During Lent, we fast from meat on Fridays to take on a more penitential posture. The fast from meat is a reminder of Jesus' own sacrifice for us.
Meat is often seen as a celebratory food, so abstinence from meat specifically is proposed to us as a way to practice simplicity.
Serving a meatless soup for lent is a great way to embody this simplicity. Soup is usually not extravagant or indulgent. (That doesn't mean it has to be bland though!)
Soup is also very easy to make, can serve many people, and usually very healthy!
So, I've gathered 19 of my favorite no-meat soup recipes for you to make this Lent.
All of these recipes are completely plant-based. So, no meat. But also no dairy or eggs. They're packed with flavor and nutrients!
Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian recipe. This vegan and gluten free version is full of delicious vegetables, beans, and pasta. This flavorful soup is warm and comforting.
Minestrone soup is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite recipes. I love recipes that cover all the parts of a meal in one dish. This soup has protein, carbs, and fat. And plenty of veggies and fiber.
This Thai-Style Jackfruit Coconut Soup has the sweet, bright flavors of ginger, bell pepper, and Napa cabbage. A bit of lime juice adds some citrus zest. And coconut milk creates a deliciously creamy texture.
Traditionally, a soup like this would have chicken and mushrooms. I kept the mushrooms, using beautiful, tender shiitake mushrooms for umami flavor and meaty texture. I decided to use jackfruit as the 'substitute' for chicken to mimic the texture of meat.
This Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup is rich with umami mushroom flavor. This cream of mushroom soup is the plant-based version of the classic canned recipe. Serve up a warm bowl of this soup on any chilly day!
This soup is simultaneously creamy and chunky. Most of the soup is blended down into a cream, but we reserve some of the mushrooms for texture, so you get a nice bite in every spoonful.
"This soup is so freaking good." -- me, said out loud to myself as I write this.
Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Tempeh Soup is rich and decadent - creamy peanut butter and soft sweet potatoes create a silky smooth soup that is so satisfying. Add tempeh for some plant-based protein and a balanced meal.
Vegan Gluten Free Split Pea Soup is a plant-based version of the classic recipe. With tender split peas, aromatic herbs, and sweet, smoky undertones, this vegan split pea soup will be a healthy, staple recipe you actually enjoy!
This is not your typical split pea soup. I've found that many people don't like split pea soup because it's soft and mushy. The result of cooking the split peas for an hour and a half or more, so they completely disintegrate.
Good news: you don't have to cook this vegan gluten free split pea soup for endless hours AND it won't be mushy.
This Oil-Free Roasted Tomato Soup is creamy and full of flavor. A rich, warm bowl of this vegan roasted tomato soup will warm you up on a chilly day.
Yes, you do have to take some extra time to roast your tomatoes, onions, and garlic. But the flavor of roasted vegetables is SO much richer than using canned tomatoes or not roasting the veggies at all.
Seriously! You don't even need to use any oil. Just some heat on the tomatoes gives them a sweet mellow flavor. It's magical.
In college this soup recipe became famous among my friends. It's rich and creamy with only 6 ingredients. And you'd never guess it's completely vegan!
Creamy and delicious, this Plant-Based Potato Leek Soup is a hearty meal that will keep you warm and satisfied. Made with 100% whole food plant-based ingredients this soup is vegan and dairy free.
A lighter alternative to potato leek soup, this Vegan Cauliflower Leek Soup is a simple yet flavorful vegetable soup. This dairy-free soup is perfect for a chilly day.
When I set out to make a cauliflower version of potato leek, I knew that the soup needed to be just as flavorful as its potato cousin. I'm happy to say that I succeeded. When I tasted this cauliflower leek soup, I was surprised that it didn't have potatoes. It is THAT creamy and rich. Veggies for the win!
Smooth and creamy, sweet and savory, this Vegan Sweet Potato Soup makes a warm and satisfying meal on a cold winter day! Whip this soup up in 30 minutes.
Wow is this soup delicious! It is thick and rich, but not too thick. It's creamy, but without the cream. It's sweet from the sweet potatoes and coconut milk and it's savory/umami from the turmeric and other spices.
This soup is the WFPB version of chicken lemon rice soup. What I'm calling Jackfruit Lemon Quinoa Soup.
The soup features jackfruit instead of chicken. Jackfruit is a savory fruit that has a texture very similar to pulled pork, so it creates the perfect texture to mimic chicken in this soup. I love this soup so much more with quinoa, so I used it instead of rice.
