This homemade Alphabet Soup will quickly become a family favorite with its hearty vegetables and fun alphabet noodles. It's filling enough to satisfy the whole family on those cooler nights. Plus, it's loaded with fresh vegetables making it a healthy soup you'll be proud to serve your family!
If you're in need of a kid-friendly soup that can be ready in a hurry, you're in the right place. This simple alphabet soup recipe takes just over 30 minutes to make from scratch (including prep!), making it quick and easy enough for busy weeknights. The leftovers can also be served as a convenient meal the next day, so make a double batch and save extra for tomorrow!
Why You'll Love This Alphabet Soup Recipe
- So many veggies. This delicious soup is basically a tomato vegetable soup with alphabet-shaped pasta. It has the classic mirepoix of onion, carrots, and celery, but we add yellow potato, garlic, and green beans to make it even more filling and nutritious.
- Kid-friendly recipe. Although the cute alphabet pasta is the star of the show for the little ones, they'll also love the tender, flavorful veggies and hearty broth. It's a win-win!
- Quick to make. Ready from start to finish in just over 30 minutes, this homemade soup with alphabet pasta makes such an easy meal for those hectic evenings. You can even use frozen vegetables to speed up the process even more.
- Easy to customize. Vary up the fresh vegetables in this homemade alphabet vegetable soup with whatever you have. Use purple carrots instead of orange ones, diced winter squash, sweet potato, or more. Start with the basic recipe and adapt it to make it your own.
Ingredient Notes
To make this easy Alphabet Soup, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- olive oil - choose a neutral cooking oil to sautee the aromatics. Avocado oil is an excellent alternative to olive oil as well.
- onion - yellow onion will be slightly sweeter than white onion, but both are great in this quick alphabet soup.
- garlic - fresh garlic is always best, but you can substitute two teaspoons of minced garlic in a hurry.
- carrots
- celery
- yellow potato - look for a variety like Yukon Gold. They have a great texture without becoming mushy in the broth.
- green beans - trim ends off fresh green beans and cut them into 1-inch pieces. You can also use frozen veggies or canned stuff, but they will be softer.
- Italian seasoning
- diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- vegetable stock - this is an easy way to adapt this homemade soup to fit any diet. Use chicken broth, beef stock, or vegetable broth interchangeably.
- alphabet noodles - these are the star of the show, but you could easily substitute any small shaped pasta in this delicious alphabet soup.
- salt & pepper
You will also need a cutting board and knife, a soup pot, and a large spoon.
How to Make the Best Alphabet Soup
- Sauté veggies. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until it is sizzling hot, about 1-2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potato, green beans, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add soup base. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Lower the heat to medium, cover the lid, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir occasionally and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add pasta. Add alphabet noodles and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the noodles don't stick together.
- Serve. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Recipe Variations
- Make it more filling. Although the broth and veggies are filling on their own, you can add a little more protein and fiber by adding a can of rinsed cannellini beans, kidney beans, or lima beans.
- Add extra protein. Add approximately 1 cup of leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken, or ground beef to make this alphabet soup even more wholesome and satisfying. You can also add in some cooked chicken meatballs or turkey meatballs.
- Make it spicy. If your family loves spicy food, add up to a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the entire pot or use it as a garnish on your own bowl.
- Use a different pasta. If you can't find alphabet noodles, you can easily substitute any small-shaped pasta, like tiny star pasta, orzo, ditalini, and more. Taste them as you go and adjust your cooking time to avoid overcooking.
- Adjust the seasonings. For example, make a Mexican alphabet soup by replacing the Italian seasoning with 1 teaspoon each of paprika and cumin for a richer flavor like our Beef Taco Soup.
How to Serve
This Alphabet Soup is delicious served on its own, or paired with some of my favorite soup sides including:
- Homemade Biscuits
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Grilled Cheese Roll-Ups (perfect for dunking!)
- Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Pita Grilled Cheese
Need more inspiration? Try these 25 Side Dishes for Soup.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Change the consistency. Prefer a thinner soup? Add extra stock until you reach your desired consistency. You can also use less to make it more like a stew.
- Make more and freeze. You can make a bigger batch of alphabet soup and freeze leftovers for easy meals on a rainy day. I recommend freezing in individual portions for easy thawing.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Leftover soup with alphabet pasta will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for approximately 5 days. The noodles may become puffy and soft in the fridge. If you know you're making this soup for leftovers, you can make the noodles separately and add them while reheating.
How to Reheat
Reheat leftover alphabet soup on the stove in a saucepan over medium-low heat until fully heated. You can also microwave your leftovers for 2-3 minutes, stirring at every minute. Cover the soup bowl with a microwave-safe lid, as it may splatter.
How to Freeze
After the soup has cooled completely, portion it into your favorite freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving room for the soup to expand. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the frozen soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although there are different recipes, most people think of Campbell's alphabet soup, which has a tomato-y broth and lots of vegetables, including carrots, peas, green beans, and more. This homemade version includes simple, everyday ingredients like onions, carrots, garlic, celery, potatoes, and green beans with canned tomatoes, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and, of course, alphabet noodles.
If you want real alphabet soup, you need alphabet noodles or ABC noodles. These are often available in the pasta aisle at your local grocery store, but you may need to order them online. If you can't find this specific pasta shape, use another small pasta (called pastina), including cuts like orzo, ditalini, tiny stars, and more.
Yes, and very easily. This recipe is naturally vegan if you use vegetable stock and vegan noodles.
More Soup Recipes
- 60 Best Soup Recipes
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Hamburger Soup with Macaroni
- Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Vegetable Soup
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Recipe
Alphabet Soup
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This homemade Alphabet Soup will quickly become a family favorite with its hearty vegetables and fun alphabet noodles. It's filling enough to satisfy the whole family on those cooler nights. Plus, it's loaded with fresh vegetables making it a healthy soup you'll be proud to serve your family!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 medium yellow potato, diced into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cups green beans, ends trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken broth or beef broth)
- 1 cup alphabet noodles, uncooked
- ½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until it is sizzling hot, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potato, green beans, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Lower the heat to medium, cover the lid, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir occasionally and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add alphabet noodles and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the noodles don't stick together.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Notes
How to store: Leftover soup with alphabet pasta will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for approximately 5 days. The noodles may become puffy and soft in the fridge. If you know you're making this soup for leftovers, you can make the noodles separately and add them while reheating.
How to reheat: Reheat leftover alphabet soup on the stove in a saucepan over medium-low heat until fully heated. You can also microwave your leftovers for 2-3 minutes, stirring at every minute. Cover the soup bowl with a microwave-safe lid, as it may splatter.
How to freeze: After the soup has cooled completely, portion it into your favorite freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving room for the soup to expand. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the frozen soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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Lucina says
This alphabet soup is so yummy! I served it to my two toddlers and they ate it up. I found another easy and nutritious go-to soup recipe.