This hearty bean vegetable soup is made with three varieties of beans for a nourishing, filling vegan dinner. So cozy for a chilly evening and meal prep/freezer friendly!
This cozy bean soup is another one of our earliest Crowded Kitchen blog posts, but it needed a major facelift! We've revamped the recipe a bit to make it quicker and easier, and we also took a few new photos for your viewing pleasure.
We're so happy we revisited this recipe. It's packed with plant-based protein from three different varieties of beans: cannellini, garbanzo and kidney beans.
With plenty of vegetables and a flavorful broth, it's a well balanced meal. We're pretty sure the whole family will go back for seconds!
We use dried beans in this recipe, which hold up much better in soup. They do take a bit more prep time, so we've also included instructions if you'd prefer to use canned.
How to prep dried beans
Unfortunately, dried beans need a quick soak before adding to the soup, otherwise they'll take ages to get tender.
It takes about an hour and a half to prep dried beans for this soup, but most of the time is completely hands off.
Rinse the dried beans well and check for any debris (rocks, dirt, etc.). Add to a large pot and cover with water. There should be about 3 inches of water above the beans. Add a large pinch of salt.
Bring the beans to a boil for 5 minutes. Then, remove from heat, cover and let soak for at least 1.5 hours. They can soak for up to 12 hours, so you can do this step in the morning if preferred.
Drain the beans well before adding to the soup.
Ingredients
- Dried beans: we used cannellini, kidney and garbanzo beans. You can also use navy or pinto beans. We love the different textures of each bean, but you can also just use one variety if preferred.
- Don't have any dried beans? Substitute with 2 15oz. cans of beans. Drain and rinse well before adding to the soup. If using canned beans, this soup will only need to simmer for 20-25 minutes before serving.
- Onion & garlic
- Carrots
- Celery
- Sweet potato: you can also use regular potatoes (I prefer Yukon gold), squash (butternut works well), parsnips, turnips or more carrot.
- Vegetable broth
- Fire roasted tomatoes
- Red wine vinegar
- Seasonings: bay leaves, Italian seasoning blend, salt and red pepper flakes
- Baby kale or spinach and fresh parsley: for freshness and a dose of leafy greens!
Instructions
Once the beans are soaked and prepped, this soup is s(o)uper quick and easy to make!
Sauté: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes, or until translucent and slightly softened, stirring frequently. Add carrots, celery and sweet potato. Continue cooking for 6-7 minutes.
Simmer: Add soaked beans, broth, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the beans are tender.
Serve: Stir in kale/spinach and parsley 5 minutes before serving.
Storage
Let soup cool at room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. You may need to add a bit of extra broth when reheating.
Freezer
Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a pot over medium-low, stirring often, until completely warmed. You may need to add a bit of extra broth or water when reheating.
Serving suggestions
We love topping this three-bean soup with croutons (homemade are always best!) or another crunchy element like crispy chickpeas. You also can't go wrong with some warm, crusty bread for dipping!
It's also delicious with a sprinkle (ok, handful) of vegan parmesan, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
Serve alongside a refreshing salad like this tahini caesar salad or this roasted beet kale salad.
You can also add in cooked pasta or even rice (brown, white or wild) for a full meal!
More vegan soup recipes you'll love:
- Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Soup
- Vegan Black Bean Soup
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Lentil Sweet Potato Curry Soup
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup
If you make this vegan three-bean vegetable soup, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.
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Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This hearty bean vegetable soup is made with three varieties of beans for a nourishing, filling vegan dinner. So cozy for a chilly evening and meal prep/freezer friendly!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried beans (we used ½ cup each of cannellini, garbanzo and kidney beans)*
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced sweet potato
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 ½ tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 ¼-1 ½ teaspoon fine grain kosher salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups baby spinach or kale
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Rinse dried beans well. In a large pot, cover beans with water (3 + inches above beans) and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1.5 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. Sauté onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes, or until translucent and slightly softened, stirring frequently.
- Add carrots, celery and sweet potato. Continue cooking for 6-7 minutes.
- Add soaked beans, broth, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the beans are tender.
- Stir in kale/spinach and parsley 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
*Don't have any dried beans? Substitute with 2 15oz. cans of beans. Drain and rinse well before adding to the soup. If using canned beans, this soup will only need to simmer for 20-25 minutes before serving.
You can use just about any variety of bean, including navy, pinto, kidney, etc.
