This gluten free Tuscan Vegetable Soup with noodles recipe is full of Italian flavors! It's made with kale, kidney beans, and veggies.
This Tuscan Vegetable Noodle Soup is FULL of fresh veggies so it's good for you but it's comforting at the same time. It's a cozy dish that's made with kale, kidney beans, and pasta noodles.
We've officially hit the winter doldrums here in Minnesota. The post-holiday season months when the weather is cold, the air is dry, and light is scarce. This is precisely the time when many of us find ourselves reaching for the Vitamin D and plugging in our SAD lights.
I bolster my spirits during these months by focusing on the few minutes of sunlight we gain each day and by eating lots and lots of warming soups.
Cold months like January give us the opportunity to enjoy comfort foods like Red Wine Pot Roast and Spaghetti with Meatballs. Sometimes, though, it's nice to throw in recipes that are hearty AND healthy.
This Tuscan Vegetable Soup is just the thing to bolster your spirits! Top with Parmesan cheese and you've got a bowl of rustic Italian comfort food.
Jump to:
- Ingredients For Tuscan Vegetable Soup
- How To Make Vegetable Soup
- How Long Does Vegetable Soup Take To Cook On The Stove Top?
- Add The Beans and Noodles To The Soup
- Do I Have To Rinse The Beans?
- What Kind Of Noodles Are Best For This Soup?
- Add The Kale To The Vegetable Soup
- How To Thicken Italian Vegetable Soup
- What To Serve With Tuscan Vegetable Soup
- How Long Will Veggie Soup Last In The Fridge?
- Can This Soup Be Frozen?
- Tuscan Vegetable Soup with Noodles
Ingredients For Tuscan Vegetable Soup
This is a great recipe to use up any vegetables you've got laying around in your fridge. Any type of veggie will work so you can customize it as you like.
You can add more or less of anything and omit the Parmesan cheese if you'd like to keep it vegan.
Here's what you'll need to make it.
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 Onion (any color)
- 2-3 stalks Celery
- 1 Bell Pepper (any color)
- 3-4 cups Green Beans (washed and trimmed)
- 6 cups Gluten Free Vegetable Broth
- 1 14 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 2 15 oz. cans Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1.5 cups Gluten Free Rotini Noodles (can use regular noodles if not gluten free)
- ½ tsp. each Kosher Salt and Pepper (split)
- 2-3 cups chopped Kale (or hearty greens of choice
- Parmesan Cheese for garnish (optional)
Can I Substitute Any Of These Ingredients?
Absolutely! You can substitute Cannellini Beans, Great Northern Beans, Fava Beans, Navy Beans, or Lima Beans for the Kidney Beans if that's what you've got on hand.
The kale can be swapped out for any type of hearty green - Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, or spinach would all work great!
How To Make Vegetable Soup
This Tuscan Vegetable Soup starts like any good soup recipe - With lots chopping.
- Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (any color). Cut 2-3 stalks of celery into small slices.
- Dice 1 bell pepper (any color.
- Wash and trim 1 lb. of green beans. Cut the beans into halves or thirds, depending on how large you like them.
- Heat a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pan to medium/medium-high on the stove top. Once the oil is heated add the minced garlic, onions, and celery. Sauté for 2-3 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.
How Long Does Vegetable Soup Take To Cook On The Stove Top?
The next step is to add some vegetable stock, bring to a boil, and allow the vegetables to soften a bit as they cook.
- Add 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper to the pan. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a low boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on a medium-low boil.
The vegetables will soften a bit as they cook. The overall cook time for this soup is around 30 minutes.
Add The Beans and Noodles To The Soup
While the soup is cooking on a low boil drain and rinse 2 15 oz. cans of kidney beans (or bean of choice).
Do I Have To Rinse The Beans?
It's not necessary to rinse canned beans but I always like to do so because it removes any excess salt from them. Simply place them in a colander and give them a rinse in the sink.
- After the soup has cooked for 15 minutes or so remove the cover from the pot. Add the rinsed kidney beans along with 1.5 - 2 cups of gluten free rotini pasta (or regular rotini if not gluten free).
- Return the cover to the pot and cook for another 15 minutes or so on a low boil.
What Kind Of Noodles Are Best For This Soup?
You can use any type of pasta you like in this soup (gluten free or otherwise). I think a shorter pasta like rotini, penne, elbows, shells, farfalle, or orecchiette works better than longer pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine in a soup like this.
