Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe
You’re going to love this easy Vegan Minestrone Soup recipe! It’s warming and the perfect one pot soup recipe for cold Fall nights. The recipe is customizable, healthy, vegetable-packed, comforting, satisfying, and of course easy to make!
If you’re looking for more warm, easy, filling, & healthy soup recipes for cold Fall days, then you’ll also love these quinoa soup and vegan enchilada soup recipes.
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But, if you don’t want more hearty, warm vegan meal recipes right, that’s perfectly fine, as this minestrone soup recipe is great as leftovers. So you can meal prep it on the weekend and eat it all week!
If you like knowing the origin of recipes and how they came to be, or simply more about them, be sure to check out this article all about minestrone soup.
Or, if you’re looking for more vegan comfort food, check out this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie recipe from From the Comfort of My Bowl!
Ingredients & Substitutes to Customize Your Vegan Minestrone Soup
*This soup is extremely versatile and all (or at least most) of the ingredients below can be substituted for a similar ingredient of your preference, or with what is available to you where you live.
Olive Oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables and adding flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with any other cooking oil such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or even water or vegetable broth if you want to make this soup oil free.
Sweet Onion: Adds sweetness and flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with red onion, white, or yellow onion.
Garlic: Adds flavor and depth to the soup. Can be substituted with garlic powder or minced garlic from a jar.
Carrots: Adds sweetness and texture to the soup. Can be substituted with parsnips or sweet potatoes.
Celery: Adds flavor and texture to the soup. Can be substituted with fennel or bok choy.
Vegetable Broth: Provides the base for the soup and adds flavor. 1-2 cups could be substituted with water
Since vegetable broth usually comes in 4 cup cartons, feel free to use one of those and then water for the remaining, either for convenience, saving money, or reducing food waste.
Frozen Cut Green Beans: Adds texture and flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with fresh green beans or frozen green peas.
Diced Tomatoes: Adds flavor and texture to the soup. Can be substituted with fresh tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes.
Yukon Gold Potatoes: Adds texture and flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of potato such as russet or red potatoes.
Kidney Beans: Adds protein and texture to the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of beans such as black beans or chickpeas.
Cannellini Beans: Adds protein and texture to the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of beans such as navy beans or pinto beans.
Small Shell Pasta: Adds texture and flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of small pasta such as ditalini or macaroni.
Salt: Enhances the flavor of the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of salt such as sea salt or kosher salt.
Italian Seasoning: Adds flavor to the soup. Can be substituted with dried basil, oregano, or thyme.
Bay Leaf: Adds flavor to the soup. Can be omitted if not available.
Fresh Parsley: Adds flavor and garnish to the soup. Can be substituted with dried parsley, fresh basil or oregano.
Black Pepper: Enhances the flavor of the soup. Can be substituted with any other type of pepper such as white pepper or cayenne pepper.
Red Pepper Flakes: Adds spice and flavor to the soup. Can be omitted if not desired.
Please remember, you can’t really go wrong with customizing this recipe to your liking as long as you have the following types of ingredients in it:
- Vegetables
- Veggie broth
- Some type of pasta, quinoa, rice, or other grain
- Beans
- Seasonings
How to Make Vegan Minestrone Soup
*Note that these instructions can be printed below
Step one: Start by sauteing the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent.
Step two: Then add in the carrots and celery and cook for another three to five minutes, or until they start to soften.
Step three: Add in all of the veggie broth
Step four: Add in the green beans, diced tomatoes (and juices), and potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then bring to a boil.
Step five: Add the beans, pasta, and the rest of the ingredients, other than the parmesan.
Step six: Turn the heat back down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and all of the soup is warm/hot.
Step seven: Serve with some garlic bread and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Sauté the vegetables: Sautéing the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in olive oil or water before adding the broth and other ingredients can help develop the flavors of the soup.
- Use a variety of vegetables: Minestrone soup is traditionally made with a variety of vegetables, so feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand, such as zucchini, green beans, spinach, and kale.
- Make sure you add beans for protein: Adding beans such as kidney beans, cannellini beans, or chickpeas can add protein and texture to the soup.
- Add pasta towards the end: Adding pasta towards the end of cooking will prevent it from becoming too mushy.
- Use fresh herbs: Adding fresh herbs such as parsley, basil, or thyme can add flavor and freshness to the soup.
- Adjust seasoning: Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to your liking.
- Timing: To save time, prep all of your vegetables ahead of time.
Serving Suggestions
Serve while still warm from the stove with some garlic bread, breadsticks, or another type of bread!
How to Store Leftovers
Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. All of the vegetables and pasta will absorb more liquid the longer it sits in the fridge.
If you do not like pasta when it starts to soak in more liquid, be sure to cook the pasta separately and add it in while serving the soup. Store the pasta separately and reheat separately, adding back in while serving again.
Freezer: I would not recommend freezing this soup because of the pasta. Pasta does not usually freeze and reheat well.
FAQ’s
Since most of this soup is vegetables, beans, and broth, it’s actually quite healthy!
You will know when the soup is done cooking when everything is warm and the pasta is cooked al dente, the pasta being done is the key to the soup being done on the stove. Of course, you can keep the soup on low when it’s done cooking while serving.
Yes! Any small pasta would do well in this soup, such as elbows, ditalini, or even rotini.
Yes! It actually tastes better the second day after all of the ingredients soak in the vegetable broth a bit more. Simply keep in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove until warm.
Unfortunately not. This soup does contain pasta and pasta does not freeze well. Freezing this soup is not recommended.
Yes! All you have to do is use gluten-free pasta in place of ‘regular’ pasta, just try to keep the size of the pasta small.
Yes! In fact, I personally prefer it the second, or third or fourth, day when the pasta has absorbed more of the liquid. If you don’t like the pasta super filled with liquid, then you may want to cook the pasta separately and then add it in right before warming up to eat.
This soup would go great with garlic bread, breadsticks, rolls, a salad, and more! You could even just eat it by itself, but breads taste so good when dipped in this soup!
More Recipes for Cold Nights You’ll Love
Vegan Minestrone Soup
Shawna ClapperEquipment
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Sweet Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 medium Carrots diced
- 2 ribs of Celery diced
- 5 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup frozen cut Green Beans
- 2 cans (15 ounce) Diced Tomatoes with liquid
- 3 Yukon Gold Potatoes diced
- 1 can (15 ounce) Kidney Beans
- 1 can (15 ounce) Cannellini Beans
- 1 cup Small Shell Pasta
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1 large Bay Leaf
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
- Start by sauteing the onion and garlic in the olive oil on medium heat until translucent.
- Then add in the carrots and celery and cook for another three to five minutes, or until they start to soften.
- Add in all of the veggie broth, the green beans, diced tomatoes (and juices), and potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then bring to a boil.
- Add the beans, pasta, and the rest of the ingredients, other than the parmesan.
- Turn the heat back down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and all of the soup is warm/hot.
- Serve with some garlic bread and enjoy!
Video
Notes
This soup tastes great as leftovers, the pasta continues soaking up the liquid.