Jackfruit lemon quinoa soup is a simple yet delicious dish that is hearty enough to serve as a meal on a cold day. It's lemony and packed with flavor.
This soup is absolutely packed with flavor! Plant-Based Curried Parsnip Soup with Pita Chips is a tasty, root vegetable soup with an Indian flair.
This uniquely flavored dish features, root vegetables like parsnips and potatoes. The veggies make the soup thick, creamy, and rich. And curry powder adds an earthy spice, and creates a deep flavor.
Serve this Plant-Based Curried Parsnip Soup with crisp, crunchy curried pita chips. Simply coat fresh pita in a lemon juice and curry mixture and toast it in the oven.
Vegan Garlic Chickpea Soup is a simple soup made with chickpeas, garlic, vegetable stock, and cilantro. This hearty chickpea soup is completely dairy-free and gluten-free with bold garlic flavor. Six ingredients and ready in 30 minutes!
This soup only has six ingredients. Yet it still packs a punch of flavor and is a hearty soup you can enjoy as a meal.
And this vegan chickpea soup could not be more easy to make. Start by cooking a generous amount of garlic before adding some canned chickpeas, vegetable stock and spices to the pot. Then blend until smooth. Stir in more chickpeas and fresh cilantro. And you're done!
I'm absolutely in love with the color of this soup! Is it just me, or do beets make the most beautiful dishes?!
This Creamy Vegan Beet Soup is ultra smooth and creamy. It's filled with earthy beet flavor, and balanced out with potatoes, garlic, and leeks. This soup is great for a cozy weeknight dinner.
Hungarian cooking is so amazing because it's very simple, and usually only has a few ingredients, yet it's SO flavorful.
This Hungarian soup is potato soup at it's core. Just some diced potatoes and a few vegetables for flavor. Plus paprika, of course.
A Hungarian cook might add sausage or some sort of meat to this simple soup, so I decided to add a plant-based version of sausage. I used tempeh, which naturally has that sausage texture. And it tastes amazing!
Plant-Based Chickpea Yogurt Soup is a warm, comforting dish with creaminess and deep flavor from a vegan cashew yogurt sauce. This soup has rice, chickpeas, the cashew yogurt, and plenty of greens.
It's a hearty dish that still feels light and fresh.
Broccoli cheddar without the cheese and bacon? You'd think it wouldn't taste good. But let me tell you. It's delicious.
This recipe actually started from one of my non-vegan friends - she was making this vegan soup with a very similar recipe. I tweaked it a bit to make it completely WFPB. And here we are, a non-vegan approved broccoli cheddar.
The soup is creamy and cheesy. And it's loaded with veggies. There's broccoli of course, but also a few secret veggies. You'd never guess this soup is so healthy.
I developed this Vegan Wild Rice Mushroom Soup recipe in partnership with Therese from Lovely Lady Linens, and photographed it with her beautiful Immaculata tablecloth.
This recipe is simple, yet flavorful, and we hope that when you make it you are, guided by Our Lady, to enter more deeply into the Lenten season.
Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is very savory and umami. It has rich, deep flavors from a wild rice blend and cremini mushrooms. Thick, and almost stew-like, this soup is very filling.
Indonesian Tofu and Rice Noodle Soup is a vegan version of Soto Ayam - Indonesian chicken soup. It's a soup with a deep flavor and beautiful vibrant color!
Soto is a traditional Indonesian soup, usually composed of broth, meat, and vegetables. Ayam, in Indonesian, means chicken.
So, Soto Ayam, is Indonesian Chicken Soup. This Indonesian Tofu and Rice Noodle Soup is a vegan version of Soto Ayam. The veganized version uses tofu instead of chicken, but keeps many traditional elements like coconut milk, lemongrass, and a fresh spice paste.
Vegan Orzo Soup is the plant-based version of classic chicken lemon orzo soup. Made with chickpeas and veggies, this is a rich and hearty vegetarian orzo soup.
There are many orzo soup variations, but a classic recipe is chicken lemon orzo soup. It's a lot like chicken lemon rice soup but with pasta instead of rice. For this vegan version I grabbed some chickpeas and loaded the soup with root veggies and gluten-free orzo.
I hope you have a blessed Lent. Happy cooking!
a daughter of the Lord who eats lots of plants. I’m glad you’re here! On The Plant-Based Catholic I bring you nutritious, plant-based (vegan) recipes, explore the relationship between food and faith, and share my unique lifestyle.
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