Italian Vegetable and Bean Soup

This easy vegetable bean Soup is a cozy and nourishing soup that is bursting with fresh vegetables, cannellini beans, and everything you crave on a cold winter day. This dish comes together in just 30 minutes, making it the perfect healthy weeknight dish.

Another chilly fall day calls for another cozy bowl of soup. Honestly, I’m not complaining. From my Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup to Healthy Taco Soup, it’s safe to say I have taken soup season by storm this year. I know I say this all the time, but this Italian Vegetable and Bean Soup is seriously one of my best.

As we all know, you can never have enough soup recipes. I love having a recipe up my sleeve for every possible combination of ingredients I might have laying around, so expect to see lots more nourishing soup recipes from me in the coming months.

This easy vegetable and bean soup is made with a wide array of fresh veggies and cannellini beans in a base made from vegetable broth and diced tomatoes. Seasoned simply with my favorite Italian seasoning blend, this satisfying dish is loaded with all the cozy flavors we crave during the winter season.

If you’ve never made your own soup from scratch, you have been seriously missing out. Homemade soup is so much more flavorful, fresh, and wholesome. It has all the amazing flavors we love, without any of the added preservatives and artificial ingredients of the canned soups we all grew up with.

It’s the perfect cozy weeknight meal to add to your rotation this season. You can switch up the veggies based on what you have at home, so feel free to get creative. Serve it alongside fresh bread and/or a side salad, and enjoy!

Key Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients that you will need to make this delicious vegetable soup:

• Vegetables: My go-to combination of veggies includes fresh carrots, onions, celery, zucchini, green beans, and spinach in this dish. However, you can use any fresh veggies you have at home! Other good options include kale, mushrooms, and bell peppers.
• Cannellini beans: These mild-flavored beans are loaded with fiber and protein, making this dish super hearty and filling.
• Diced tomatoes: I prefer to use fire roasted tomatoes, as they add a deeper depth of flavor, but feel free to use any kind you like.
• Vegetable broth: Using broth instead of water as the base helps to add a ton of flavor. If you don’t have vegetable broth, feel free to use chicken broth instead.
• Tomato paste: This is commonly used in soup recipes to thicken and enrich the broth, while also adding some color to the dish. It’s not an absolute necessity, but I do recommend adding some tomato paste if you can.
• Italian seasoning: You can use your favorite store-bought blend or make your own from scratch—totally up to you.

Recipe Variations

One of the reasons I love this Italian Vegetable and Bean Soup so much is that it’s beyond versatile. You can switch it up as you please, based on your flavor preferences and what you have at home that week.

Need some ideas on how to switch it up? Here are some of my top recommendations:

• Add more protein. While we get plant-based protein from the beans, you could easily double up on the beans or add a meat protein source. My favorite choices include shredded chicken, sausage, and shredded turkey breast. It would also be delicious with ham like in this Easy Ham and Bean Soup.
• Toss in noodles. Make this soup extra cozy and filling by tossing in some egg noodles or small whole wheat noodles.
• Add rice. If you’re not feeling noodles, but still want to add some grains to your soup, then rice is a fantastic option. I like using brown rice, but any kind works.
• Spice it up. Craving a little kick? Sprinkle your soup with red pepper flakes, add some sliced jalapenos, or add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce.
• Switch up the broth. If you don’t have vegetable broth, feel free to swap it out for chicken or beef broth.

How to Serve Italian Vegetable and Bean Soup

This hearty soup can be served on its own or as part of a larger meal. Not sure what to pair it with? I’ve got you covered! Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with this vegan soup:

• Bread. A warm loaf of bread is the perfect compliment for a delicious bowl of soup. Not only are these Two Ingredient Dough Breadsticks fantastic, but they are wonderful for absorbing the delicious flavors of the soup.
• Salad. Soup and salad? Name a better duo. Any of your favorite recipes will suffice, but this time of year I love serving soup alongside seasonally-inspired salads like this Wild Rice Salad with Acorn Squash.
• Potatoes. You really can’t go wrong with some freshly roasted potatoes on the side. You could even add them to your soup for an extra-hearty twist!

How to Store Italian Vegetable and Bean Soup

Soup is one of my all-time dishes to freeze for later, because it freezes incredibly well. This dish is no different! To store, allow your soup to cool down and then transfer it to an airtight bag or container. Then, you can store leftover soup in one of two ways:

• In the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• In the freezer for up to 4-6 months.