Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup
This Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup recipe is the perfect warming soup on a cold day. It’s made completely vegan and gluten free with vegetable broth, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, fire roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, lentils, basil, parsley and gluten-free noodles for a filling, nourishing Italian-inspired soup recipe!
There’s nothing like a classic Italian minestrone soup! It’s so easy to make and is a fantastic way to use up produce about to spoil. I love this vegetable-packed soup any winter day, but especially on the week days because it’s so easy to make and comes together in just 30 minutes! I actually wasn’t planning on adding this recipe to the blog, but after I threw it together and the whole family raved about how delicious it is, I had to share it with you all. Sometimes I think that classic, simple recipes won’t be as popular, but this is definitely worth of a spot here on Healthy Little Vittles.
Traditional minestrone soup is a harty Italian vegetable soup made with pasta or rice. It’s often made to use up leftover vegetables, which is exactly what I did in my recipe! I had some celery, onion, and carrots that needed to be used- and my son was fighting a cold/flu so I set out to make a nourishing vegetable soup.
The Vegetables
In this Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup I used sweet yellow onion, minced garlic, celery, carrots and canned fire roasted diced tomatoes. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand that you need to use up, including spinach and greens if you wish.
In my version of minestrone soup I used dark red kidney beans and lentils. I used canned for both to cut down on time, if you do that be sure to drain and rinse them. Using kidney beans and lentils boosts the protein in this soup but also the fiber.
Reasons to Make This Minestrone Soup
- It’s delicious! Not that you need any more reasons to make this soup, but read on 😉
- This soup is so easy to make. 30 minute meals are my fav!
- It uses up produce about to go bad to cut down on food waste (and wasting money!)
- The soup uses affordable ingredients, many of which you may already have on hand and in your pantry. I choose to use all organic ingredients which bumps the price a little bit, but still totally low-cost and worth it.
- It freezes well! This recipe will serve 6-8 people, so if you’re making it for less than that you’ll have leftovers, which is great reheated for lunch! OR you can freeze it for another meal later on in the month.
- You can control what’s in the soup! If you buy minestrone soup canned or pre-made there may be ingredients in there you don’t want (like sugar!!!). This way, if you make your own you choose what you put in.
Optional Additions
This Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup is flavorful, but simplistic. You get a lot of flavor from the garlic, parsley, basil, salt and pepper, but if you desire even more flavor you could add tomato paste, tomato sauce, or even a vegetable bouillon cube. I love this recipe just as is, but just know you have the option.
You can also add whatever vegetables you’d like or have to use up. Zucchini, squash, butternut squash, sweet potato, spinach, kale, green beans, peas, etc.
You can sprinkle some of my VEGAN PARMESAN CHEESE on top if desired (it’s delish!). I hope this classic minestrone soup warms you up as we head into the colder months and keeps those immune systems boosted! Leave a comment below in the comments section, as well as giving it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating so that others can discover this gluten-free, vegan soup recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup
This Easy Plant-Based Minestrone Soup recipe is the perfect warming soup on a cold day. It's made completely vegan and gluten free with vegetable broth, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, fire roasted tomatoes, kidney beans, lentils, basil, parsley and gluten-free noodles for a filling, nourishing Italian-inspired soup recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh or partially dried)
- 1 tablespoon basil (fresh or partially dried)
- 1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans, drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) lentils, drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 32 ounces vegetable or no-chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
- 2.5 cups (250 grams) elbow pasta
- Vegan parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water to cook the pasta. While the water is heating, heat a separate stock pot over medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Sprinkle with a little salt and saute until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the sliced celery, carrots, parsley, and basil and let the mixture cook for a few minutes until the celery and carrots start to soften.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Next add the kidney beans, lentils, and fire roasted tomatoes to the stock pot with the other veggies. Stir and let the mixture cook for about 5 more minutes. Season with more salt and pepper, stir.
- Drain and rinse the pasta and set aside. Add the vegetable or no-chicken broth to the stock pot and bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it starts to boil, add the noodles and turn the heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 5-10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, serve and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese if desired.
