This Tuscan Vegetable Soup is hearty and full of Italian flavors! It's made with veggies, beans, pasta, and kale in a savory tomato broth.
If you're looking for a healthy dinner to warm you up during the cold winter months, be sure to check out this Italian Vegetable Soup. It's packed with hearty veggies, beans, and noodles.
The winter months can be challenging for a number of reasons, but one of the best ways to bolster our spirits is to whip up a batch of hearty vegetable soup (that and knowing we gain a few extra minutes of sunlight each day).
This soup is packed with veggies like green beans, bell peppers, and kale and flavored with garlic, onions, and celery all simmered in a savory broth in a Dutch oven on the stove top. It's made even heartier with the addition of kidney beans and pasta.
The great thing about a soup like this one is that it's comforting, but also healthy and won't weigh you down. It's vegan, gluten free, and dairy free, but every bit as satisfying as any soup out there.
It can be enjoyed on its own, or served with some warm, crusty bread for dipping. You can garnish it with some fresh herbs for extra color and flavor or add a sprinkling of grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese for a bit of decadence.
Jump to:
- What Is Tuscan Vegetable Soup?
- Ingredients For Tuscan Vegetable Soup
- Which Pasta Is Best For Soup?
- How To Make Vegetable Soup
- Do The Beans Need To Be Rinsed Before Adding To The Soup?
- How Long Does Vegetable Soup Take To Cook On The Stove Top?
- What To Serve With Tuscan Veggie Soup
- How Long Will Veggie Soup Last In The Fridge?
- Can It Be Frozen?
- Tuscan Vegetable Soup
What Is Tuscan Vegetable Soup?
Tuscan Vegetable Soup is kind of a general term to describe a soup that's made with fresh, hearty vegetables and Italian flavors. It can be prepared with any number of fresh veggies, is flavored with aromatics, and simmered in a savory broth.
The vegetables used may vary depending on the season. It's often vegan or vegetarian, but some Tuscan-style soups call for the addition of milk or heavy cream.
A Tuscan-style soup usually focuses on clean ingredients and simple flavors. Heartier add-ins like pasta, beans, or bread may be added for extra bulkiness.
Ingredients For Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Here's what you'll need to make it.
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 Onion (any color)
- 3-4 stalks Celery
- 1 Bell Pepper (any color) (red, yellow, or orange is preferable)
- 3-4 cups Green Beans (washed and trimmed) (equals 12-16 oz. of fresh green beans)
- 6 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 14.5 oz. can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 1 15.5 oz. can Kidney Beans
- 2 cups Gluten Free Rotini Noodles (or any short pasta) (can use regular noodles if not gluten free)
- ½ tsp. each of Kosher Salt and Pepper (split)
- 2-3 cups chopped Kale (or hearty greens of choice)
- Parmesan or Asiago Cheese for garnish (optional)
Feel free to substitute some of these ingredients if needed. You can swap the kidney beans for canned Cannellini Beans, Great Northern Beans, or any white beans.
Curly or Lacinato kale may be used to make this soup. Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, or spinach may also be used in place of kale.
Any variety of short pasta, such as rotini, fusilli, penne, farfalle, or shells can be added to the soup. Simply use regular pasta if not gluten free.
Which Pasta Is Best For Soup?
One of the best things about this soup is the addition of pasta. It adds great flavor, texture, and makes for a heartier dish.
I recommend a quality brand of short pasta, such as rotini, fusilli, farfalle, penne, or shells when added to soup. Short pasta will make the soup hearty without overwhelming the texture.
This recipe is gluten free and calls for a gluten free short pasta, but you can use any short pasta if gluten is not an issue for you.
I love the Brown Rice Fusilli or Rotini from Jovial Foods. The texture holds up nicely and doesn't turn to mush when added to the broth.
No matter what type of pasta is used, it's important that it's not overcooked. The pasta is added toward the end of the cooking time and it's best to keep a close eye and cook just until al dente so that the soup does not become mushy.
How To Make Vegetable Soup
This soup is pretty straightforward and requires a bit of chopping up front.
The garlic, onions, and celery are minced, the bell peppers diced, and the green beans trimmed and chopped. All of these ingredients are sauteed in a Dutch oven with olive oil until fragrant.
The vegetable broth is then added to the pot along with the fire roasted tomatoes and Italian seasoning. The pasta and beans are added and cooked until al dente and the last thing to do is to add the chopped kale or greens of choice.
- Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (any color).
- Remove the top and bottom portion of 3-4 stalks of celery and discard. Cut the celery in half lengthwise and then dice into small chunks.
- Dice 1 bell pepper and discard the seeds and membranes (red, orange, or yellow bell pepper is best as the flavor is slightly sweeter).
- Wash and trim 1 lb. of green beans, discarding the ends. Cut the beans into either halves or thirds.
- Place a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pot.
- Once heated, add the minced garlic, onions, and celery. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chopped green beans along with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
Do The Beans Need To Be Rinsed Before Adding To The Soup?
The kidney beans do not need to be rinsed before adding to the vegetable soup. However, I do recommend draining the kidney beans first and you can feel free to rinse them to remove any excess salt if you like.
