Every time I make vegetable soup it turns out too watery and bland, it seems like more water than soup. What's the secret to getting it to have consistency and making the vegetables really release their flavor?
It's actually not that hard, the thing is you need to chop everything into pretty evenly-sized pieces and let each vegetable release its juice over medium-high heat for the first few minutes, without covering the pot. After that you can turn the heat down and let it cook peacefully, but the most important thing is that you use a good broth (homemade if you can) instead of just water, because that changes everything. Another thing that helps a lot is to sauté the onion and garlic in oil before adding the rest, that way you give it a flavor base, and if you want more consistency throw in a potato or some oats when you add the vegetables.
What almost nobody mentions is that the water ratio is the first thing: with fresh vegetables you need way less liquid than it seems logical. I use roughly one part water to two parts vegetables by volume, not the other way around. Also, cooking uncovered for the first 10-15 minutes helps moisture evaporate and flavors concentrate, instead of everything just floating around in bland broth.
The other important thing is that some vegetables release way more juice than others. Zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes are water bombs, so with those you gotta be generous with salt and spices so the flavor doesn't get diluted. I always add a strong base sofrito (onion, garlic, carrot sautéed in oil) before throwing in the rest, that gives a background flavor that doesn't depend on the vegetables doing it.
And one thing: if you already messed it up and it turned out too watery, at least you can save it by letting it simmer uncovered for a bit longer so the liquid reduces. It's not ideal but it works.
Log into answer.
