Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

3 Healthy Vegan and Gluten-Free Soups for Chilly Weather

By
Vegan, gluten-free orange soup in a bowl.
Unsplash

Chilly fall weather is a perfect time to sit down to a steaming bowl of tasty soup to warm your body from the inside out. However, many canned soups and stews are loaded with salt, preservatives, processed meats, and fillers, making them a surprisingly insidious diet saboteur. The good news is that it’s fairly easy to pull out your crockpot or soup-making cookware and whip up a hearty, warming lunch or dinner soup or stew that’s healthy, vegan, and gluten-free. Moreover, we have created these soup recipes to celebrate the flavors and produce of the season, and are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and plant-based protein to keep you satiated long after your bowl is clean.

Hearty Harvest Lentil Soup

Hearty Harvest Lentil Soup served in a bowl.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This lentil soup can be prepared on the stovetop and is low in salt and fat yet rich in flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup rinsed green, brown, red, or yellow lentils
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
  • 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1.5 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • .5 tsp black pepper

Method:

  1. Cook the lentils by adding 2.5 cups of vegetable stock and the lentils to a large pot, bringing it to a boil, then covering and simmering on low heat for 30 minutes or until a little al dente.
  2. Set the pot aside, uncovered, to cool for 15 minutes.
  3. Prepare the vegetables by peeling and chopping them.
  4. Heat the oil in a large pan and then sauté the onions, sweet potato, celery, carrots, and parsnips for 5-10 minutes or until somewhat soft. Add the garlic and salt and pepper and sauté the mixture for another 3-5 minutes.
  5. In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine cooked lentils and vegetables, canned tomatoes, remaining stock, and the dried spices.
  6. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Season to taste.
  8. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Recommended Videos

Hearty Tomato and Cannellini Bean Soup 

Hearty Tomato and Cannellini Bean Soup with spoons and beans on the side.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This Italian-inspired soup is a nutritious spin on traditional minestrone.

Ingredients:

  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
  • 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into small florets  
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp fresh oregano
  • .5 tsp salt
  • .5 tsp pepper
  • .5 tsp crushed red pepper 
  • 1 large bunch Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans Cannellini beans
  • 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil
  • .5 cup dry hulled barley

Method:

  1. Cook the barley by adding it to a medium saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil for 3 minutes.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. 
  3. Remove from the heat and let the pot stand for 10 minutes to absorb extra water.
  4. If water remains after the barley is soft and chewy, simply strain it out.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for five minutes, until lightly browned.
  6. Add the carrots, parsnips, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, sautéing another five minutes. 
  7. Add the kale, cauliflower, tomatoes and their juices, vegetable broth, beans and their liquid, red pepper, then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for ten to fifteen minutes.
  8. Garnish with fresh herbs and season to taste before serving.

Set-and-Forget Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup with ingredients on the side.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This simple slow-cooker recipe is delightfully creamy, spiced, nutritious, and filling.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped into 1-2 inch cubes
  • 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 3 cups bone broth or low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar 
  • .5 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • .5 tsp sea salt
  • .5 tsp black pepper

Optional Toppings:

  • Plain coconut or soy yogurt 
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds 

Method:

  1. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker. 
  2. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-7 hours.
  3. Use a food processor or immersion blender to purée soup until smooth and creamy. 
  4. Add salt to taste.
  5. Serve in bowls with a dollop of coconut yogurt and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Amber Sayer
Amber Sayer
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Amber Sayer is a fitness, nutrition, and wellness writer and editor, and was previously a Fitness Editor at Byrdie. She…
4 Healthy Vegan Fall and Winter Root Veggie Recipes to Tickle Your Palate
A baked sweet potato boat on a plate.

When you are looking to diversify the vegetable-based sides that will adorn the bounty of Thanksgiving food on your table this year or just want to add some healthy, hearty vegetable-based dishes to your repertoire of best recipes this winter, trying out a few new root vegetable recipes is a great way to spice up your fall and winter meals in a nutritious and satisfying way.
Fall and winter seasonal root vegetables and tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, beets, and carrots can impart an earthy, sweet, and even creamy flavor to soups, stews, mashes and purées, and even desserts. They are filling, packed with complex carbohydrates and fiber, which help keep hunger at bay, and also excellent sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin A, the B vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, and magnesium.
Winter root vegetables and tubers are extremely versatile and can be enjoyed as healthy, flavor-packed accouterments to a starring protein—as in their various roles in Thanksgiving side dishes—or as the principal player in a satisfying main dish. Below, we share some original recipes we have created to celebrate the bountiful range of healthy fall and winter root vegetables. These healthy root veggie dishes are vegan and gluten-free, so even if you are on a limited diet, you can enjoy the delicious flavors of the season.

Balsamic Roasted Beets and Sunchokes

Read more
The ultimate guide to Lebanese cuisine, a rich and distinct food culture
After you read this, you'll be excited to cook this cuisine at home
Middle Eastern, Arabic, or Mediterranean dinner table with grilled lamb kebab, chicken skewers with roasted vegetables and appetizers variety serving on rustic outdoor table

The food culture of Lebanon is rich and resonant, reflecting both its Mediterranean setting and deep anthropological history.
Even those who have never trekked to Beirut — let alone their local Middle Eastern eatery — are likely familiar with a few of the staples. Lebanon, once a major part of the Ottoman Empire, is the birthplace of earthy dishes like baba ganoush and sweet treats such as baklava.

With its admiration for seasonality and a mix of breads and produce almost always accompanied by beverages, Lebanese cuisine is like the Italy of the Arab world. Whether you're munching at a cafe in Tripoli or just thumbing though a good cookbook at home, this kind of food is not only delicious and distinctive, but it welcomes an unhurried pace over the duration of many, many enjoyable courses.
The history of Lebanese cuisine

Read more
6 easy camping cocktails to shake your post-hike thirst
Bring all these ingredients to quench your thirst in the wild
Outdoorsman's Hot Toddy

So you're camped out in your best tent for too long? Or wearily panting atop the summit of a fourteener? Perfect! Time for some easy cocktails to make everything better. Yes, that's right, when you've got the 4-1-1 behind these easy-to-make, tasty adult libations, you can enjoy a fine drink on a mountain, at the campsite, or when you're home and don't feel like cutting lemon twists or adding sugar to the rim of your cocktail glass.

The secret to making great camp cocktails is the same trick to achieving military victory: Keep it simple. There's no camp-friendly version of the Long Island iced tea, but that doesn't mean you have to stick with cheap whiskey when roughing it.

Read more