As mentioned, you may sub any canned beans you like for the kidney beans. Cannellini, Great Northern, or white beans may be used instead. Make sure to drain whatever variety of beans you choose, but it is not necessary to rinse them.
The can of fire roasted tomatoes does not need to be drained before adding to the vegetable soup. Both the tomatoes and the juices are added to the soup.
You may use regular canned diced tomatoes if you are unable to find fire roasted tomatoes, but the flavor may not be quite as robust.
How Long Does Vegetable Soup Take To Cook On The Stove Top?
Once the veggies are sauteed, it's time to add the broth. The vegetables simmer in the broth for 15 minutes. At that point, the pasta is added to the pot along with the beans and cooked for another 10-12 minutes.
The overall cooking time for this soup is about 45 minutes. Cooking times may vary slightly.
- Add 6 cups of vegetable broth, 1 14.5 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and juices, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper to the pot. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the can of drained kidney beans (or beans of choice) along with 2 cups of gluten free short pasta (or regular short pasta if not gluten free). Stir until combined.
- Return the lid to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped kale (or hearty greens of choice) and stir until combined.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through (but not mushy) and the greens have wilted.
The soup is ready when the vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked, but not mushy. Feel free to cook a few extra minutes if needed.
What To Serve With Tuscan Veggie Soup
Once everything has reached your desired texture it's ready to serve!
This Tuscan Vegetable Soup may be served as-is, or garnished with some fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or chives for extra flavor and freshness. You can also add some grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Pecorino Romano cheese for a bit more decadence.
Feel free to garnish with some red chili flakes for a bit of spice if you like.
Italian soups like this one are perfect served with some crusty bread, toasted garlic bread for dipping. These gluten free biscuits or cheddar chive scones are also perfect dipped into this soup.
It's also great paired with a sandwich like this Italian prosciutto grilled cheese, pesto grilled cheese, or Gouda chicken grilled cheese sandwich.
A flatbread like this Mediterranean veggie flatbread pizza, pesto chicken flatbread, arugula pesto prosciutto pizza or any type of herb-y Italian bread would be perfect.
Hearty salads like this Italian quinoa salad, smoked salmon arugula quinoa salad, or Quinoa zucchini shrimp salad also make for a nice pairing.
Love soup? Check out these recipes!
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- Potato Leek Cauliflower Soup
- Asparagus Broccoli Soup
- Fennel Sausage Soup
- Turkey White Bean Soup
How Long Will Veggie Soup Last In The Fridge?
This soup should last 2-3 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Be sure to allow the soup to cool completely before placing the in the refrigerator for storage.
Can It Be Frozen?
Tuscan Vegetable Soup makes an excellent freezer meal!
Soups like this one are great to make ahead, freeze, and pull out on those nights when you're too busy to cook but want a healthy dinner.
How To Freeze
- Prepare the soup according to the instructions (leaving off the Parmesan cheese) and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, place the soup into heavy-duty freezer bags or freezer-safe airtight containers and label with the date.
- Store up to 3 months in the freezer.
How To Thaw
- Place the containers of frozen soup in the fridge for 24 hours and allow to thaw.
- Place the thawed soup in a Dutch Oven or large and add ½ cup of water or vegetable broth and heat thoroughly on the stove top. The soup may also be reheated in the microwave.
Soups like this one are essential for getting through winter. All the veggies in this soup get me thinking about gardening and that's always a good thing.
Love healthy soups? Check out these recipes!
- Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup
- Harvest Vegetable Soup
- Root Vegetable Soup
- Cannellini Bean, Kale, and Carrot Soup
- Sweet Potato Kale Soup
- Vegetable Orzo Soup
Looking For More Hearty Vegetable Soups? Don't Miss These!
Vegan Tomato Soup
Vegan Lentil Soup
Lebanese Lentil Soup
Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 onion any color
- 3-4 stalks celery
- 1 bell pepper red, orange, or yellow
- 3 cups green beans chopped, equals 12-16 oz.
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans drained
- 2 cups gluten free rotini or any short pasta
- 2-3 cups chopped kale or hearty greens of choice
- ½ tsp. kosher salt split
- ½ tsp. pepper split
- Parmesan cheese, red chili flakes, Italian herbs for garnish optional
Instructions
- Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (any color).
- Remove the top and bottom portion of 3-4 stalks of celery and discard. Cut the celery in half lengthwise and then dice into small chunks.
- Dice 1 bell pepper (red, orange, or yellow).
- Wash and trim 12-16 oz. of green beans, discarding the ends. Cut the beans into either halves or thirds (depending on your preference) (equals 3 cups of chopped green beans).
- Place a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pot.
- Once heated, add the minced garlic, onions, and celery. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chopped green beans along with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.Add the diced bell pepper and sauté for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add 6 cups of vegetable broth, 1 14.5 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and juices, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper to the pot. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a low boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add the can of drained kidney beans (or beans of choice) along with 2 cups of gluten free short pasta (or regular short pasta if not gluten free). Stir until combined.Return the lid to the pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped kale (or hearty greens of choice) and stir until combined.
- Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through (but not mushy) and the greens have wilted.
- To Serve: Serve immediately with a garnish of grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and fresh or dried Italian herbs (optional).
Leave a Reply