This vegetable noodle soup includes dried herbs, bite-size pasta, and tender vegetables, and gets its creaminess from non-dairy milk and a bit of flour. It's so creamy and delicious (almost like a chowder!), you won't believe there's no dairy in this soup. It's a comforting and easy vegan soup the whole family will love!
About the Recipe
This Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup is from the cookbook by Jenn Sebestyen, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook. Jenn is also the author of the popular vegan blog Veggie Inspired.
Jenn does an amazing job of developing dishes that not only appeal to kids' taste buds, but also offer opportunities for kids of all ages to join in on meal prep.
The book begins with helpful tips for incorporating more meatless meals into your family's diet. Jenn also covers essential tips, like how to stock your pantry so that you're prepared for plant-based cooking, plus useful kitchen tools you'll need to make the recipes.
Jump to:
The recipe I'm sharing with you today is on page 33, sandwiched between (no pun intended) two other glorious soup recipes - Tuscan White Bean Soup and Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Ramen Noodles. Doesn't that sound amazing?
Ingredient Notes
To make this vegetable noodle soup you'll need:
- Veggies - onion, carrots, celery, and red bell pepper. Feel free to experiment! Mushrooms, spinach, kale, and zucchini would all be great.
- Pasta - any small, bite-size pasta is perfect; I used cavatelli.
- Non-dairy milk - I used unsweetened soy milk which added to the creaminess and increased the amount of protein.
- Flour - to thicken the soup, you can use regular all-purpose flour or for a whole-grain option I like white whole-wheat flour. Jenn recommends brown rice flour for a gluten-free option.
Tip! Jenn's recipe calls for ditalini pasta, but any small shape you can find will work. Try elbows or cavatelli (tiny shells).
How to Make Vegetable Noodle Soup
I selected this recipe to share with you because a) it's December and cold outside! and b) who doesn't love a creamy vegetable soup?
I also love the versatility of this recipe. Anyone will enjoy it as written, and if you're not cooking for kids, you can always add a spicy kick with crushed red pepper, black pepper, or hot sauce.
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To make the soup you'll need a cutting board, a knife, and a large soup pot. The process is very easy and only takes about 35 minutes start to finish!
- Prep and dice the vegetables.
- Preheat the soup pot and add the oil.
- Sauté the onion until translucent. Add the celery and bell pepper, and sauté for another 5 minutes or so.
- Add the dried herbs, salt, and flour, whisking to incorporate. Whisk in ½ cup of milk, scraping up all the bits of flour.
- Next add the remaining milk, broth, and nutritional yeast, and bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
See how simple that is? I just love easy soup recipes like this one. The herbs and veggies provide so much flavor, and the flour/milk combo makes it irresistibly creamy.
You can probably tell from the photos how thick this soup is, right? It's like a chowder, but with a fraction of the fat!
Related: If you love comforting soups like this, be sure to try my vegan potato soup next!
Substitutions
- Gluten-free - you can easily make this soup gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free pasta and replacing the all-purpose flour with brown rice flour.
- Nut-free - Jenn's recipe lists "almond milk or milk of choice," which means you can also make this recipe nut-free. I used unsweetened soy milk, and it turned out great!
- Oil-free/WFPB - The recipe includes two tablespoons of oil for sautéing the vegetables and herbs, but if you follow an oil-free diet, you can certainly replace the oil with a bit of broth. Many readers have prepared the soup this way and reported back with rave reviews!
Serving Suggestions
This creamy vegetable noodle soup is delicious on its own, but it can be even more satisfying when paired with a side salad and a warm slice of toasted bread. Here are a few more ideas:
- Bump up your veggie intake with a side of vegan kale salad.
- Add protein and make this vegetable noodle soup even more filling with cooked chickpeas, pinto beans, or white beans. Plant-based chicken strips and soy curls also taste great!
- Garnish the soup with fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley, basil, or dill for a burst of freshness and color.
- Cheese tastes great with it, too! Grate some vegan Parmesan on top, like the one from Violife, or go the homemade route with my vegan Parmesan. Creamy cheeses like vegan feta and queso fresco are also delicious.
Storing Leftovers
The recipe makes a generous amount, so unless you're cooking for a crowd, you can look forward to having leftovers. Store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I haven't tried freezing the soup yet. Sometimes the texture of pasta changes after freezing, but if you're okay with that, freezing the soup should be fine.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Whether enjoyed as a light lunch or a comforting dinner, this creamy vegetable noodle soup is always delightful and bound to become a new family favorite.
Be sure to grab a copy of The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook. It truly is full of great recipes for every day of the week, whether you're cooking for a family or just for yourself!
Recipe
Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - See Notes for oil-free option.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- 1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (I used white whole-wheat for a whole-grain option) - For gluten-free option, use brown rice flour.
- 2 cups unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk, divided - I used soy milk.
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
- 1 cup dry ditalini pasta or similar small pasta - gluten-free or whole-wheat, if desired
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and bell pepper and sauté 4 to 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the parsley, basil, thyme, dill, salt, and flour and stir to combine, scraping up any bits of flour on the bottom of the pot. Slowly pour in ½ cup (120 ml) of milk while whisking continuously, again scraping up any bits of flour on the bottom; a flat whisk is convenient here, but a balloon whisk will work as well. Whisk until the flour is completely incorporated.
- Add the remainder of the milk, vegetable broth, and nutritional yeast, if using. Whisk to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked through, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and ingredients used.
Simplefit says
I was feeling like I was coming down with a cold and this popped up in my inbox today. This was perfect. I used the gluten free, soy free version and 1 can of pureed white beans for half the almond milk and it was rich and delicious. Thank you for sharing this.
Naomi says
I read all the comments here and was thinking it's hard to believe it could actually be THAT good, but I just made it for my lunch and absolutely is just perfect. I wouldn't change anything about it. Having it with some nice vegan southern cornbread baked in my iron skillet, and I'm in heaven! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Nadia says
This was so simple and truly delicious. I usually make spicy stuff, but the flavor of this was great as-is (I didn’t make any modifications). Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Kay says
Literally the greatest soup I’ve ever had. It so good and simple. Great for a cold day or just when you’re cold. We used chicken broth instead of veggie broth and a different type of noodle. Making it again tonight!
Kathy says
Delicious! I added some mixed greens when it was done cooking. Will be making this often!
Denise says
I have had this tab open on my computer all week - I love soup and the picture grabbed my attention - and since I am feeling cold, I just had to make this for lunch today. I will definitely be making this soup again on repeat! It hit all the right buttons - velvety smooth and creamy, flavorful, full of veggies, and very filling. The only changes I made were: 1) no oil, 2) leave out the salt (I don't use added salt) and thyme (I do not like it), and 3) swap the plant milk and flour with 1 cup of white beans blended with 1 cup of water. I am so glad to have found this recipe. Thank you!
Eve says
Sooo delicious!! I honestly chopped up whatever veggies I had in my fridge. I used thyme but I didn’t have all of the other spices and honestly it turned out great! I used thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and cilantro. I also didn’t have nutritional yeast but I didn’t miss it either. Thank you so much! I’m adding this to my recipe journal ♥️
Kristin Neubauer says
Best soup ever! It's so easy to make, so delicious and so healthy. It's the perfect meal for chilly fall and winter days. I will be making this over and over and over again. Thank you, Lori!
Renee Silverman says
My husband and I could not get over how good this soup recipe was!! I think it is the best soup I have ever made! (And I make a lot of soup in the colder months!) I followed the recipe as written, but I could see where I might add some "chicken" for more protein. I definitely will be making this soup again and again! Thank you for the recipe!