How to Make Luby’s Vegetable Soup Recipe at Home

There’s nothing quite like a great bowl of vegetable soup on a cold winter day to warm the soup. Luby’s vegetable soup recipe is one of the most popular in Texas and is one that is often heavily mimicked in other shops. But what if you want to make this recipe at home, or you live outside of Texas and can’t visit a Luby’s destination? Well, you can follow our recipe below (and make it better) to get the veggie soup you deserve.

What is Luby’s?

Luby’s is a cafeteria-style restaurant that was formerly called “Luby’s Cafeterias.” These restaurants operate primarily in Texas and were originally founded in San Antonio by Robert Luby. These restaurants provide no-nonsense food that mixes fresh ingredients with high-quality preparation techniques. Luby’s is particularly known for its corporate dining locations in various facilities.

For example, Luby’s is often found in various hospitals and colleges throughout Texas, though its persistence has decreased in recent years as some facilities turn to healthier alternatives. Unfortunately, Luby’s has seen some tough financial times in recent years, and many locations were closed in the late 2000s. While they still exist as a corporation in a sense, they aren’t quite as prominent as they were in the past.

However, that doesn’t mean that their food is any less tasty! For example, Luby’s soups are particularly acclaimed by fans of the chain, particularly Luby’s vegetable soup recipe. But is this a healthy alternative to your favorite veggie soup recipe, or is it better to stick with your standby? Here’s what you need to know about this soup’s nutritional value and the various ingredients and steps necessary to make it at home.

Luby’s Vegetable Soup Recipe Nutrients

The recipe that we discovered when researching is a fairly healthy option that should fit well into many people’s overall diets. While the sodium level is a little high (1,565 milligrams), that’s not uncommon for many soups. Thankfully, it is possible to reduce the sodium in this one-bowl serving to ensure that you get an overall healthier meal. Other nutrients to consider include:

• 72 overall calories
• 0.7 grams of total fat
• No grams of cholesterol
• 13.7 grams of total carbohydrates
• 3 grams of total fiber
• 4 grams of total protein

Note that our recipe will create eight total bowls of soup, meaning that the recipe itself has higher calorie and carb levels. Thankfully, one bowl should be more than enough for most people because it is so filling and rich in flavor. Just as importantly, its ingredient list is surprisingly healthy because it focuses mostly on vegetables with very few unhealthy food options.

Luby’s Vegetable Soup Recipe Ingredients

The ingredients below are the kind of things you might already have in your home or can easily find at your local supermarket. Some farmers’ markets may even have some of these items, which is an excellent idea if you want to get a delicious and tasty meal. Just as importantly, these ingredients are all fairly healthy, meaning it shouldn’t be hard to justify making this soup for your family:

• Six cups of beef broth
• One can of tomato sauce
• One can of peeled and chopped tomatoes
• One and one-half cups of diced carrots
• One and one-quarter cups of diced potatoes
• One stalk of chopped celery
• One-half cup of chopped onions
• Salt and pepper to taste

This simple ingredient list means that it should be fairly easy for just about anybody to produce Luby’s vegetable soup recipe without challenge. It might even be a good first soup recipe for you and your children to learn! Teaching your children how to make soup can help them eat healthier and produce longer-lasting meals that they can store or freeze to eat for days after completion.

How to Make Luby’s Vegetable Soup Recipe

If you’re interested in making Luby’s vegetable soup recipe because you live outside of Texas or your nearby Luby’s closed down (and you’re worried about the chain closing for good), the following steps can help. Like most vegetable soups, cooking this meal is fairly simple and shouldn’t require a lot of steps. However, it is important to do it right to produce the patented Luby’s flavor:

1. Find a large saucepan or Dutch oven where you can cook your soup
2. Combine the broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion in the pot
3. Bring this soup to a boil, which should take between 5-10 minutes or so
4. Reduce the heat the moment that the soup starts to boil heavily
5. Cover the pot and adjust the heat so that it simmers gently on the heat
6. Let the soup simmer for at least 30 minutes to cook through the veggies
7. Stir the soup regularly and taste-test the ingredients after 30 minutes
8. When the vegetables are tender and easy to chew, turn off the heat
9. Add the salt and pepper to your taste, adding pinches to minimize excessive flavor changes
10. Serve immediately in medium-sized bowls with crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich
11. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to seven days or six months in the freezer

When eating leftover soup using this recipe, make sure that you smell it first to note any signs of spoilage. The moment that the soup starts to smell rotten, throw it away. Throw it out if you notice any mold on it even if it doesn’t smell yet. When thawing, let it sit in the sink for 24 hours before warming and throw away leftovers after six months, or freezer burn damages it.

Improving Luby’s Vegetable Soup Recipe

Follow these simple steps to make your Luby’s vegetable soup even better:

• Add Apples – Did you know that adding apples can make a vegetable soup recipe even better? They add a touch of sweetness that makes this recipe even more enjoyable.
• Throw in Some Peppers – Try to chop up some fresh peppers and replace the black pepper with this healthy alternative that adds more of a kick and a better texture to your soup.
• Toss Out the Salt – Buy low- or no-salt beef broth, make beef broth yourself, and ignore any salt to make this meal a little healthier and less heavy on sodium.
• Sprinkle Some Cheese – While cheese adds to this soup’s fat level, it boosts the flavor and provides a bed where you can sprinkle other ingredients, such as green onions.
• Top With Chopped Nuts – Chopped nuts (such as peanuts or cashews) can add a little of flavor to your soup when added at the end, though add to the calorie and fat levels.

You can also read:

• An Easy and Delicious Munchupa Soup Recipe
• How to Make Lidia’s Cauliflower and Tomato Soup Recipe at Home
• A Great Copycat Recipe for Frisch’s Vegetable Soup
• How to Make the Alison Roman Potato Leek Soup Recipe At Home
• How to Make the Bob Evans Vegetable Soup Recipe at Home