You can omit the noodles altogether if you'd prefer to make the soup without them.
Add The Kale To The Vegetable Soup
- Roughly chop 2-3 cups of kale (or hearty green of choice) after the pasta and beans have been added to the soup.
- After 15 minutes remove the lid and add the kale.
- Stir until everything is combined and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the kale has wilted a bit.
Cooking times may vary a bit. The soup is ready when the green beans are soft but not mushy and the noodles are soft.
Feel free to cook a few minutes longer in order to soften the vegetables and noodles if necessary.
How To Thicken Italian Vegetable Soup
This soup has a light broth but if you like a thicker soup you can add 1-2 Tbsp. of tomato paste at the end of the cooking time.
Alternately, you can remove some of the kidney beans, mash them with a fork, and return them to the soup. This will thicken it up a little bit.
Love vegetable soup? Check out these recipes!
- Sweet Potato Kale Soup
- Healthy Harvest Vegetable Soup
- Hearty Lentil Soup
- Cannellini Bean, Kale, and Carrot Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Chunky Italian Vegetable Soup
- Winter Root Vegetable Soup
What To Serve With Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Once everything has reached the desired texture it's ready to serve!
I love to top this soup with some Parmesan cheese or any type of salty Italian cheese and serve it with some crusty bread, toasted garlic bread, gluten free biscuits, or cheddar chive scones.
It would also be great paired with a sandwich like this Mozzarella grilled cheese, Chipotle chicken panini, Dijon chicken grilled cheese, curried chickpea salad sandwiches, or lemon tarragon chicken salad.
A flatbread like this Mediterranean veggie flatbread pizza, mushroom arugula pizza, or arugula pesto prosciutto pizza or any type of herb-y Italian bread would be perfect.
If you'd like an appetizer to serve with this soup this Kalamata Olive Tapenade and Roasted Mushroom Tapenade are great options.
Red chili flakes or any type of fresh or dried Italian herbs would make an excellent garnish.
How Long Will Veggie Soup Last In The Fridge?
This soup should last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Be sure to cool it completely before placing the leftovers in the fridge.
Keep in mind that the noodles may become mushy after stored in the refrigerator. Feel free to make the soup without the noodles if you'd like to enjoy it over the course of a few days.
Can This Soup 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 in heavy-duty freezer bags labeled with the date or in airtight containers.
- Store up to 3 months in the freezer.
How To Thaw
- Place the containers of frozen soup in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw.
- Place the soup in a Dutch Oven or soup pan and add ½ cup of water or vegetable broth and heat thoroughly.
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!
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
- Turkey Rice Soup
- Curry Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash Kale Soup
- Crockpot Vegetarian Chili
- Crockpot Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup
Looking For More Hearty Vegetable Soups? Don't Miss These!
Tortellini Zucchini Soup
Instant Pot Vegetable Quinoa Soup
Vegan Lentil Soup
Ratatouille Soup with Quinoa
Tuscan Vegetable Soup with Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 onion any color
- 2-3 stalks celery
- 1 bell pepper any color
- 2-3 cups green beans about 1 lb.
- 6 cups vegetable broth gluten free
- 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 2 15 oz. cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1.5 - 2 cups gluten free rotini optional
- 2-3 cups chopped kale
- 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). Thinly slice 2-3 stalks of celery.
- Dice 1 bell pepper (any color).
- Wash and trim the ends from 1 lb. of fresh green beans. Cut the green beans into halves or thirds (depending on your preference).
- Heat a cast iron Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pan to slightly higher than medium on the stove top. Once the oil is hot add the minced garlic, onions, and celery. Saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chopped green beans to the pot along with ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the diced bell peppers to the pot and saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add 6 cups of GF vegetable broth, 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a low boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or so.
- Drain and rinse 2 15 oz. cans of kidney beans and roughly chop 2-3 cups of kale.
- After 15 minutes, add the kidney beans and 1.5 - 2 cups of GF rotini to the soup. Return the cover to the pot and cook on a low boil for another 15 minutes.The noodles may be omitted altogether if you prefer.
- When the pasta and vegetables have reached your desired consistency add the chopped kale to the soup and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the kale has wilted a bit.Feel free to add 1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste if you'd like to thicken up the broth. Stir the tomato paste into the broth until completely incorporated.
- To Serve: Serve immediately with a garnish or Parmesan cheese and/or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and fresh or dried Italian herbs (optional).
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