Vegetable pasta soup – an easy dump and go lazy day meal that has everything from beans to veggies. This one pot vegetable soup is perfect for busy weeknights and doubles up as a light lunch too.
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Hearty soups are my go-to dinners. They are filling, wholesome and forgiving – you can play around with the ingredients without thinking too much. This pasta soup, loaded with vegetables, beans and herbs is naturally vegan and can be made gluten free too. It is flavorful, perfect for cold nights or even as a light lunch.
Easy dump and go soup
All you need to do here is add all the ingredients to your pot and let it cook. Dump and go Instant Pot soups are my favorite. They are effortless and require no baby sitting at all.
This recipe is extra special because I use up bits and pieces from the fridge to make this. No food waste. And can be made with whatever you have on hand.
But wait, I have not come to the best part yet. For this vegan pasta soup , we do not need any oil and it just takes only 10 minutes to put together a large pot.
I am using my Instant Pot today but you can make it using any electric pressure cooker or slow cooker or on the stove top.
Ingredients
- Mixed vegetables – I have used cauliflower, bell peppers, corn, green beans and carrots. Feeling lazy but still need a healthy meal? Then use frozen vegetables.
- Onions, spring onions for flavor
- Canned butter beans – Have a look at the variations possible too.
- Mixed herbs – As I mentioned in my Lauki soup recipe, I am in love with frozen mixed herbs in German supermarkets.
- Stock cube – mine is vegetarian friendly and low sodium.
- Water along with pasta sauce as base
- Seasonings – a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt along with ground black pepper along with some Korean BBQ sauce for some heat and Umami
- Mini Penne pasta – or pick a small pasta shape. These are brilliant in soups.
- Canned pasta sauce – I picked tomato basil sauce.
Variations
- Vegetables you can use – chopped zucchini, mushrooms, celery, baby spinach or any vegetable that is not starchy. I recommend avoiding vegetables that have a dominant flavor profile. So, broccoli, Kohlrabi and such are not ideal here.
- Beans – canned chickpeas, cannellini beans, navy beans or any white beans are your best bet.
- Stock – use vegan bouillon powder mixed with regular water or regular vegetable broth instead.
- Pasta sauce – Use any sauce that is tomato based. Think stuff like Marinara, Pomodoro or Arabbiata. I won’t recommend cream based sauces like carbonara or Alfredo. You can even use pizza sauce here. Or just canned tomatoes.
- Herb blends – No fresh herbs on hand? Simply used dried herbs, pizza seasoning or mixed dried herbs here. A combination of dried rosemary, oregano and basil is what I recommend. Since dried herbs are potent, you only need very little. 1/4 tsp of each of these herbs is a good place to start.
Best Pasta For Soups
Adding some form of carbs to soups is a neat trick to build volume and make it filling. My first choice of carbs for Asian style soups like Thai curry noodle soup is noodles or spaghetti.
For hearty vegetable based soups like these, I tend to lean towards smaller pasta shapes. Orzo, mini penne, mini pasta shells, Ditalini and of course, alphabet pasta – all of them are ideal in soups.
You can also use macaroni, Rigatoni and Orecchiette shapes.
If you want it to be gluten free, choose red lentil or brown rice pasta. Off late, I have been seeing some edamame pasta too. As long as they have similar cooking times, they are all good to go in this recipe.
Make ahead, shelf life and storage
- Leftover pasta soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store in a clean air tight container.
- Reheat leftovers gently in a sauce pan. If the soup has thickened, add ½ cup to ¾ cup hot water to adjust the consistency before reheating.
How to freeze vegetable soup without pasta?
Any soup with pasta or noodles can be frozen, but it’s best to freeze it without the pasta. To freeze this soup, skip adding the pasta while cooking.
Allow the soup to cool down fully. Divide into 1 or 2 cup portions, transfer to freezer-safe containers, label and freeze. This can be frozen for up to 1 month.
- To thaw, leave it in the fridge overnight or use the microwave. Thaw only the portions you require. Never refreeze frozen food that has been thawed.
- Stir in cooked pasta while reheating, after you have thawed the soup.
- Reheat gently in a saucepan and enjoy hot.
How to serve?
This tastes good just on its own because it has everything from veggies to beans.
For some extra crunch, serve with bread sticks, toasted bread or garlic bread.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is convenient as long as you factor in the timings. You can read more about Instant Pot pasta in my Vegetarian Taco Pasta.
- To replace the frozen mixed herbs in this recipe, use 10 to 12 fresh sweet basil leaves, ½ tsp each finely chopped chives, oregano and rosemary. You can also use dried herbs as an alternative
- This recipe calls for cooked beans. You can either use canned beans after rinsing or pre-cooked beans. Butter beans are very popular in Germany. They are also affordable and I always have some on hand. For this soup, I used some leftover canned butter beans.
