If you are looking for an indulgent and incredibly tasty one-pot dish, you've come to the right spot. Vegan minestrone soup is a delicious and comforting way to enjoy a healthy, hearty meal. Combining fresh ingredients, pulses, pasta, and vegetable stock, is somehow magical. Enjoy our lovely vegan version of this classic recipe.
What is Minestrone?
Minestrone is a hearty, thick soup of Italian origin, traditionally made with vegetables, often combining whatever is in season. Over the years, different vegetables, beans, and pasta have found their way into minestrone, resulting in countless variations.
The ingredients used in our vegan minestrone soup are fresh veggies such as onions, carrots, tomatoes, and celery, pulses such as beans and lentils, and pasta. We love adding some vegan parmesan cheese on top, which we make by grounding cashews and yeast flakes.
One of the best things about minestrone is that it can be easily customized to suit your preferences. Add your favorite seasonal veggies, a different variety of pulses, or pasta shapes.
Our Minestrone Soup Recipe is:
- Vegan
- A one-pot meal
- Nutritious
- Hearty
- Easy to make
- Family-friendly
- Perfect for cold days
How to make the best Vegan Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
Fresh veggies. The base of the minestrone soup is sautéed veggies such as carrots, celery, onion, and crushed garlic. These are the three main vegetables we use. You can use white, or yellow onion.
Chopped canned tomatoes. For minestrone soup, you want to get good-quality canned diced tomatoes. You can get chopped or peeled whole plum tomatoes. Another delicious option is fire-roasted tomatoes. You can also use fresh tomatoes if they are juicy and sweet.
Tomato paste. Adding just a little bit of tomato paste adds umami and enhances the natural flavors of tomatoes.
Spice mix. For this soup recipe, we use a combination of ground coriander, cumin, dried thyme, turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper. You can, of course, use other spices such as smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, bay leaf, or cloves. If you have Italian seasoning, you can totally use that!
Pasta. Opt for smaller pasta shapes such as elbows, small shells, Dilatini pasta, Orecchiette, or Cavatelli. You can use larger pasta, but we recommend that it is bite-size pasta. For a healthier option, use whole wheat pasta or brown rice pasta.
Pulses. For our Vegan Minestrone, we use red lentils and Butter Beans. Red lentils cook way faster than brown lentils and this one-pot meal is a great excuse to use them. Butter beans are our kid's favorite, but you can use white beans, or cannellini beans too. Another great option is adding garbanzo beans.
Spinach. Add baby spinach at the very end to include some greens in your dish.
Vegetable stock. You can use homemade vegetable stock or store-bought stock.
Step-by-Step Method
Making Minestrone Soup from scratch is very simple, and involves just a few steps, and some simmering time.
- Finely chop the carrot, celery, and onion, and crush the fresh garlic. You can use a mandoline to chop all the veggies the same size. Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sautée the chopped veggies and garlic for a few minutes, or until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the spice and herbs mix, the tomato paste, and chopped tomatoes. Stir for a couple of minutes, to combine all the flavors.
- Add the vegetable broth and red lentils.
- When the red lentils start to soften, add the pasta and butter beans. Depending on the pasta shape you are using, it will take more or less time to cook. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- When the pasta is almost cooked (make sure you cook it al dente), add the fresh spinach.
- Once the spinach leaves have wilted, you can serve the minestrone.
Tip: Make some vegan parmesan by combining yeast flakes, cashews, and garlic powder. Ground until you have a powdery mixture. Sprinkle some on top before serving.
Variations to our Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Make it gluten-free. This Vegan Minestrone Soup can easily be adapted to a gluten-free recipe. Simply switch the regular pasta for a gluten-free pasta alternative. There are many types of gluten-free small pasta that can be incorporated, such as elbow pasta, shells, or other types of small pasta made from rice or corn. If you are using a stock cube, make sure is labeled as gluten-free.
- Add different veggies. The beauty of this vegan one-pot dish is making your own version by using seasonal vegetables that you have on hand or can easily find in the supermarket. Adding pumpkin, yellow squash, or butternut squash for fall, fresh tomatoes, green beans, and bell peppers for summer, or cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli for winter are some ideas for seasonal minestrone soups.
