I've been trying to cook more soups lately because they're practical and healthy, but I never have ideas about what to put in them when I'm short on time. I always end up with the same vegetables in my fridge (carrots, celery, zucchini, tomatoes) and I'd like to figure out how to make something decent in 20-30 minutes without overcomplicating things.
The biggest mistake you see people make is throwing everything in raw and then expecting it to cook fast - it doesn't work that way. Carrots stay hard while tomatoes fall apart, and you end up with some soulless broth. What you should do is think about cooking times, not just ingredients.
When I'm in a hurry, I start with oil already in the pot, throw in carrots and celery cut up just enough to get some color on them - like 3-4 minutes. Then I add broth (or just water with a stock cube if you want, don't be a purist about it), and let the carrots soften a bit. At that point the zucchini goes in cut small, and when it's almost done - we're almost there - the tomatoes, maybe fresh but canned ones work too if that's what you've got. Salt, pepper, a quick stir, and in 20-25 minutes total you've got an actual soup, not just water with vegetables floating around in it. If you've got half-wilted garlic or onion in the fridge, don't pretend it's not there - start with those, they make all the difference.
Chop everything into small pieces and throw it in a pot with hot water and a stock cube: carrots and celery go in first (5 minutes), then zucchini and tomatoes, and in 15-20 minutes everything's done! The only trick is not to wait for the vegetables to be perfect, just tender enough, and if you want to make it more filling add pasta or rice in the last 10 minutes.
You don't need fancy ingredients to make a good soup. With carrots, celery, zucchini and tomatoes you've already got something solid. The base is always the same: soften the carrots and celery for a couple of minutes in some oil, add the zucchini cut into cubes and the tomatoes (if they're fresh you crush them, otherwise use canned ones), then cover with broth or even just water and a pinch of salt. Twenty minutes of gentle simmering and the soup is ready.
If you want to make it more interesting, add whatever you've got in the pantry: a jar of beans, small pasta, rice, whatever's there. If you've got a bouillon cube that's even better, it'll give it more flavor. While it's cooking you don't have to stand there watching it, you can do other things. The only trick is cutting the vegetables into more or less equal pieces so everything cooks together in the right amount of time. You end up with a decent soup in less than half an hour without stress, and a bit of parmesan or a drizzle of raw oil on top makes it even better.
What comes to mind is starting with a proper soffritto. With carrots, celery and zucchini you've already got a solid base, but the key is not treating them all the same: heat some oil in a pot, throw in finely chopped carrots and celery, and let them brown a bit for 3-4 minutes. Only after that add the zucchini and tomatoes. Meanwhile pour in water or broth (whatever you have), add a pinch of salt and spices if you want, and when it boils turn the heat down. In 15-20 minutes the soup is ready.
The real mistake everyone underestimates is throwing vegetables with different cooking times in together from the start. Tomatoes fall apart in two minutes, carrots need ten or more. If you cook them together you end up with mush on one side and raw carrots on the other. That's why the initial soffritto isn't just for flavor: it's about timing. By starting the harder vegetables first you give yourself a time advantage over what cooks faster.
If you also have onion, garlic, or even homemade stock cubes in the fridge, even better. But with what you've already mentioned you can make a decent soup. The important thing is not to rush in the final minutes - control the heat and wait, rather than trying to speed everything up together.
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