It’s starting to get wet and cold here in Vancouver, which makes me want to crawl into my bed forever. Instead of giving into my bear instincts and hibernating this winter, I have been welcoming the dark season with endless bowls of warm, comforting soup.
When you’re sick or feeling run down, soup has always been my go-to. It’s like a warm, delicious hug for your insides. It’s usually very nutritious, makes you feel better, AND it warms you up when you are cold. A longtime favourite of mine has always been the classic Italian minestrone, since it simply has everything you’d ever want in a soup. Light and flavourful tomato broth? Check. Veggies and beans? Check. Adorable pasta shells? Check. Packed with plant protein and fibre, this vegan minestrone soup is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s also a very hearty soup that’s sure to keep you full all day, plus it’s an easy way to hit your daily vegetable requirement.
This recipe was passed onto me by my mother who has always made the most tastiest, heartiest soups in town. With a few modifications, such as swapping the chicken broth for vegetable stock, and subbing nutritional yeast flakes for parmesan cheese, I was able to successfully veganize her recipe. Now I’m stuck eating vegan minestrone soup for days and I’m not even upset about it. Make this recipe and you will happily be eating soup all week with me! Yay.
NOTE: Don’t let the hefty ingredient list scare you out of making this recipe. Most of these ingredients can already be found on hand, or can easily be swapped for vegetables that need to be used up at home. This soup actually works out to be quite cheap as well, since this recipe makes a giant batch enough for 8+ servings. You can store this soup in a container for up to 5 days, or even freeze it if you have more leftover.
Happy souping! 🙂
Vegan Minestrone Soup
Print ThisIngredients
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups red wine (optional; just adds richness to the flavour of the soup)
3 cups water (or more to desired consistency – I like my soups on the chunkier side)
1 can white cannellini beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 cup small pasta shells
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup cut Italian green beans, cut
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup carrots, diced
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt (or more if needed)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 1/2 dried oregano
1 tsp. rosemary
Fresh parsley, minced (to top)
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, carrots, zucchini, celery, rosemary, salt and pepper, plus 1 tsp. agave.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden (about 5-8 minutes).
- Add can of tomatoes and cook until some of the liquid begins to evaporate.
- Add white beans, red beans and 4 cups of vegetable broth; bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in green beans, spinach, and tiny pasta shells and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Take off heat and serve soup in bowls topped with fresh parsley or basil. Makes 8 servings.
6 comments
OMG this soup looks to die for. Whenever I go to the US I try to hit up the Olive Garden for their all-you-can-eat soup, salad, and bread stick combo and I ALWAYS go for the minestrone. It’s just delish. I’m definitely going to make this recipe (and it’s vegan – BONUS!) . Thank you Mindful Strawberry!!
Haha, Olive Garden is a must when you go to the US hey?? I don’t think I’ve ever tried their minestrone soup though. I heard it’s amazing! Thank you very much for the kind words and checking out the recipe <3 I hope you like it :o)
Wow this looks so delicious! Thanks for another great recipe! Also, love how you make your posts funny and personable! Great to see recipes are being passed down! Maybe one day you can pass this recipe and your others to your children in the future 😉
Thanks Amanda! Appreciate the love <3 I like the idea of passing on recipes. Maybe one day my future children will make this one too 🙂 XO
Wow!! I just tried this recipe and it was absolutely delectable. Thank you for making cooking fun! I’m looking forward to seeing which recipe you will post next! Thank you Mindful Strawberry!!
You’re very welcome, Lauren. 🙂 Thank you for trying out the recipe! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. XO