Recipe: Comforting Veggie Rice Soup by Jennah Jensen

This Comforting Veggie Rice Soup is a wholesome take of the classic Chicken Noodle. It’s a gentle balance of plant-protein along with heaps of vitamins and minerals. It’s perfect for keeping immune systems up or those times when the family may be feeling run down. Whether you’re in need of something soothing or just want a healthy option for dinner, this soup is sure to nourish the cells! 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients 

• 1 cup of brown rice, cooked in 2 cups water

• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 3 large carrots, diced

• 1 head of celery, diced

• 2 cups frozen peas

• 1 can cannellini beans, drained (navy or great northern work well too)

• 8 cups vegetable broth (I’m using “better than bouillon vegetable base” - the green label)

• salt + cracked black pepper to taste - you might not need to add salt depending on how much sodium your vegetable broth contains

• 2-3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley (optional to garnish)

• serve with warm bread and vegan buttery spread (optional)
  

 Cooking Method:
I recommend having all of your veggies chopped and ingredients pre-measured beforehand so they’re ready to go when you need them! 

• Measure out your rice and prep your veggies by dicing them up so they’re ready to fire.

• Next, in a saucepan add 1 cup of rice and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Let simmer on low heat for about 15-30 minutes or until rice is completely cooked. Turn off heat and set aside for later.

• While your rice is simmering, pre-heat a large soup pot to medium heat. Once pot is preheated, add the diced onions, carrots, and garlic. Sir immediately and sauté for a few minutes until lightly cooked and onions are translucent. Then add the celery, continuing to stir every so often adding a few splashes of water as needed to prevent veggies from sticking to the pan.
  Tip for sautéing in water: Use a similar amount of water that you would oil. Start with a few splashes and add a bit more if the pan begins to dry out before veggies are cooked.

• Once the vegetable sauté is mostly cooked add the 8 cups of vegetable broth and stir together.

• Bring to a low simmer and let the flavors synergize for about 10-15 minutes.

• Towards the end add the frozen peas and beans. Allow peas to thaw in the soup for a few minutes.

• Taste your mixture and add salt and pepper as desired.

• Serve with a heaping scoop of rice and garnish with minced parsley. Additionally, serve with bread and vegan butter. Enjoy!
  To prevent rice from absorbing all the liquid, store separately and add upon serving!
  

Jennah Jensen is a vegan, blogger and recipe extraordinaire! You can follow along her adventures, find her recipes and be inspired by her musings here and follow along on Instagram @jennahjensen