I originally posted this family favorite recipe in my first year of blogging and I recently updated the photos. I hope you enjoy it!
This recipe is one my mother and I have used for over thirty years, and we still love it. Many diets have “free” vegetables, which are basically vegetables that are allowed without restriction. What this soup does is combine those vegetables in with a richly flavored broth and serves them up as the perfect anytime dish to fight off the munchies, serve as a quick and easy lunch, or a filling side dish with your evening meal.
Back in the day, cabbage, okra, green beans, carrots, tomatoes, onions, and celery were all considered “free” or vegetables that could be eaten without limitation. I liked to walk on the wild side and toss in some corn too. I live dangerously that way. I’m not sure if these vegetables are considered evil today, I guess you’d have to check outside and see which way the wind is blowing, but common sense refuses to allow me to consider this soup anything but healthy and delicious! The great thing though, is that you can omit, substitute, and exchange the veggies in this soup to fit whatever eating plan you are following so it’s a win/win across the board.
Most often, when I am dieting my problem is not so much hunger as a desire to munch. Reaching for this soup rather than pretzels, chips, or any number of higher carb and calorie snacks is definitely a step in the right direction to a healthier you! I make a huge pot and keep it in the fridge, heating it up whenever I need it for up to five days. I always look forward to a delicious bowl of this flavorful and filling soup!
Ingredients aren’t exact, you mainly need to go with the veggies that you personally enjoy. I am using okra, green beans, carrots, and cabbage. I like to add a chopped onion as well but this is totally customizable to your tastes.
The two things you must have to make this soup so delicious are Ranch dressing mix and a large (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes. Of course you can use diced but I prefer crushed for a thicker, more filling broth.
I also prefer to use frozen vegetables over canned. Of course, nothing beats fresh vegetables anytime but when those aren’t available to me, frozen wins out.
Wash and peel/chop any of your veggies that need it and put all ingredients into a large pot. I add about six cups of water to this but you may prefer more or less, depending on how much liquid you like, and that’s fine. Amounts and ingredients I use can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Note about the Ranch dressing mix: I am referring ONLY to dry ranch dressing mix here, not bottled ranch dressing. I usually buy a large container of the mix because it is cheaper but for reference here I’m using a packet since that is what most people have.
Stir that up and place it over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about thirty minutes or so, until the veggies are to your desired tenderness. It will be rather thick but as the vegetables cook up, a lot more liquid will be created.
This is how it will look after about half an hour after it starts simmering.
You only need to cook it until the vegetables are as tender as you like. I like mine to be cooked but not mooshy. I think “mooshy” is my word for the week on Southern Plate. I’ll have to see if I can work it into the rest of this week’s posts as I am certain I have worked it into every one so far!
Voila! The dieter’s anytime meal! I love having this on hand to eat anytime cravings or munchies strike. This lets me indulge my taste buds while giving my body lots of great veggies.
Ingredients
These ingredients are entirely customizable to your tastes. Feel free to substitute or omit as you choose.
- 16 ounces frozen green beans
- 1/2 head cabbage chopped
- 4-6 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 16 ounces frozen okra
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 packet Ranch dressing mix dry
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are desired tenderness. Refrigerate leftovers.
A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.
~Frank Morgan
Yum 
The sodium is high in this with the ranch mix so how is the a free soup that is bad for your heart? I think you would be better off making it with flavor not salt!
The great thing about my readers is that they are very intelligent folks, capable of making their own decisions based on their own judgement, and according to their own dietary needs, rather than having to base them on what does or doesn’t work for others. Modify it for your diet, and have a great day!
This soup sounds delicious, however packaged dry ranch dressing mix has MSG which isn’t good for any diet! 🙁 I make my own dry ranch dressing mix without MSG!:)
Glad you can make it work for you!
UNCLE DAN’S ORIGINAL SOUTHERN STYLE RANCH DRESSING MIX doesn’t have MSG! And it is so much tastier than that other brand that advertises on TV all the time. It does have a lot of salt, because that’s how ranch dressing is flavored. It is really good…look for it.
I’ve never heard of this brand. I hope to find it so I can try it, too! thanks!
Hello Christy, I love your website. Would you happen to know how I can cook that soup in my slow cooker? My main cooking is by microwave and slow cooker. Thanks a bunch!
Sure thing and thanks! Just toss it all in and cook it on low, 7-8 hours or high, 3-4. It’ll be great!
Hi Christy. Love your blog and all the great tips along with great recipes. Where do you find large containers of ranch dressing mix in the grocery stores? I love your tips on saving money. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Love the okra.
Hey! I used to only be able to get them at Sam’s Club but now Wal Mart has them. Hope this helps and thank you so much!
