Wild Rice Soup

🥣 Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy and filling: there's not much hands on prep for this vegan wild rice soup. Simply chop the veggies, measure the spices and let it cook! Perfect for a busy weeknight.
• Meal prep friendly: this vegan wild rice soup tastes just as delicious the next day (and the day after that!). You can also add in a protein of choice for a more balanced meal.
• Naturally vegan and gluten free: this recipe is fully dairy and gluten free. However, if you're not vegan, feel free to use regular butter and chicken broth instead of vegetable if preferred.
• No complicated ingredients: all you need are some basic veggies, dried herbs & seasonings and broth to make this wild rice soup. Nothing fancy or hard to find!

🥘 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this vegan wild rice soup:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Vegetable broth: Use a low sodium vegetable broth so that you can better control the salt content in the soup. If you'd like, you can also try this recipe to make homemade vegetable broth from leftover veggie scraps!
• Dried herbs: we use a combination of parsley, thyme, basil and oregano. You can also use Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence blend, both of which contain similar ingredients! You can also stick with just one or two herbs of choice, and feel free to use fresh if desired. (Just be sure to multiply the quantity x3 if using fresh!)
• Wild rice: We used black wild rice, which is slightly different from wood-parched wild rice, which is much lighter in color. Black wild rice is (obviously) much darker than its wood-parched counterpart and has a richer flavor. You can also use a wild rice blend, which can be easier to find. Brown rice is also a fine alternative!
• Spinach: feel free to sub with another leafy green like kale or swiss chard.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Cook 1 cup of wild rice according to package directions. Add in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

(1) Add ⅓ cup of dairy free butter to a soup pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

(2) Pour in vegetable broth, lemon juice, and dried herbs. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

(3) Add in cooked wild rice, spinach, and parsley. Stir well and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Make it in a slow cooker: since wild rice is firmer and doesn't break down as quickly as other varieties of rice, this soup is well suited for a slow cooker. If using a slow cooker, there's no need to cook the rice ahead of time. Simply sauté the vegetables, then add all remaining ingredients except spinach and parsley and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Stir in the spinach and parsley just before serving.
• Add a protein: if you're vegan, try adding the poultry-seasoned tofu from this recipe. If you're not vegan, this would work well with leftover shredded rotisserie chicken or Italian sausage.
• Our favorite soup pot: we always use a Staub 5 or 7 quart cocotte/dutch oven for soups and stews! It's made from enameled cast iron, meaning it heats evenly and even better, cleans easily. They're such high quality and an absolute must in our kitchen – we use them almost daily.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on stovetop.
• Freezer: let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container. You can freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then heat in a pot over low until fully warmed.
• More uses for wild rice: leftover wild rice? Use it in this Mushroom Soup, this Fall Roasted Vegetable Grain Salad, or Stuffed Pumpkins/squash.
• What to serve with vegan wild rice soup: you can't go wrong with a crusty baguette or sourdough! We also like serving ours with a simple salad or sandwich, like this Italian Chopped Salad or this Chickpea "Tuna" Melt.

🍽 Related Recipes