This creamy vegetable rice soup is nourishing, delicious and incredibly easy to prepare! It’ll warm ya right to your toes. Serve with a hunk of buttery bread for one belly satisfying meal.
Hi friends!
Bringing you another creamy vegetable soup today!
If you follow along Girl Heart Food, you know how much I love soup, especially in the middle of winter.
Can’t stop. Won’t stop.
This one has ‘cozy’ written all over it and I’ve already made it about 10 times so far this year!
It’s super thick, lush and belly warming. With all those vegetables, it’s bound to fill ya up.
Snow clearing? You’ll want this soup.
Feel like you just can’t anymore with the cold weather? You’ll want this soup.
Watching a romantic comedy in cozy clothes? You get the picture.
Why This Vegetable Rice Soup is Great
- It’s chock-full of nutritious veggies
- It’s vegan, gluten free and dairy free
- Made with humble ingredients, it’s pretty budget friendly
- Made in one pot for easy cleanup
- It’s absolutely delicious!
How to Make Vegetable Soup
Full details in recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a large pot, cook leeks and garlic in some olive oil.
- Add carrot, celery and mushrooms and cook for a little.
- Mix in diced sweet potato, some salt, pepper and Herbes de Provence.
- Add bay leaves, rinsed rice and veggie broth.
- Cover and simmer.
- Stir in baby spinach. It will naturally wilt with the hot broth.
- Add prepared cashew cream and a little more salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Now this vegetable rice soup is ready to dig in and enjoy!
Can I Use Dairy Instead of Cashew Cream?
Absolutely!
Sub out the cashew cream with about ½ to 1 cup of half-and-half or heavy cream.
What Type of Rice Should I Use?
I like to use a long-grain and wild rice blend. My rice cook time was about 15 to 20 minutes.
Other delicious rice options are brown rice, jasmine or basmati.
Tip: If you use a rice with a longer cook time, you may want to delay adding the vegetables so you don’t overcook them.
I wouldn’t recommend using, say, a quick-cooking rice here.
More Helpful Tips & Variations
Use another green, if you like. Swiss chard or kale words lovely too. You just have to cook these a little longer to break down.
Unsalted vegetable broth is used here. If you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or ‘regular’, you may want to use less added salt.
A little splash of vinegar in this soup upon serving is delicious! I may be a little biased here because I’m a huge vinegar fan.
Herbes de Provence is used (which is a mixture of herbs). You can find where you would get other dried herbs at your grocery. If you don’t have that on hand (or prefer to use something else), just use a mixture of herbs. Thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary and tarragon are all yummy.
Serving with a hunk of crusty, buttery bread is a must, in my opinion! This rosemary and garlic bread from Dana of Killing Thyme would be awesome to go with.
More Delicious Veggie Soup Recipes
Hope you love this warming veggie soup as much as we do!
If you make this vegetable rice soup, please leave a comment and rating below. Love to hear how you enjoyed it!
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Vegetable Rice Soup (cozy and delish!)
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- ½ cup unsalted raw cashews
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup unsalted vegetable broth
- 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Vegetable Rice Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small leek , cut in half and sliced into half moon slices
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 carrots , peeled and sliced into about ¼ inch slices
- 3 stalks celery , sliced into about ¼ inch slices
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms , sliced (or about 227 grams)
- 1 small sweet potato , cut into small cubes, about size of a dice
- 1.25 teaspoons salt , divided (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper , divided
- 1.5 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup long grain and wild rice blend , rinsed (see 'Notes' below)
- 7 cups unsalted vegetable broth (or more if you want a looser consistency, divided)
- 4 handfuls baby spinach (about 3 or 4 loosely packed cups)
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- In a small pot, add cashews, along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until cashews have softened. Drain & rinse. Blend with ½ cup of veggie broth and nutritional yeast until smooth (stop to scrape sides of blender, as necessary). Lay to one side.Note: A high-powered blender works best here for the smoothest consistency. Note: If you'd rather not use the cashew cream, you can omit OR stir in 1 cup of half-and-half or heavy cream instead.
Vegetable Rice Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot (I use a Dutch oven) over medium heat.
- Add leek and garlic. Cook 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, celery and mushrooms. Stir to combine and cook 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add sweet potato, ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and Herbes de Provence. Stir to combine.
- Add bay leaves, rice (see note below), and 7 cups of veggie broth. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low simmer, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until veggies and rice are cooked. Remove bay leaves and discard.Note: A par-boiled long grain and wild rice blend is used here. My rice cook time was about 15 to 20 minutes. If you use anything that takes a little longer, you may way to add the rice first and then add the vegetables during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cook time so you don't overcook them.
- Uncover and stir in baby spinach until wilted.
- Stir in reserved cashew cream (or half-and-half or heavy cream if you are using dairy), remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Stir to combine. Add more seasoning, if desired. If you want a looser consistency, add a little more broth. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use another green, if you like. Swiss chard or kale words lovely too. You just have to cook these a little longer to break down.
- I use a long-grain and wild rice blend. My rice cook time was about 15 to 20 minutes. If you use anything that takes a little longer, you may way to start cooking the rice and add the vegetables during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cook time so it doesn’t overcook.
- Speaking of rice, I wouldn’t recommend using, say, a quick-cooking rice here.
- Unsalted vegetable broth is used here. If you use anything otherwise, like ‘low sodium’ or ‘regular’, you may want to use less added salt.
- A little splash of vinegar in this soup upon serving is delicious!
- Herbes de Provence is used (which is a mixture of herbs). You can find where you would get other herbs at your grocery. If you don’t have that on hand (or prefer to use something else), just use a mixture of herbs. Thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary and tarragon are all yummy.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
