Name: Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
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)

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!

colorful and creamy vegetable noodle soup in a large white mug.

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:

About the Recipe
Ingredient Notes
How to Make Vegetable Noodle Soup
Substitutions
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Creamy Soup Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

overhead shot of veggie noodle soup in a bowl.

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

ingredients needed for Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup.

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!

close up of creamy vegetable soup in a mug.

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!