This gluten-free and vegetarian soup is a long-time favorite! It's warming, nourishing, has the best flavor and is hearty enough to be a meal. Plus, it's made with pantry staples, makes a large quantity and freezes well.
Hearty Veggie Bean Soup
An Easy Gluten-Free Soup recipe that's hearty enough to be a meal!
And now you can watch a cooking videoright here on this page to see how easy it is!
If you’re new to this website, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of this page.
Hope you love it too!
Original post…
I can’t tell you how much we LOVE this Veggie Bean Soup!
We’ve been making a version of this soup for years.
The original recipe was a Veggie Bean Barley Soup, but once my son was diagnosed with celiac disease, we stopped cooking it with barley because gluten is found in wheat, barely and rye.
We now usually make it with just the beans and veggies and love it (and we often serve it with biscuits or garlic knots!), but over the years we’ve served it with gluten-free ditalini, or sorghum (shown here) and brown rice.
A note on sorghum….
When we tried sorghum a few years ago, the first thing my husband and I both said was we had to try sorghum in this soup.
Sorghum is a gluten-free grain packed with protein, fiber and tons of vitamins and minerals like niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium. Sorghum is mostly flavorless and takes on the flavor of the soup, and it is slightly chewy and holds it’s texture so it works perfectly in this soup.
Back to the Hearty Veggie Bean Soup…
It is made with pantry staples and is one of the easiest soups ever to make!
All you need is:
olive oil
carrots
celery
onion
canned black beans
canned white or cannellini beans
crushed tomatoes
gluten-free veggie bouillon*
basil
garlic powder
pepper
water
frozen spinach or kale.
*If you we use low sodium bouillon cubes, we tend to add in 3/4 teaspoon of salt…
Note there is sorghum in this photo above because as one time we cooked the sorghum in the soup but we no longer do that because we don’t love the way it freezes.
We find it better to make sorghum or brown rice (first choice!) separately, add a serving to each bowl and top with soup.
Either way, the soup is EASY!
First you saute the carrots, celery and onions until very tender.
Then you literally add in all the other ingredients except the frozen spinach or kale, bring to a boil and let simmer.
You can let it simmer an hour or longer, whatever works for you.
When you’re ready to eat, add in the frozen spinach or kale..
And let cook for 10 minutes until the greens are wilted and warm.
Then you can enjoy as is or serve in a bowl with cooked brown rice or cooked sorghum. In fact, lately we have been serving it without any rice or sorghum and it is still so delicious!
Serving ideas:
We always serve it with parmesan, if not dairy free.
This hearty, veggie-packed soup is a long time favorite! Perfect on it's own or alongside Easy Biscuits,Savory Biscuits, Garlic Knots or a simple green salad. Makes a large quantity and freezes well. NOTE: It can be served with cooked sorghum or brown rice or without any grain. We think it's best to cook the grain separately and add to each bowl. That way the soup freezes best too.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr35 minutesmins
Course: Soup, Dinner
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan
Servings: 6-8 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
Soup
2tablespoonolive oil or neutral oil of choice
1cupchopped celery
1cupchopped carrots
2cupschopped onion
1teaspoongarlic powder
4cupswater
1 26 -28 ozcontainer of crushed tomatoes
1 15 ozcan black beansdrained and rinsed
1 15 ozcan cannellinii beansdrained and rinsed
1tablespoondried basil
2gluten-free vegetable bouillon cubesNOTE: if we use low sodium bouillon cubes, we add 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
½teaspoonpepper
1 10ozpackage frozen spinach or kalemy family prefers when I used slightly less than the entire bag
For serving
Optional: Cooked brown rice or sorghumdepending on how much grain you want-- just a little for texture or more
Parmesan cheeseoptional but recommended if not dairy-free
So good! Made it for dinner and everyone liked it (except youngest child but she’s picky). Didn’t have sorghum but used some barley and also a sweet potato and regular potato. Looking forward to leftovers!
