The best vegan soup recipe
This chickpea minestrone is the most delicious and easy vegan soup to make. It is zesty, hearty and comforting just like classic minestrone. I added my favorite bean, the chickpea along with copious veggies to make a filling and tasty soup. This is perfect for a main meal or starter that will be a hit with the whole family.
What is minestrone?
Minestrone is a hearty Italian vegetable soup that also contains beans and pasta. Adding beans and pasta to a vegetable soup elevate it to a meal status. The type of bean and pasta vary greatly by region. In this vegan chickpea minestrone we use garbanzo beans and rotini which gives it a great texture. The vegetables also vary greatly by season and region as well as the soups stock base. Some contain meat, some are vegetarian and many add a rind of parmesan to the stock to fortify with flavor. In this soup we are making a simple veggie stock while we cook.
Ingredients for Chickpea Minestrone
The ingredients for this soup are humble and easy to find. You may vary the ingredients by what is in season or what is in your refrigerator. I like to make this one with frozen veggies or as a fridge cleanout to use up veggies that are on their way out! It is also a great way to use up those garden herbs in the summer.
- pasta
- chickpeas
- crushed tomatoes
- mixed or frozen vegetables
- celery
- potatoes
- carrots
- butternut squash
- 1 onion chopped
- italian seasoning or oregano
- fresh cilantro, basil or mint
- crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
How do you make Minestrone?
Making minestrone soup is easy! Like most of my soup recipes we begin by caramelizing the onion and garlic, then sautéing the veggies before adding liquid. This produces a more flavorful soup then simply boiling everything. However if you are oil-free or pressed for time, boiling is always an option.
- Saute the garlic and chopped onion in olive oil in a big pot for 5 mins until caramelizing.
- Add celery, carrot, potatoes and butternut squash. Cook for 5 mins. (Alternately you can use 3-4 cups diced frozen vegetable mix instead.)
- Add about 10 cups of water, 2 cans of chickpeas and 1 can crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Season with salt, pepper, fresh and dry herbs and umami seasoning. Cook 15-30 mins for all flavors to meld.
- Cook pasta separate and only add when serving. Pasta gets all blown up if you add directly to soup!!
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and copious crushed red pepper.
Tips for making the best chickpea minestrone
- It is essential that you cook and keep the pasta separate from the pot of soup. If you add the noodles directly, they will blow up and break down quickly adding an unpleasant and slimy texture to the soup. Also the noodles will absorb the rich broth. Just add them when serving to each bowl.
- This is a wonderful recipe for fridge clean out. Almost any herb, vegetable and type of onion, squash or potato will enhance the flavor of the soup. The only ones that should be avoided are cruciferous veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts as they will overpower the broth and make it bitter.
- Always cool soup down before storing. If you must refrigerate before it is fully cooled, do not cover tightly as this will make the soup stay warm longer and risk spoilage. When properly cooled and stored, this soup will retain its freshness and flavor for 5 days refrigerated or up to 3 months frozen.
Other vegan soup recipes
Chickpea Minestrone
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta rotini or fusilli
- 30 oz chickpeas 2 cans drained
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tbsp italian seasoning or oregano
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro or basil chopped
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 3 small potatoes cubed
- 3 yellow carrots . peeled and chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 tbsp Umami Seasoning I used Trader Joe's Brand. Alternately you may use 1 tbsp of your favorite bouillon or Miso
- 1 each black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Saute the garlic and chopped onion in olive oil in a big pot for 5 mins until caramelizing.
- Add celery, carrot, potatoes and butternut squash. Cook for 5 mins. (Alternately you can use 3-4 cups diced frozen vegetable mix instead.)
- Add about 10 cups of water, 2 cans of chickpeas and 1 can crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil.
- Season with salt, pepper, fresh and dry herbs and umami seasoning. Cook 15-30 mins for all flavors to meld.
- Cook pasta separate and only add when serving. Pasta gets all blown up if you add directly to soup!!
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and copious crushed red pepper.
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