
My daughter driving over from out of town today, making this for her.
I really hope you and your daughter enjoy it!
How much does this recipe make? I would just like a small pot for my boyfriend and I for dinner.
It yields about 8 cups, if you are making it for two you could cut it in half!
This was absolutely perfect
Thanks so much for the lovely comment!
Made this soup and loved it. I don’t add the rice to the soup. I keep the rice separate.
I use a big cooking spoon and scoop some rice into my bowl then I add the vegetables and broth. That way the rice doesn’t get mushy.
You can freeze the broth and vegetables.
If you add chicken when should that be added?
If it is raw chicken you’ll want to put it in at the beginning. To make it even easier for you I have a recipe for basically this same soup but with chicken you can find it here: https://theschmidtywife.com/chicken-rice-soup-recipe/
Made this tonight for my daughter but kept the rice separate for storage and add them together when making a bowl. Helps it keep longer.
Love hearing about the rice tip! Thanks!!
@Lauren Schmidt, I also appreciate the rice tip.
Both myself and my boyfriend love this recipe! I make it quite often, and sometimes add shredded chicken. I oftentimes freeze it in small batches for lunches, etc.
Thanks so much! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! I am glad to hear it freezes well for you.
Stumbled across this recipe while looking for well a soup recipe..I added cabbage to it as an extra mainly because I was looking for a cabbage soup recipe. This soup is very fragrant and the taste will simply have your taste buds wanting more..I will definitely make this again but next time I won’t alter it. Thank you for this recipe it will serve well on cool nights.
Thanks Jonathon!