Tuscan Vegan Minestrone Soup (Gluten-Free)

This Tuscan Vegan Minestrone has all the warmth of traditional minestrone but with an added twist. If you are looking for a gluten-free, vegan soup recipe that is easy to make and guaranteed to fill you up, you’ve found it! 

This Italian soup is full of vibrant veggies, including carrots, zucchini, green beans, cannellini beans, tomatoes, spinach and celery. All these vegetables come together to create the most delicious gluten-free minestrone. And, this gluten-free soup is sure to warm you right up, especially during rainy months. 

If you thought this soup couldn’t get any more delicious, add gluten-free pasta or quinoa to make it even heartier and still keeping it gluten-free and becoming your favourite comfort food. 

what makes vegan minestrone healthy?

Minestrone is just one example of simple foods containing more than enough nutrients for optimum health. This healthy Italian soup recipe may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of healthy foods? However, soups are easy to digest and filled with plenty of healthy veggies. This gluten-free soup recipe is no exception! 

Minestrone is naturally gluten-free unless you add pasta. This traditional Tuscan soup often includes pasta or rice. So, to keep this meal gluten-free, always use gluten-free pasta.

Following a healthy diet will improve your health and keep your body at a healthy weight. This means choosing nutrient-rich foods that are lower in calories, saturated fat, and without added sugars. This vegan Tuscan soup recipe is lower in calories than most hearty soups. Making this soup a good choice when following a healthy gluten-free diet.

If you’re looking to cut back on calories and carbohydrates, skip the pasta and add quinoa. Quinoa is packed with many nutrients such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium – and plenty of fiber! It is also lower in calories and carbs than pasta or rice and is a good plant protein and fiber source.

This Tuscan soup wouldn’t be minestrone unless it had legumes such as cannellini, making them a prime source of fiber. If you are struggling to include fiber-rich foods in your diet, you must try this minestrone.

Since this vegan minestrone contains so many veggies, it has chock-full of antioxidants that bestow their benefits all over the body. Antioxidants may slow down free radical damage, which can prevent the spread of cancer cells. They positively affect the cardiovascular system by limiting lipid inflammation and reducing damage to the arteries through their ability to lower blood pressure to a healthy level.

a note on quinoa

In this gluten-free healthy soup recipe, you can use a short gluten-free pasta such as macaroni, fusilli, or quinoa. I settled for quinoa because it’s the healthiest option for this vegan minestrone. For those of you that don’t like the flavour or texture of quinoa, don’t worry. Once this grain is cooked in the minestrone, it will absorb the delicious flavours of the soup.

Quinoa, a small round grain or some call seed, is known as a superfood. It is something you should be adding to your diet if you haven’t already. After this grain is cooked, you can add it to salads, soups, or side dishes for extra protein. 

The best part about quinoa, it is a complete protein because it provides all the essential amino acids that our body needs. This is important for someone that follows a plant-based diet. This tiny grain is naturally gluten-free, making it ideal for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Quinoa also contains iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium – and plenty of fiber!

I love serving this vegan minestrone with gluten-free artisan crusty rolls or gluten-free pull-apart soft rolls with rosemary, they are perfect for dipping. This is one of those hot meals to just have on hand for when you crave something warm and satisfying or when you know there just isn’t enough time to make a healthy meal for your family.