Thanks Sarah! So happy you loved it too! Kids of all ages can be picky so I get that:) And the original recipe actually called for barley but since it’s not gluten-free we use the sorghum now…. Potatoes sound like a yummy add!
Oh, my God! This dish is the best! I just had it for lunch. My daughters do not like the healthy meals I make (yet), but they were delighted with this! ❤️ Thank you so much for all these wonderful recipes!
Perfect soup! Great recipe! Just left out the sorghum. Very hearty & full of delicious flavors. My twin 7-yo’s both enjoyed it too. Will definitely make again & again. Thank you!
Sorghum is a grain with a texture a bit like barley but it’s gluten free. It makes the soup a bit heartier and adds some nutrients but you could make it without or add a gluten-free pasta like ditalini– but if you add a pasta, cook it separately and add to each bowl so it doesn’t get soggy… let me know if you try
I made the soup this way, with gluten free shells. I added them separate at the end like you mentioned. It was yummy! Perfect meal for a snowy evening.
Perfect snowy evening meal! So glad you liked it! If you knew you’d eat the entire pot of soup, you could cook them when ready to eat directly in the soup, but for us, cooking them separately really helps with leftovers and keeping it fresh!
Great question! The longer the soup cooks the more the more tender the veggies and the more the flavors come out but soup could be ready in a hour without the sorghum! I would just sauté the carrots, celery and onions a bit longer so they are really tender before adding in the rest of the ingredients.n Let me know if you try!
This soup was not only so easy to make but it’s easy on the pocket book and incredibly tasty! Plus it was TODDLER APPROVED! I modified it a smidge and added zucchini, used brown rice as my grain, and Better Than Bouillon instead of cubes. It will absolutely be a staple this fall and winter season!
Made this today and it was delicious!! Will be another staple in our house of your recipes.
*i don’t know why wouldn’t let me rate it at 5 stars but it def deserves it.
Oh my goodness! This is DELICIOUS! I just made it kind of spur of the moment because it’s so cold here right now and it completely hit the spot! I forgot to buy the spinach so that’s missing but honestly it’s so good and so filling without it I don’t even miss it! (And I love spinach!) I poured it over a serving of brown rice and it’s perfection! Thank you so much for this wonderful and super easy recipe…I’m going to start filling containers for my freezer as it makes a lot! 🙂
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was perfect for the season’s first snow! It was easy to make and the leftovers were delicious. I skipped the grain and did not miss it at all. Thank you for this great recipe! This will be regular in our house this winter.
This soup is absolutely amazing! It’s simple to make and so delicious! There is so much flavor and it’s so hearty. I have already made it twice and think I will just always have this soup on hand to heat up and enjoy.
I made this last night during my time in quarantine and I LOVED IT! I need healthy food that is comforting during this scary crazy time and this soup did the trick. SO GOOD!
This soup is incredible! So, although it’s mid-April, 2020 in this very weird COV-19 time of life, it has been so chilly! I had all the ingredients (which are pretty much staples in my household) except the frozen spinach. But I did have a bunch of Lacinato Kale which I tore into small pieces and tossed in. I served it with crusty bread (sorry, not gluten-free) and maple syrup infused butter. Every single member in my family from my vegetarian daughter to my meat eating son/hubby and me to my clean eating mother LOVED it! So filling, healthy, hearty and warm. Two great comments from my can’t-eat-enough-meat-son, “Wow, I’m getting full…” (this never happens) and “My body feels really good eating this kind of food.”
The only downside is that Karen says, “Makes a large quantity and freezes well.” Not so in our household. We ate it all. Needless to say, I awoke this morning and made another batch for lunch! This will be a cold-weather go-to dish for our family. Thank you Karen!
haha you are feeding a crowd at your house, Lisa! So happy you alllll love this so much! It is wonderful to find meals that satisfy vegetarians and omnivores alike! Your comments make my day! Thank you!!:)
I know this is a crazy question – lol. I am sensitive to nightshades – do you have any recommendations on what possibly could be used in lieu of the tomatoes? So hard to figure out a good substitute and I love them so much – they just don’t love me back. : )
Great question! I don’t have a substitute for tomatoes in this soup but you might be able to make this one without tomatoes because there’s enough other ingredients in the mix… it would taste different and you might need to add a bit more broth but worth a try if you’re up for playing in the kitchen a bit!
WOW!! Not only is this delicious, but it is super easy to make!! We will be having it again for sure. We made the brown rice, but this soup stands on its own and needs nothing else. So hearty and fulfilling! Thank you!!
This was super easy and so good. My boyfriend, who I usually have to force feed veggies, loved it and said it tasted like it was from a restaurant. I used chickpeas instead of white beans and half crushed/half diced tomatoes just because it was what I had on hand and it came out great!
My family and I love this soup and I make variations of it alot (different beans, veggies, less onions etc.). Tonight I added paprika to it and it was delicious – very warm and smoky. I’ve also served it over gnocchi for a veggie stew.
Very hearty and delicious! Easy and fun to make. Just needed salt, so add salt to your taste. Gave me 4 good servings, will be freezing some. Will make again.
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
So good! Made it for dinner and everyone liked it (except youngest child but she’s picky). Didn’t have sorghum but used some barley and also a sweet potato and regular potato. Looking forward to leftovers!
Thanks Sarah! So happy you loved it too! Kids of all ages can be picky so I get that:) And the original recipe actually called for barley but since it’s not gluten-free we use the sorghum now…. Potatoes sound like a yummy add!
Tried this recipe too and it was perfect! With the cooler temps it really satisfies. I’ll be following on Facebook for more great ideas! Thanks!
So happy you loved it! Thank you! And thanks for following! If you want recipe suggestions, straight to your inbox, sign up for our email
Oh, my God! This dish is the best! I just had it for lunch. My daughters do not like the healthy meals I make (yet), but they were delighted with this! ❤️ Thank you so much for all these wonderful recipes!
So happy you love it! And even happier that your girls love it too! Thank you for sharing!
Perfect soup! Great recipe! Just left out the sorghum. Very hearty & full of delicious flavors. My twin 7-yo’s both enjoyed it too. Will definitely make again & again. Thank you!
Thanks! It’s one of our favorites with or without the sorghum! And so happy your twins liked it!
I’ve never used sorghum, is it used to thicken?
Sorghum is a grain with a texture a bit like barley but it’s gluten free. It makes the soup a bit heartier and adds some nutrients but you could make it without or add a gluten-free pasta like ditalini– but if you add a pasta, cook it separately and add to each bowl so it doesn’t get soggy… let me know if you try
I made the soup this way, with gluten free shells. I added them separate at the end like you mentioned. It was yummy! Perfect meal for a snowy evening.
Perfect snowy evening meal! So glad you liked it! If you knew you’d eat the entire pot of soup, you could cook them when ready to eat directly in the soup, but for us, cooking them separately really helps with leftovers and keeping it fresh!
If I don’t use sorghum is the cook time for the soup different or the same 2-3 hours?
Great question! The longer the soup cooks the more the more tender the veggies and the more the flavors come out but soup could be ready in a hour without the sorghum! I would just sauté the carrots, celery and onions a bit longer so they are really tender before adding in the rest of the ingredients.n Let me know if you try!
This soup was not only so easy to make but it’s easy on the pocket book and incredibly tasty! Plus it was TODDLER APPROVED! I modified it a smidge and added zucchini, used brown rice as my grain, and Better Than Bouillon instead of cubes. It will absolutely be a staple this fall and winter season!
Yay! So happy that not only you loved it but your toddler did too! And adding zucchini sounds delish!
Made this today and it was delicious!! Will be another staple in our house of your recipes.
*i don’t know why wouldn’t let me rate it at 5 stars but it def deserves it.
Aw, thanks! So happy you love it! We’ve been loving it too right now as the cold weather moves in!