January is free soup month at my house…may be every month this yr. TY
Well this sounds like a good warm mug of soup – just what I’m looking for.
Thank you so much, Kate! I hope you love it as much as I do!
Love this! I’m not a big ranch fan so I make it with a couple of chicken bouillon cubes – delicious! I freeze 1 cup servings in plastic containers and once they’re frozen, pop them out & store them all in a gallon size freezer bag. When you’re hungry, it’s easy to grab a “soup disk” & pop it in the microwave – and when we need a quick meal, adding some leftover chicken turns it into the perfect lunch!
What a great idea Alexandra!! Thank you so much for sharing with us!!
Thank you for the free soup recipes. What a clever and healthful way to fill the munchies gap. I enjoy your site!
Thank you Winifred!! I hope you enjoy the soup!
Christy, I love you so much, and always look to your site for my go-to recipes! Do you happen to know how much measurable powder we should use in place of a packet of ranch? I can’t find that information anywhere, and I have a big container of it from Costco.
Thanks for all your good ideas, tips, and encouraging words. You’re a sweetheart!
Bobbie, from answers.com: “There are 3 Tbsp. in a 1 oz. packet of hidden valley ranch, so therefore, there are 9 tsp. (3 tsp. in 1 Tbsp.)”
A big thanks to Jane for answering this question!!
I just read were it said there was 2 T. Now I am not sure. HA!!
I’ve been making various forms of this soup for years as well. I’ve never seen the “ranch” component, but you can bet it will be added to my next pot, for sure! Having grown up on vegetable soup, and vegetable beef soup, I found myself missing the “potato” component of a regular, old time, soup. One day, we were at my grandmothers house, and she’d fixed this for lunch, with what I thought were potatoes. I wasn’t about to say anything to her about the added calories (especially since by then we were having a hard time getting her to eat at all, she was probably in her late 80s at the time) until I bit into one, and realized it definitely wasn’t a potato! It turned out to be turnips! While I’m not a huge fan as a rule, the tastes of the other veggies kind of covered the turnip taste, and the creamy consistency added just what I’d been missing, without the added carbs! So, if any of you kind folks are missing the potatoes, give turnips a try! Whatever we each decide to put in it, it’s good, heartwarming food for ourselves and families, and for that, I’m truly grateful to Christy for reminding me to make some this cold month!
I have made this soup for years also, but I use a couple of big cans of peeled whole tomatoes (I break them up) and low-sodium V-8 juice for the broth. I think you can find dry ranch dressing/dip mix without the msg or sodium if you look, but another option also is any one of the Mrs. Dash salt-free herbal mixtures. 😉
oh yeah! if you are short on the cabbage you can use a bag of frozen brussel sprouts! My husband actually like them better than cabbage!
Thanks for sharing that little tip Ravyn!!
I’d forgotten about this soup, so a HUGE Thank You to you from me! After I read your email, I went to the store & bought everything I needed so I can make it tomorrow. I use a bottle of low sodium V8 juice instead of water. I’m even going to try adding the powdered ranch dressing . Woo Hoooo from Cape Cod, MA
I hope you love it as much as we do Laurie!!!
I’ve made this soup before but with a few variations. It’s delicious and so good for you!
Christy: I intended to make this yesterday, or today-but I got really sideways on it. The weather was and is miserable, and all I had was a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, or picante sauce, or tomato paste. I was going to use up my bok choy and arugula, and tri-color cole slaw mix, and I wanted to add some jicama, too. I used to make a great soup with chicken broth and peas, and zucchini, and blend it. Now I can’t-I am now allergic to anything in that family-squash, melons, and cucumber, so I’ve had to adapt. Thinly-sliced jicama makes a great substitute for the cucumber in cucumber salad, btw.
I decided that I could cook some split peas in the crock pot and did a bit extra, since I was intending to make pease pudding with the extra and use the rest in the soup, along with the pot likker.
I should have drained the split peas because everything thickened up overnight. So-I added a bit of water, the veggies, and the Ranch powder. I was going to blend it but decided against it. It was missing something so I added some Ham Base, and decided to add in a can of rinsed and drained black-eyed peas. It’s pretty good, but not exactly “Free” and I might even make it again. It just proves you can come up with something edible even when you get sideways on a recipe.
Brilliant in coming up with your substitutions!! So glad it turned out ok!
Hello,
made this soup yesterday using canned whole green beans (drained) and fresh zucchini in place of okra, which I don’t care for. Turned out great. Where can I find the nutritional value of your soup recipe?
Hey Terri! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! With so many substitutions available and me hoping folks will customize my recipes to suit their tastes (like you did, yay!) I don’t offer nutritional values on the site due to all the possible variations. However, there are a lot of great free online calculators. I use myfitnesspal.com. Hope this helps!