Our Favorite Family Friendly Whole Food Plant Based (Vegetarian) Soups

When we took meat out of our diet a few years ago, finding good soup recipes became a real challenge.  We’ve tried dozens of  new recipes and modified our old favorites. Whether you are looking to have a few more meatless meals in your rotation, transitioning to a more whole food plant based diet, or just want to eat a delicious soup – this list is for you.

It includes only our family favorites.  Meaning every single person likes it and eats it.  We’ve made each one so many times I only need to glance at the recipe.  As I stumble across other winning soups I’ll add it to this list!

1. Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup from Cookie and Kate.  I have tried loads of lentil soups and this is THE ONE.  I make this in huge batches and freeze some in a silicon muffin pan for a quick snack later.  The recipe states 2 carrots but I usually use 5-6.
2. Creamy Tomato-Potato Basil Soup from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I’ve never been a huge fan of tomato soups, but the addition of the russet and sweet potatoes makes this one delicious and filling.  We usually serve it with homemade sourdough bread.
3. The Best Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili. This is probably the one meal that I brought to our marriage that we are still eating on a regular basis during fall and winter.
4. Tortilla Soup Recipe from Blendtec.  This soup is light enough that it is good during any time of the year.  We add corn and black beans to make it a heartier meal.  We also only use a little bit of pepper jack cheese so that it isn’t too spicy for the kids, and so we aren’t eating  loads of cheese.
5. Butternut Squash Soup. This has been Nathan’s favorite soup since he started eating solid foods and the rest of us love it too.  It is a hearty meal with the roasted chickpeas tossed in.

My favorite way to cook soups is in the Instapot.  We bought this one  right before Laura was born and it has been revolutionary.  With many soup recipes you saute onions or vegetables first and then transfer to the crockpot.  With the Instapot you can saute right in the pot and then add the remaining ingredients and slow cook or pressure cook.  For a family without a dishwasher, having only ONE thing to clean after dinner is fantastic!  I also like making dinner around 2pm and the Instapot facilitates this nicely.