Southwestern Vegetable Soup

Pressure canned Southwestern Vegetable Soup is a flavorful mix of corn, tomatoes, peppers, and bold southwest spices. Enjoy it on its own, or stir in beans or meat for a quick and hearty meal. A perfect addition to your shelf-stable meal prep lineup.

This Southwestern Vegetable Soup is one of my all-time favorite soup canning recipes. Originally published in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving, it’s a tested, reliable pressure canning recipe—and also seriously delicious. Packed with vegetables, spices, and just enough heat, it’s a full-bodied vegetarian soup on its own, but it’s also a great base for adding beans or meat at serving time.

We’ve stirred in home-canned beans, added a jar of pressure canned beef, and even combined it with chipotle black bean soup and canned pork sausage for a hearty Tex-Mex stew. It’s flexible, flavorful, and perfect for those nights when you want something satisfying with minimal effort.

This soup is completely plant-based as written, so it’s a great option for meatless meals or for households that mix and match pantry ingredients. It’s an easy way to put up garden produce, and the bright southwestern flavor makes it a nice change of pace from more traditional soups.

Ingredients for Southwestern Vegetable Soup

This recipe makes 8 pints or 4 quarts. If you have a larger pressure canner, it’s easy to double or scale to fit your setup.

• Corn – You’ll need about 1½ quarts of fresh or frozen corn kernels. If using fresh, this is roughly 12 medium ears. Cut kernels off the cob before measuring.
• Tomatoes and Tomatillos – The combination of sweet, acidic tomatoes and tangy tomatillos gives the soup its signature southwestern flavor. Be sure to peel and seed the tomatoes before chopping.
• Carrots, Onions, and Bell Peppers – These classic soup veggies add body and flavor. Use red and green bell peppers for color and sweetness.
• Banana Peppers and Jalapeños – These give the soup a mild kick. Pickled banana peppers actually work well here if you don’t have fresh—this soup is forgiving like that.
• Cilantro and Seasonings – Chili powder, cayenne, and hot sauce bring the heat, balanced by the earthiness of black pepper and the brightness of fresh cilantro.
• Tomato Juice and Broth/Water – These provide the liquid base of the soup. You can use store-bought or homemade tomato juice, and water or veggie broth depending on what’s on hand.

If you want a less tomato-y veggie soup, you can use all veggie broth in place of the tomato juice in this recipe.

This recipe has a total of 3 1/4 cups of peppers, and you’re welcome to use any type or hot or sweet pepper so long as you don’t exceed that total quantity. If specifies red, green, banana pepper and jalapeño…but you can use any mix you like (or all one type). It’s up to you.

How to Make Southwestern Vegetable Soup for Canning

Start by washing and prepping all your vegetables. Remove the corn from the cob and measure 1½ quarts (or use thawed frozen corn). Peel, seed, and chop tomatoes to measure 1 quart. Remove husks from tomatillos and chop to measure 2 cups.

Chop the rest of your veggies: slice carrots into rounds, dice onions, bell peppers, banana peppers, and jalapeños. Mince the cilantro. Measure everything into bowls so you’re ready to go.

Once your ingredients are prepped, combine everything—vegetables, tomato juice, broth or water, and seasonings—into a large stockpot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, prepare your pressure canner and sterilize jars for a hot pack method.

Ladle the hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace as needed, and wipe the rims clean. Apply lids and rings to fingertip tightness and place jars in your canner.

Process the jars at 10 pounds pressure for weighted gauge canners or 11 pounds for dial gauge, adjusting for your altitude. Process pints for 55 minutes and quarts for 85 minutes.

How to Serve

This soup is fantastic right out of the jar—just heat and enjoy with a handful of tortilla chips or a dollop of sour cream. But it also makes a great base for a heartier meal. Add a pint of home-canned beans or shredded meat (like chicken, pork, or beef), or even mix it with another jarred soup for a fusion stew.

We’ve even made a mashup version with chipotle black bean soup and canned pork sausage—highly recommended with some shredded cheese and hot sauce on top.

Soup Canning Recipes

There are so many different soup canning recipes out there, try these for your pantry:

• Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup
• Taco Soup
• Carrot Soup
• Tomato Basil Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Chicken Soup

Vegetarian Canning Recipes

There’s more than one way to preserve plant-centered recipes in a jar!  Try any of these vegetarian canning recipes:

• Vegetarian Baked Beans
• Carrot Soup
• Chipotle Black Bean Soup
• Vegetable Broth