Our 18 Best Vegetarian Soup Recipes for Hearty Weeknight Dinners (2024)

When the weather cools down there's nothing like a cozy bowl of soup to warm you right up. If you're trying to go more plant-based or have some veggie-only friends to feed, consider a delicious vegetarian soup. Packed with fresh veggies, beans, and cheese (be sure it's rennet free), there's a vegetarian soup recipe here to fit your meatless meal plan. A lot of these hearty vegetarian soups have enough plant-based protein to make a meal, but you can also serve them as yummy starters.

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Broccoli-Cheese Soup

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How inviting does this vegetarian soup look?! In just 25 minutes time, you'll be diving spoon first into a cheesy, creamy bowl of broccoli soup. The bread bowl is totally optional, but it gives a rustic (and delicious) touch to your fall menu.

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Tuscan Bean Soup

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With more than 100 ratings, this top vegetarian soup recipe is loved equally by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Just seven ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and a quick simmer on the stove is all you need to get this easy vegetable soup ready to go. Feel free to make a double batch and freeze the soup up to three months for quick, easy meals.

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Ginger-Carrot Soup

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Ginger and carrots make a beautiful pairing. Carrots and sweet potato give this vegetarian soup its gorgeous color—not to mention a boost of vitamin A and antioxidants. Serve this healthy vegetarian soup as an impressive starter or with a salad for a light lunch.

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Curried Vegetable Soup

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Base this veggie-packed soup with vegetable broth, and you've got a delicious vegetarian soup. Coconut milk and curry powder give your bowl a global flavor. Feel free to add cooked grains like quinoa or tempeh to make the soup a hearty meatless meal.

Pair Your Soup with One of Our Best Bread Recipes

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Garden Greens and Mushroom Soup

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This blended greens- and mushroom-packed vegetarian soup is filled with nutrients and antioxidants. It's low in calories and has a savory flavor, thanks to the peppery punch of arugula. Sauté some extra mushrooms to use as a healthy topper.

Buy It: Cuisinart Hand Blender ($50, Walmart)

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Veggie Chili Verde with Seitan Crumbles and Lager

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Let's spice up a traditional vegetarian chili recipe. To achieve a "meaty" texture, we like adding seitan crumbles, which are made from wheat gluten. Shredded zucchini and cubed sweet potatoes bulk up your bowl with nutrients. Chipotle pepper and Mexican lager beer give every spoonful unbeatable flavor.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli

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You'd never guess that this vegetarian soup requires only six ingredients to make. Topped with cheese ravioli and drizzled with molasses, it's a party-worthy side dish that can be ready and on the table in 30 minutes.

Test Kitchen Tip: This quick and easy vegetarian soup can also be made in advance and frozen for up to two months. Just wait until serving time to add the ravioli.

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Coconut-Tamari Mushroom Soup

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Shiitake mushrooms provide the perfect savory umami flavor in dishes when meat isn't on the menu. This Asian-inspired vegan soup recipe combines fresh mushrooms with coconut milk and wakame (seaweed) for the ultimate meaty, seafood-like flavor with no meat or dairy involved. Use tamari to keep your soup gluten-free.

Sweet and Savory Asian Flavors Worth Adding to Your Pantry

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Sweet Potato Soup with Curried Cheese Crisps

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Delicious and creamy, this simple vegetarian sweet potato soup only requires a few ingredients. What really makes the autumn bowl of goodness stand out is when it's accompanied by homemade crunchy cheese crisps. Curry powder gives the crisps a sweet heat, and their light texture is perfect for dipping.

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Chunky Vegetable-Lentil Soup

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There isn't a better way to get your veggies than in this light and satisfying vegetarian soup that's less than 200 calories. It's full of fiber and plant-based protein—perfect for a cool-weather meal. Use green (French) lentils here, as they tend to hold their shape and texture better than brown.

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Quinoa-Nectarine Gazpacho with Crispy Spiced Tortilla Strips

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If you like chilled soups but would rather enjoy chunky soups than smooth, you'll love this summer spin on classic gazpacho. Sweet nectarines, creamy avocado, and crisp veggies give the soup its standout texture and flavor, while hearty quinoa makes the low-cal recipe a satisfying meal.

Vegan Soup Recipes to Inspire Your Plant-Based Menu

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Summer Squash Soup with Whole Wheat Orzo

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Just seven ingredients and 30 minutes is all it takes to make this vegetarian soup. The whole wheat orzo pasta, which is similar to rice, adds heartiness to lemon-marinated summer squash. Add some fresh snipped basil for a bright, herbal finish.

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French Lentil, Leek, and Mushroom Soup

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We recommend dishing up a bowl of this high-fiber vegetarian soup on a chilly evening. It's packed with good-for-you veggies, such as carrots, leeks, kale, and mushrooms, and it serves eight— so you can easily freeze leftovers for a quick dinner later on.

