Vegan Italian Penicillin Soup (Printable)
Hearty plant-based Italian soup with chickpeas, vegetables, and herbs to warm and nourish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 - 2 celery stalks, diced
04 - 3 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
05 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 medium fennel bulb, diced (optional)
07 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
08 - 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained)
09 - 1 cup baby spinach or chopped kale
→ Broth and Legumes
10 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
11 - 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 - 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
13 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
16 - 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
17 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
18 - 1 bay leaf
→ Finishing Touches
19 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
20 - Zest of 1 lemon
21 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
22 - 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
# How To Make:
01 - Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and fennel if using. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
02 - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the diced zucchini and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes.
03 - Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they begin to break down and soften.
04 - Pour in the vegetable broth. Add the chickpeas, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes if using, and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil.
05 - Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to meld together.
06 - During the last 3 to 4 minutes of simmering, stir in the spinach or kale. Cook until the greens are wilted and bright green in color.
07 - Remove the pot from heat. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the chopped parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast if using. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Serve immediately, accompanied by crusty bread if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It delivers that soul restoring comfort of traditional penicillin soup without a single animal product in sight.
- The lemon and herbs create a brightness that makes you feel better before the bowl is even empty.
02 -
- Do not skip the lemon zest because it is the single ingredient that makes this soup taste like healing and not just vegetables in water.
- Simmering too aggressively will break down the vegetables into mush so keep the heat low and patient.
03 -
- Saute the vegetables longer than you think is necessary because the deeper color and caramelization are where the real flavor lives.
- Nutritional yeast might sound weird in soup but it is the reason vegans keep coming back to this recipe so trust the process.