Oh my goodness! This is DELICIOUS! I just made it kind of spur of the moment because it’s so cold here right now and it completely hit the spot! I forgot to buy the spinach so that’s missing but honestly it’s so good and so filling without it I don’t even miss it! (And I love spinach!) I poured it over a serving of brown rice and it’s perfection! Thank you so much for this wonderful and super easy recipe…I’m going to start filling containers for my freezer as it makes a lot! 🙂
Yay! So happy you love it! And there’s nothing better than having some in the freezer for another meal!
Somehow my rating got eliminated but it’s 5 stars for sure!!! 🙂
Thank you!
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was perfect for the season’s first snow! It was easy to make and the leftovers were delicious. I skipped the grain and did not miss it at all. Thank you for this great recipe! This will be regular in our house this winter.
So perfect on a snowy day! Happy it will be a staple in your house too!
This soup is absolutely amazing! It’s simple to make and so delicious! There is so much flavor and it’s so hearty. I have already made it twice and think I will just always have this soup on hand to heat up and enjoy.
Love that you’ve already made it multiple times! It is on repeat here too! Thank you!
I made this last night during my time in quarantine and I LOVED IT! I need healthy food that is comforting during this scary crazy time and this soup did the trick. SO GOOD!
Totally agree! And this soup checks off the boxes! So happy you loved it 🙂
This soup is incredible! So, although it’s mid-April, 2020 in this very weird COV-19 time of life, it has been so chilly! I had all the ingredients (which are pretty much staples in my household) except the frozen spinach. But I did have a bunch of Lacinato Kale which I tore into small pieces and tossed in. I served it with crusty bread (sorry, not gluten-free) and maple syrup infused butter. Every single member in my family from my vegetarian daughter to my meat eating son/hubby and me to my clean eating mother LOVED it! So filling, healthy, hearty and warm. Two great comments from my can’t-eat-enough-meat-son, “Wow, I’m getting full…” (this never happens) and “My body feels really good eating this kind of food.”
The only downside is that Karen says, “Makes a large quantity and freezes well.” Not so in our household. We ate it all. Needless to say, I awoke this morning and made another batch for lunch! This will be a cold-weather go-to dish for our family. Thank you Karen!
haha you are feeding a crowd at your house, Lisa! So happy you alllll love this so much! It is wonderful to find meals that satisfy vegetarians and omnivores alike! Your comments make my day! Thank you!!:)
Do you have a calorie count on this?
How many calories?
I know this is a crazy question – lol. I am sensitive to nightshades – do you have any recommendations on what possibly could be used in lieu of the tomatoes? So hard to figure out a good substitute and I love them so much – they just don’t love me back. : )
Great question! I don’t have a substitute for tomatoes in this soup but you might be able to make this one without tomatoes because there’s enough other ingredients in the mix… it would taste different and you might need to add a bit more broth but worth a try if you’re up for playing in the kitchen a bit!
WOW!! Not only is this delicious, but it is super easy to make!! We will be having it again for sure. We made the brown rice, but this soup stands on its own and needs nothing else. So hearty and fulfilling! Thank you!!
This was super easy and so good. My boyfriend, who I usually have to force feed veggies, loved it and said it tasted like it was from a restaurant. I used chickpeas instead of white beans and half crushed/half diced tomatoes just because it was what I had on hand and it came out great!
Love this so much! Happy you both enjoyed it! And chickpeas are always a great substitution! Thank you!
Everyone loved this soup. Instead of 4 cups of water I used 4 cups of vegetable broth then omitted the vegetable bouillon cubes. It tasted delicious.
Happy you all loved it as much as we do! Great swap with vegetable broth! Thanks for sharing!
Do you by chance know the macros?
Sorry, I don’t.
My family and I love this soup and I make variations of it alot (different beans, veggies, less onions etc.). Tonight I added paprika to it and it was delicious – very warm and smoky. I’ve also served it over gnocchi for a veggie stew.
Very hearty and delicious! Easy and fun to make. Just needed salt, so add salt to your taste. Gave me 4 good servings, will be freezing some. Will make again.
Happy you enjoyed it! And yes, depending on the bouillon you use, you may need additional salt… thanks!