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Bowl
- Calories: 142
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 1216.2 mg
- Fat: 3.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 6.8 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: vegan bean soup
Zukiswa
Used Balsamic Vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar and added paprika and turmeric for more flavor. Also used cilantro instead of parsley because I like it better but this is possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I have frozen leftovers and I can’t wait to have it again. Thank you !
Brent Harrison
Great to hear, thank you!
Jessica
My new favorite soup! I added in some sausage, and used some thyme and Rosemary for seasoning. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Lexi
Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much for your comment!
Shannon
Please make it clear in this recipe that you shouldn't add the tomatoes and vinegar until the beans are soft - I'm not sure if my beans will ever soften because I forgot to leave out the acid first!
Lexi
Hi Shannon, that shouldn't affect how long it takes the beans to cook. Did you pre-soak the beans before adding to the soup?
Hope A.
Hey there, amateur cook here (very, very amateur lol). I’m recovering from a lengthy illness that has left me depleted. Recently a friend made me split pea soup and I was amazed how comforted and nourished I felt after eating it. I like beans very much and this recipe sounds wonderful. I’m considering trying to make it...but I’ve never made soup before. Could anyone suggest tips for other seasonings or anything else that could help me? Also, could this be made in a slow cooker?
Lexi
Hi, I hope you feel better soon! Yes, this soup can definitely be made in a slow cooker. If you want to change up the flavors, consider adding in other vegetables that you like or more fresh or dried herbs (parsley, oregano, basil, etc). If you don't mind spice, you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes for more flavor.
Chris Griffin
I've come across your recipe and am in the midst of trying it. But I am avoiding crock pot use due to the risk of food poisoning. See the following article. I've seen the problem referenced on several sites.
https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/health-food-safety/agents-articles/do-not-cook-dry-beans-in-slow-cooker.html
Erin
I made a variation on this recipe to use up some random leftover ingredients-- great method and jumping off point! Don't be afraid to make this if you are missing/substituting a few ingredients!
Substitutions-- I used canned beans instead of dried, white potatoes instead of sweet, some pre-roasted carrots I had leftover instead of fresh ones, and rosemary and oregano instead of the Italian blend. Still delicious
★★★★★
Nikki
Loved this recipe. I was unsure with the blend of ingredients how it was going to taste, but I enjoyed it, and so did the rest of my family. Very healthy as well. I couldn't choose between kale and spinach, so I added both, and used homemade broth instead of store bought veggie broth (more water than broth), but the spice blend made it plenty flavorful. Will recommend to my friends.
★★★★★
Amanda
Yummy. Even my 3 yr old ate it! Great way to incorporate more veggies
★★★★★
Hannah Holmquist
Delicious! The spices are simple yet so tasty!
★★★★★
Amy B.
I made this last night. It’s delicious. I substituted zucchini for the carrots. I added frozen mushroom slices, a can of green chiles, and Ditalini pasta. I love the beans variety within a vegetable soup. I’ll try your Minestrone soup too.
★★★★
Jennifer
When you say 2 15oz cans of beans, does that mean 2 or each kind of bean or 2 total. Thank you!!!
Lexi
Hi! 2 cans total. Hope you enjoy!
Jonica
lol to Jake! 🙂
★★★★★
Joyce
Can I make this without oil.
Lexi
Hi Joyce, yes! You can sauté the vegetables using 2 tbsp of water or vegetable broth instead of oil. Hope you enjoy!
JoAnn Buel
Can I use canned beans and what would the amount be in place of dry
Thank you
Lexi
Hi JoAnn, yes, I will add that into the blog post! You can substitute with 2 15 oz cans of beans.
Laura
I live in what’s considered high altitude and followed this recipe. It’s been on since 730 and it’s no 11am and the beans still are not done. I soaked the beans overnight too. I recommend cooking them separate and also not adding the tomatoes until the soup is done completely. Even without the high altitude do not add the tomatoes until they are cooked.
Carolyn
I wish I’d seen this comment before I made it. Soup has been cooking for an hour and the beans are still very hard. They soaked for almost 24 hours before so I don’t know what went wrong!!
And I should have known not to add the tomatoes until I knew the beans were soft. Darn!!
Jake
It would be a 5-star recipe but the amount of gas this meal generates in my gut is redonkulous.
Recap:
Flavor - 5 stars
Difficulty - none
Gas - oh my god.
Would make again though, a little gas never permanently hurt anyone. Just makes for pure comedy afterwards.
★★★★
Cat
Lmbo!
So, good thing this is 3 Bean and not 15 Bean soup 😂