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Spring is the perfect time to refresh your menu with vibrant, wholesome flavors that celebrate the season’s bounty. These simple soup recipes are as easy to make as they are delightful to savor. Packed with nutrients and tailored to highlight fresh, spring ingredients, these soups are perfect for light lunches or as a satisfying start to dinner.
Minted Pea Soup
This soup is delicious, nutritious and vibrant. You can use fresh or frozen peas but frozen peas make this soup a brighter green and they are very affordable any time of year.
Serves 6
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup fresh mint leaves
Salt-free seasoning, freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish (optional)
Fresh mint
Fresh parsley
½ cup plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt
Add the onion to a soup pot or Dutch oven, sauté for 5 minutes. Add zucchini, potatoes, garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add vegetable stock or water and thyme and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the peas and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the potatoes and peas are fork-tender. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and fresh mint leaves. Use an immersion blender directly in the pot and blend until smooth. Alternatively, let the soup cool and then pour into a blender jug and blend until smooth. Heat the soup back up and season with salt-free seasoning and black pepper to taste. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of plain unsweetened plant-based yogurt. Top with your choice of fresh mint, parsley, or simply a few blanched peas.
Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
I love this soup any time of year but it is the perfect soup to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It is healthy, hardy and customizable by adding the toppings of your choice.
Serves 6
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth or water
1 4-ounce can green hatch chilis, diced
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
Salt-free seasoning and black pepper to taste
Toppings (optional)
Tortilla chips
Avocado, diced
Onion, diced
Cilantro, diced
Hot sauce
Lime juice
Vegan cheese, shredded
Add the onion and garlic to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the soup ingredients and bring to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and serve hot with all of the toppings of your choice.
Creamy Asparagus Soup
I love making this in early spring when fresh asparagus is so abundant. Buttery potatoes and plant-based milk help make this soup luscious and creamy while keeping it dairy free.
Serves 6
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cups unsweetened almond, soy or oat milk
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt-free seasoning and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Add the onions and garlic to a large soup pot and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, vegetable broth and plant-based milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the asparagus to the pot and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy or let it cool and transfer to a blender in batches and blend until smooth. Reheat the soup and stir in the lemon juice, salt-free seasoning and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with thin slices of lemon and asparagus tips.
Roasted Carrot Soup with Cashew Cream
A perfect soup for springtime celebrations, Easter, Passover or Mother’s Day. The flavors of this soup get better with time so make it in advance.
Serves 6
2 pounds carrots, rough chopped
1 small head garlic
1 large red onion, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon cumin
6 cups vegetable stock
Salt-free seasoning and pepper to taste
For the Cashew Cream
1 cup raw unsalted cashews
½ cup water
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Make the Cashew Cream by soaking the cashews in 2 cups of water for an hour then drain and rinse and add them to a high-speed blender. Add the water, garlic and lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust the flavor if needed and store in a jar in the refrigerator if you are not using right away.
Heat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Spread the carrots on the baking sheet. Cut the top of the head of garlic to expose all the cloves and remove any excess paper skin, wrap the whole head of garlic in parchment paper and then wrap in silver foil and place on the baking sheet with the carrots and roast for 30 minutes. Add the onion to the baking sheet and continue roasting for another 30 minutes. Add the roasted carrots and onions to a blender. Remove the head of garlic from the foil pouch and let it cool until safe to touch. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the blender from the root end. Add 4 cups of the vegetable stock and the cumin to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour the soup into a pot and add the additional vegetable stock if needed for your desired thickness. Add the seasoning to taste and heat through. Serve with a swirl of Cashew Cream.
What's YOUR favorite soup to eat — and to make? Let us know in the comments below.
