Vegan minestrone soup is loaded with beans and lots of veggies for a high-protein and healthy lunch or dinner.
Minestrone on its own is healthy, but if you make it vegan it can be even healthier. It's hearty and one of those soups that taste good all year round, but like most warming foods, is best in the winter. Vegan minestrone is also endlessly adaptable, a soup to make with a few key ingredients but a recipe that is good with other veggies as you see fit.
Vegan Minestrone Soup Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (14-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 18 ounces steamed red kidney beans
- 18 ounces steamed garbanzo beans
- 1 cup elbow pasta
How to Store and Serve Vegan Minestrone Soup
This soup is easy to make (watch the video below); it's a simple assembly job with some simmering. But once you've made it, you can serve it right away of course, with a great salad and maybe a nice hunk of crusty bread.
You can certainly keep this in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and it will freeze well because there is no dairy. Soup like this will be good in the freezer for up to 6 months. It's helpful to freeze it in serving sizes so you can just defrost what you need quickly and reheat and eat; two-cup increments tend to work well.
Substitutions and Alterations
Minestrone is awesome because it can be so easily adapted. This recipe calls for pre-cooked/steamed kidney beans and chickpeas, but you can use canned if need be, or cook your own beans from dried. (Hint: cook a big batch and freeze some for future recipes!)
Feel free to use fresh parsley instead of cilantro if desired; we know how divisive cilantro can be.
You can also add some freshly chopped spinach, kale, or Swiss chard into this soup, but be sure to stir it in toward the end and not the beginning because it will wilt too much and lose its flavor. Fresh greens cook quickly!
Use any kind of onion if you like; red works well here and adds some sweetness.
Make this gluten-free by using a plant-based pasta such as rice, corn, quinoa, lentil, or chickpea. The latter three types will also bump up the protein considerably.
If it doesn't need to be vegan, sausage would be really tasty here. You can cook it in a hot skillet while the soup simmers and then set it aside briefly. Slice it thinly and add it to the soup so the flavors can meld. Leftover shredded chicken also works great here.
MORE SOUP! SOUP IS GOOD FOOD!
- Cauliflower and White Bean Soup with Shrimp Meal Prep
- Paleo Chicken Soup with Kale
- Minestrone Soup with Spinach and Parmesan
Minestrone is my fave soup, especially for a gloomy day. It's a classic recipe that leaves you feeling full and warm. It comes together easily with some onions, carrots, and celery in a large pot, with oil. And then everything gets added, bit by bit, afterward. Watch how to make it here:
Recipe adapted from Feel Good Foodie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 14 oz No-salt-added diced tomatoes, canned
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 18 oz steamed red kidney beans
- 18 oz steamed garbanzo beans
- 1 cup elbow pasta
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil, add onions, carrots, celery, herbs, salt/pepper and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add garlic and mix with veggies for 1 minute.
- Add diced and crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in beans and pasta and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with fresh parsley and croutons (optional)
Amanda says
This is my go-to minestrone. It is easy to make, absolutely delicious and kind of addicting. Good luck eating just one bowl. I literally make it once a week. Thanks for the awesome soup!
Meal Prep on Fleek says
Thank you so much Amanda! So glad you liked it!!