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Hearty Vegetable Soup

Hearty enough to be the main course, this one-pot soup is the perfect way to warm up on a brisk fall evening.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free, no garlic, no onions, plant-based
Servings: 4
Calories: 140kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1.25 cups frozen baby lima beans
  • 1.25 cups chopped carrots
  • 1.25 cups chopped celery
  • 1.25 cups chopped potatoes
  • 4 cups broth 1/2 vegetable juice, 1/2 water
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cascabel pepper dried, whole
  • 1 bay leaf dried
  • 3-4 sprigs of parsley just the stems, minced

Instructions

  • Preheat your pot on low heat.
  • Wash, pat dry and chop the carrots, celery and potatoes (or other vegetables of choice).
  • Add 1 tsp of oil to the pot.
  • Add the fresh, chopped vegetables to the pot and saute for 5 min on medium-high heat.
  • Add frozen baby lima beans, vegetable broth, salt, ground cumin powder, bay leaf and dried cascabel pepper to the pot and bring to a boil on high heat (~5 min).
  • Cover the pot and let simmer on medium-high heat for 15 min.
  • While the soup is cooking, finely chop/mince the stems of 2-3 sprigs of cilantro or parsley. This is later used for garnish. The leaves can be returned to the fridge and used for another recipe.
  • Once the soup/vegetables are cooked as desired, remove the cascabel pepper gently using a wooden spoon, so as to keep it intact, and put to the side.
  • The soup can be served as-is at this point. OR
  • Seed and stem the cascabel pepper and add to a blender with ~1 cup of broth from the soup. It's okay if a few veggies come along for the ride.
  • Puree the mixture and add it back to the soup.
  • Garnish with the minced cilantro or parsley for a fun 'zing' of flavor, and serve!

Notes

The 1 tsp of oil can be omitted from this recipe, if desired.
I use a 1:1 mixture of homemade vegetable juice and water in place of vegetable broth. This is because most vegetable broths have alliums (onion/garlic) in one form or another.  
Dried cascabel peppers are mild in heat and are known more for their complex, nutty, earthy flavor. Although the pepper is small, it generates quite a bit of pulp. Also the pepper's natural oils add considerable color and flavor to the soup. Pureeing the pepper as a last step maximizes this flavor. However, this step is not required.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal