This Mediterranean Harvest Vegetable Soup recipe is vegan and gluten free. It's made with parsnips, carrots, beans, kale, and fresh herbs!
This Healthy Harvest Veggie Soup is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free; It's all of those healthy buzzwords we love nowadays.
I asked Facebook readers a few weeks back what kind of recipes they would like to see as the weather turns colder this fall. The answers were pretty unanimous - Soups and slow cooker recipes! I can handle that. Soup is definitely one of my all-time favorite meals.
One reason for that is the fact soup is so easy to make healthy. Sometimes super healthy food can be, well, not filling.
And when the weather gets cooler I want something that's not going to leave me wanting another meal in two hours. Soup can do just that. This one is hearty, satisfying, and you won't find yourself rummaging through the cupboards two hours later looking for a snack.
Especially when combined with some crusty bread, cornbread, or any type of vessel to soak up the broth.
Jump to:
Which Vegetables Should I Use To Make Harvest Soup?
The focus of this Harvest Vegetable Soup is, of course, vegetables. I tried to choose vegetables that seemed particularly hearty or that I associated with harvest time. I looked to our garden and the local farmer's market for inspiration.
Vegetable soups like this one are perfect for hearty veggies like carrots, parsnips, and kale.
Any root vegetable like potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, and turnips are great options in addition to greens like Swiss chard.
Garlic, onions, and celery are essential for providing a solid base of flavor.
- Start by mincing 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (or 2 shallots).
- Chop 1-2 sticks of celery and cut 4-5 carrots as well as 1-2 parsnips into slices.
- Roughly chop 2-3 cups of kale.
How To Make Vegetable Soup From Scratch
The key to a good soup is to fry the aromatics - In this case the garlic, shallots, and celery.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed soup pan to medium and add 1 Tbsp. of cooking oil. I love my trusty old cast-iron Dutch Oven for this job.
- Add the garlic, shallots (or onions), and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
It's been cold and rainy here in Minnesota the past week which to me equals perfect soup-making weather.
Looking for more healthy soups? Don't miss these recipes!
- Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup
- Tuscan Vegetable Noodle Soup
- Turkey Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Crockpot Tortilla Soup
- Dairy Free Ham & Potato Soup
- Lentil Kale Sausage Soup
- Cannellini Bean Kale Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Sausage Soup
- Vietnamese Inspired Chicken Noodle Soup
- Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Dutch Oven Vegetable Stew
Should I Sauté The Vegetables First?
- The next step is to add the chopped carrots and parsnips along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Saute the carrots and parsnips for 5-6 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. The salt should draw the moisture out of the vegetables which will prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
- I do understand that the flavor of parsnips is a bit...robust. A parsnip kind of tastes like a carrot on steroids. If the flavor is too strong for you simply substitute them with a few more carrots. If you love earthy vegetal flavors then you will love parsnips. If not you can leave them out and you won't hurt my feelings.
- After the vegetables have softened a bit add 4 cups of vegetable broth to the pan.
- Cover, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer for 20 minutes.
How Long Does Soup Take To Cook On The Stove Top?
- Remove the cover after 20 minutes or so and add 1 14.5 oz, can of diced tomatoes (or petit diced tomatoes), 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, ½ tsp. sugar, and ¼ tsp. red chili flakes.
- Add a few handfuls of the chopped kale and stir everything together.
- Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes or so. Feel free to adjust the seasoning to taste. Add more chili flakes if you like spice or increase the amount of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic. Adjust the salt and pepper levels to your liking.
Can I Substitute Another Green For Kale?
Absolutely!
Feel free to use Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens - Whatever you like! The beauty of soups is that they can be adjusted for taste. Recipes like this are meant to be tweaked.
What To Serve With Harvest Soup
The Harvest Vegetable Soup should be ready to serve at this point. The carrots and parsnips should be softened and easily pierced with a fork but not mushy. The kale should be wilted down but still retain some body.
I always think soups like this are a great way to celebrate all that work we put into our gardens during the summer months. Soups made with vegetables that literally taste like the earth are perfect for paying homage to harvest time.
This soup is great to serve with some crusty bread or garlic bread. I love soups like this paired with a sandwich like this Italian Panini, Rachel Sandwich, or Chicken Panini.
A flatbread like this Mediterranean Naan Pizza or Arugula Pesto Pizza is also delicious.
You can add some Parmesan or grated cheese on top if you want a little extra richness.
Can I Freeze Vegetable Soup?
Yes! Soups like this Harvest Vegetable Soup are great for freezing.
How To Freeze:
- Simply prepare and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Once cooled, place in heavy-duty freezer bags or airtight glass food container and freeze up to 3 months.
How To Reheat:
- Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top.
- You can also place the frozen soup in a Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed soup pan, add some water or broth, thaw and reheat on the stove top.
During those busy fall weeknights when everyone is back in school it's nice to have meals like this pre-made in the freezer to heat up as we need them!
Looking for more vegan soups? Check out these recipes!
- Root Vegetable Soup
- Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup
- Thai Inspired Potato Corn Chowder
- Mediterranean Lentil Soup
- Sweet Potato Kale Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Curried Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
Looking For More Healthy Soup Recipes? Don't Miss These!
Instant Pot Veggie Lentil Soup
Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
Ginger Spinach Soup
Harvest Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 onion or 2 shallots
- 1-2 stalks celery
- 4-5 carrots
- 1-2 parsnips
- 2-3 cups kale
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans drained
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp. red chili flakes
- ½ tsp. sugar
- generous pinch kosher salt adjust to taste
- generous pinch pepper adjust to taste
Instructions
- Mince 6 cloves garlic and 1 onion (or 2 shallots). Chop 1-2 stalks of celery into small pieces.
- Chop 4-5 carrots and 1-2 parsnips into slices.
- Roughly chop 2-3 cups of kale.
- Heat a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pan to medium. Add 1 Tbsp. oil. Once the oil is heated add the garlic, onions, and celery. Saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the carrots and parsnips to the pan along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Saute for 7-8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. The vegetables should soften slightly.
- Add 4 cups of vegetable broth to the pan and cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.
- After 20 minutes or so remove the cover from the pan. Add 1 (drained)14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (or petit diced tomatoes), 1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp. red chili flakes, ½ tsp. sugar, and another pinch of salt and pepper. Add the kale to the pot. Stir all of the ingredients together.
- Cover once again and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
- Taste the soup and adjust spice levels to taste. The vegetables should be softened and easily pieced with a fork.
- Serve the soup with crusty bread and garnish with Parmesan cheese (optional).
Amanda
This is actually a soup that I can really see myself trying. I love a good soup and this looks so filling and comforting
Christine
It's so easy and definitely is healthy comfort food!
georgie
this looks gorgeous! I love a filling soup for the winter!
Christine
Thanks so much, Georgie! I get kind of addicted to soups during the winter. 🙂
Moni A.
This recipe was really good. I did not have shallots, but I use the regular yellow onion. I use purple kale and Dinosaur Kale. I never knew that existed! But it really added a hardiness to this soup. I also added chopped red potatoes that we're about an inch in size. This was a hearty meal, although it does digest quickly. It does not stay with you long, but it gives me a lot of the nutrients that was missing and it tastes really good! Thank you for the recipe
Christine
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing how you made this soup - I love the addition of the potatoes! 🙂
Sueainnyc
I have made this more than once. It is an exceptional recipe. Thanks for posting it. The kale is loved by all even though most people ask what green is in the soup. I have used large leaves, baby leaves, and frozen kale .
Christine
Awesome! I'm so glad you enjoy it and thank you for the feedback! 🙂