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Sweet Potato-Black Bean Stew

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This chunky sweet potato stew is chili-like in texture and can easily be doubled to feed a crowd. Fresh jalapeño and red bell pepper give the hearty meatless stew stew a bit of heat, while the black beans provide an ample amount of protein.

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Tortilla-Bean Soup

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This vegetarian tortilla soup is so good even the meat-eaters won't be missing chicken. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a hint of smokiness to the veggie-packed base featuring onion, chile peppers, beans, and hominy (or fire-roasted corn). We also include the directions to make your own crispy tortilla strips for a crunchy topping.

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Minestrone

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This top-rated vegetarian soup is a classic. For a simple dump dinner, combine canned tomatoes, chickpeas, pasta, bell pepper, and broth into a pot. Twenty minutes later, the pasta is perfectly cooked and you've got a hearty meatless soup ready to dive into.

Delicious Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes for Quick Meatless Meals

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Sweet Corn Soup with Toasted Corn Guacamole

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Here's a fun way to use up those ears of corn you got from the farmers market. And nothing goes to waste here. The corn kernels are removed for the soup and the cobs are boiled to help create a flavorful, creamy broth—no dairy required! The toasty corn guacamole adds texture to every dreamy bite.

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Black Bean Nacho Soup

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Fans of nachos will love warming up with a bowl of this vegetarian soup. Two types of cheese along with half-and-half give this rich soup its creamy base. Shred your own cheese from blocks to achieve the silky finish (the pre-shredded kind have anti-caking ingredients that might not give you the smooth soup result you want).

Buy It: Zekpro Cheese Grater ($13, Walmart)

Our 18 Best Vegetarian Soup Recipes for Hearty Weeknight Dinners (2024)

FAQs

Can you add uncooked quinoa to soup? ›

Absolutely! Quinoa is quick cooking, so you can add it to a soup dry and it will cook up beautifully along with the other soup ingredients. It is perfect for adding a little texture (and protein) to a soup. Quinoa does absorb a good amount of liquid, so it is great for making a thicker soup (almost stew) consistency.

What goes good with vegetable soup? ›

The best side dishes to serve with vegetable soup are brown rice, zucchini noodles, ranch crackers, gluten-free bread, ravioli, cornbread, biscuits, tostadas, garlic bread, quinoa, grilled cheese sandwich, pita chips, Caprese salad, crostini, arugula salad, bruschetta, and eggplant Parmesan, Now, let's get cooking!

What happens if you don't rinse quinoa before cooking? ›

Rinsing quinoa definitely starts to hydrate the seeds. Flavor – In terms of flavor, the unrinsed quinoa definitely had a nuttier, earthier flavor, but I didn't find it bitter at all. The rinsed quinoa was definitely milder and the flavors more muted.

Why should you soak quinoa before cooking? ›

*Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time. To soak: Rinse quinoa thoroughly then add to a large mixing bowl or pot and cover with twice the amount of lukewarm water (2 cups water, 1 cup quinoa).

Is it OK to eat vegetable soup everyday? ›

General guidelines recommend that adults consume at least five servings of vegetables each day. Soup can be a great way to boost your intake. May reduce heart disease risk: Studies have shown that plant-based eating may help reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions.

What are the healthiest vegetables to put in soup? ›

Veggies That Make Healthy, Tasty Soups
  • Cucumber. 1/14. This nutritious veggie is one of the ingredients in the cold soup called gazpacho. ...
  • Butternut Squash. 2/14. ...
  • Lentils. 3/14. ...
  • Broccoli. 4/14. ...
  • Potatoes. 5/14. ...
  • Mushrooms. 6/14. ...
  • Fresh Spring Peas. 7/14. ...
  • Dried Split Peas. 8/14.

What can I add to vegetable soup to give it more flavor? ›

Dried herbs and seasonings: homemade seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and dried bay leaves lend flavor to the soup.

Can you put uncooked quinoa? ›

Quinoa can be eaten raw or uncooked if it is first soaked and sprouted, but some experts advise that quinoa should always be cooked, not consumed as a raw sprout. It is equally nutritious in sprout form, but cooking may be a safer and more versatile way to include it in your diet.

Does quinoa need to be cooked? ›

Quinoa can be eaten raw or cooked, but it is most often eaten cooked. Quinoa is frequently used as a substitution for rice because it also takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with. Salads, tacos, and skillet dishes often incorporate quinoa.

Can you cook quinoa in broth instead of water? ›

The basic ratio is 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups liquid. You can use water (season it with a bit of kosher salt), or you can use any kind of broth (we like to use low-sodium broths and add any extra salt to the finished dish as needed). You can also add a bit of dry white wine to the liquid for another layer of flavor.

Does quinoa absorb broth? ›

Then, once the mixture is boiling, decrease the mixture to a gentle simmer so that you can still see some bubbles, but the mixture is no longer boiling. Now, let simmer until the quinoa absorbs all of the broth or water- this should take approximately 10-20 minutes depending on how much quinoa you are making.

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