- If you are hesitant about using a portion of canned beans, feel free to use up the whole 14 oz can. The result will be a slightly thicker soup but with more protein. Make sure you adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Timings play a crucial role in getting this soup right. Overcooked veggies and pasta aren’t appetizing. So make sure, you do a quick pressure release as soon as the cooking cycle is done.
- I have tried this recipe in 3 quart and 6 quart Instant Pot models. It works well in both cases.
- The pasta sauce and the stock cube that I have used here are low on sodium. Kindly adjust salt based on the salt content in your sauce and stock.
Stove top pasta vegetable soup
You will need a heavy bottomed 5 quart Dutch oven or a similar sized pan for this recipe.
To minimize the cooking time and prevent overcooked pasta, we will start this with boiling hot water.
Add the stock cube, boiling hot water and pasta sauce to the pan. Tip in the seasonings, BBQ sauce and stir well to combine.
Bring this to a rolling boil.
When done, add all the other ingredients, mix well and scrape the bottom of the pot gently to deglaze. Reduce the flame to medium, cover the pan with a lid and cook until pasta is al dente.
This takes anywhere between 8 to 10 minutes.
When done, serve hot.
Slow cooker pasta soup
Add the beans and pasta only towards the end to the slow cooker.
Add all the ingredients except the beans and pasta to the slow cooker. Stir well.
Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Just before serving, add cooked pasta along with the drained and rinsed beans.
Season with salt and pepper. Stir and serve.
If you are making this in a slow cooker, you have to cook the pasta separately.
Instant Pot Pasta Soup
Prep and assemble all the ingredients. Drain the canned beans into a colander and rinse them well. Set aside.
Place the inner pot into the Instant Pot.
Add all the ingredients except the pasta to the inner pot.
Stir well to combine.
The pasta goes in last. Do not stir the mixture too much after you add the pasta. A gentle stir is enough.
Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly onto the Instant Pot lid. Close the Instant Pot, turn the VALVE to SEALING.
Plug in, press PRESSURE COOK, set it to HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 5 minutes.
Allow the cooking cycle to complete. As soon as it is done, do a QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE by turning the VALVE to VENTING.
Be very careful when you do this. Hot liquids tend to spew when they are pressure cooked.
Please note that newer models have a button that allows you to do a manual quick pressure release by moving it down.
Once pressure has been released, open and mix well.
Top with more seasonings if you please and serve hot.
Vegetable Pasta Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter beans cooked -I have used a portion of a 14 oz can of butter beans
- 1 vegetarian stock cube
- 2.25 cups water
- 380 ml tomato basil pasta sauce or use a 14 oz can of pasta sauce here
- 30 grams fresh herbs I am using mixed frozen herbs readily available. Refer recipe notes for more details
- 2 tsp Korean BBQ sauce or any BBQ sauce you have on hand
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1 tsp salt or adjust to taste
Vegetables
- ½ cup cauliflower chopped
- ¼ cup red bell peppers chopped
- ¼ cup sweet corn
- ¼ cup carrots diced
- ¼ cup spring onions both white and green parts combined
- ¼ cup green beans cut into 1 inch long pieces
- ¾ cup onions chopped finely
Instructions
- Prep and assemble all the ingredients. Drain the canned beans into a colander and rinse them well. Set aside.
- Place the inner pot into the Instant Pot.
- Add all the ingredients except the pasta to the inner pot.
- Stir well to combine.
- The pasta goes in last. Do not stir the mixture too much after you add the pasta. A gentle stir is enough.
- Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly onto the Instant Pot lid. Close the Instant Pot, turn the VALVE to SEALING.
- Plug in, press PRESSURE COOK, set it to HIGH PRESSURE and cook for 5 minutes.
- Allow the cooking cycle to complete. As soon as it is done, do a QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE by turning the VALVE to VENTING.
- Be very careful when you do this. Hot liquids tend to spew when they are pressure cooked.
- Please note that newer models have a button that allows you to do a manual quick pressure release by moving it down.
- Once pressure has been released, open and mix well.
- Top with more seasonings if you please and serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Cooking pasta in the Instant Pot is convenient as long as you factor in the timings. You can read more about Instant Pot pasta in my Vegetarian Taco Pasta.
- To replace the frozen mixed herbs in this recipe, use 10 to 12 fresh sweet basil leaves, ½ tsp each finely chopped chives, oregano and rosemary. You can also use dried herbs as an alternative
- This recipe calls for cooked beans. You can either use canned beans after rinsing or pre-cooked beans. Butter beans are very popular in Germany. They are also affordable and I always have some on hand. For this soup, I used some leftover canned butter beans.
- If you are hesitant about using a portion of canned beans, feel free to use up the whole 14 oz can. The result will be a slightly thicker soup but with more protein. Make sure you adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Timings play a crucial role in getting this soup right. Overcooked veggies and pasta aren’t appetizing. So make sure, you do a quick pressure release as soon as the cooking cycle is done.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
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