- Use different pulses. This recipe calls for red lentils and butter beans, but your Minestrone soup can be made with kidney beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, brown lentils, and other pulses you like or have.
- Make it spicy. We love spicy food at home, so I normally always provide a spicy alternative. Add some red pepper flakes, chili powder, or simply a drizzle of chili oil before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade soup is a filling and complete main meal, so you won't need much to serve on the side.
At home, we like serving the soup with some crusty bread, or vegan garlic bread, if we have some in the freezer. You can as well, prepare a fresh salad to serve on the side.
If you like adding some acidity, consider adding a drizzle of fresh lemon juice, we really love how it can enhance the flavor of the dish.
Other additions to your meal:
- Fresh herbs. Add some chopped fresh parsley or basil before serving.
- Vegan Parmesan cheese. Include a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes to add a hint of cheesiness. If you need to substitute this ingredient, we have some vegan alternatives for nutritional yeast that can help you.
- Black pepper. Provide a pepper grinder or a small bowl of freshly cracked black pepper for those who like to add a bit of heat and extra flavor to their soup
- Croutons. Homemade or store-bought vegan croutons can add a delightful crunch to your minestrone.
- Vegan Pesto. We normally have a jar of homemade pesto at home, and we love adding it to pasta and soup bowls. The aromatic basil and nutty flavors complement the soup beautifully.
Store and Reheat
If you're meal prepping for the week, vegan minestrone soup is an excellent choice for meal prep due to its versatility. It is a one-pot dish that can be prepared in under 30 minutes, making it a time-efficient option. The soup can be stored in the refrigerator using an airtight container, for up to a week, or it can be portioned and frozen for longer storage. We recommend using airtight containers to preserve the soup's freshness.
One little trick is to separate the liquid from the rest of the ingredients. This way, you will stop the pasta from cooking further and becoming mushy. We normally do this straight after cooking, if we are not serving the meal straight away.
To reheat the soup, simply place the desired portion in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through. If reheating from frozen, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator overnight before warming on the stovetop. If you're in a hurry, you can also use the microwave - just be sure to cover the soup and stir it every 30 seconds to ensure even heating. You may need to add some extra water or vegetable stock.
FAQ and Tips
Can I use dry pulses?
Yes. If you are using dry beans or chickpeas, you will need to soak them overnight in fresh water. If you want to use overnight-soaked beans or chickpeas, make sure you cook them for 30 minutes in boiling water before adding them to the minestrone.
If you are using dried brown lentils, you will need to add some more liquid to the recipe, as they soak up more water than red lentils.
Can I freeze leftovers of this soup for later use?
Yes, you can freeze Vegan Minestrone soup in airtight containers for up to three months. Thaw and reheat it when you're ready to enjoy it again.
Can I make this soup in advance and reheat it later?
Absolutely! Vegan Minestrone soup stores well in the refrigerator and can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave. We recommend separating the liquid from the rest of the ingredients to make sure the pasta doesn't overcook if you want to have it the later or the next day.
Can I make this soup in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes, you can adapt the recipe for a slow cooker or Instant Pot by adjusting cooking times and following the appliance's instructions.
Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon tomato pure
- 400 g canned chopped tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 liters vegetable stock
- ½ cup red lentils
- 1 cup pasta
- 1 cup butter beans
- 50 g spinach
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the carrot, celery, and onion, and crush the fresh garlic.
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot and sautée the chopped veggies and garlic for a few minutes, or until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the spice and herbs mix, the tomato paste, and chopped tomatoes. Stir for a couple of minutes, to combine all the flavors.
- Add the vegetable stock and red lentils, and bring to a simmer.
- When the red lentils start to soften, add the pasta and butter beans. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- When the pasta is almost cooked (make sure you cook it al dente), add the fresh spinach.
- Once the spinach leaves have wilted, you can serve the minestrone.
Notes
- Add some vegan parmesan cheese on top, and squeeze some fresh lemon.
- Serve with crusty bread.
- To add some spice, add chilli flakes or a drizzle of chili oil before serving.
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If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!
Chandice Probst says
Thanks so much for this recipe… It’s perfect for my vegan friend when she comes over for lunch! Easy to follow and pretty to serve.
nohan achira says
this recipe was actually helped. it is easy to follow when reading correctly. nice. keep going I like to read more. it is getting more hungry.