This easy vegetable soup is full of the goodness of carrots, green beans, cabbage, zucchini, and white beans.
I tend to find a recipe I like and stick with it, so I’ve fallen into a vegetable soup rut lately. I’ve been making the same Bean and Vegetable Soup for a long time–it’s easy and we all like it–but sometimes I have to remind myself that there are other options out there, and some of them might be great.
So when I saw the Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup over at Alanna Kellogg’s incredible blog, A Veggie Venture, I thought that this might be the time to expand my horizons and try a new vegetable soup. It didn’t hurt that Alanna had marked it as a favorite recipe and named it as the best soup on her blog for January. Or that it’s filled with fresh veggies and nutrient-rich cabbage.
I decided to give it a try, with one little addition: I added a can of cannellini beans to turn this soup into a one-pot meal. I also increased the seasoning slightly because of the increased volume of the beans, but otherwise, this soup is exactly as Alanna posted it.
Simple though it seems, this soup was wonderful. And–attention parents–it is kid-friendly! When I asked how she liked it, E. was so busy spooning it into her mouth that all she could do was give me a thumbs-up signal. She asked for a second bowl, and she has leftovers in her thermos for lunch today.
Even with my addition of beans, Weight Watchers members and people following Eat to Live or the McDougall Program can enjoy this without guilt.
On February 17, 2018, I made this soup again and added the photo at the top of the page. On Weight Watchers’ current “Freestyle” program, plain beans and vegetables (no fat or sugar added) are all zero “smart points.” This recipe clocks in at 1 point because of the Imagine No-Chicken broth and the tomato paste.
One thing that I feel compelled to point out is that the type of broth you use is the most important factor in the flavor of this soup. I have made it with broth (bouillon, actually) that I don’t really like, and the results were not good. In my opinion, it would be better to make it with water than with broth you wouldn’t want to drink warm from a cup. If you do make it with water, try adding garlic powder and granulated onion to taste.
Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 6 cups fat-free vegetable broth (I used Imagine Un-Chicken broth)
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 teaspoons garlic or four cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cabbage chopped
- 1/2 pound frozen green beans
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- generous grinding of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large zucchini diced
- 1 19-ounce can cannellini beans (2 cups), drained and rinsed (may substitute Great Northern Beans or any white beans)
Instructions
- Sauté the carrots, onion and garlic in a large non-stick pot for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and cannellini beans and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender.
- Add the zucchini and cannellini and cook until the zucchini are tender.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
~M
December 28, 2009 at 8:29 amDo you think this would freeze OK? Thanks!
SusanV
December 28, 2009 at 10:09 am~M, I think it would freeze just fine. Hope you enjoy it!
Dana S
October 5, 2010 at 5:30 amAs soon as this was posted, I scanned the ingredients and saw that I was only missing cabbage. So I ran to the store and got a coleslaw mix. I made this last night for dinner and it was super easy and super yummy. My 5 yr old even loved it. We are not vegan, but have to cook dairy and egg free for our DD – so my husband’s comment was – “it is good, but it could use some meat.” hee hee. Next time, I’ll probably add some shredded chicken, but this is definately a keeper! The only changes I made were I used a frozen mirepoix mix (chopped onion, carrot and celery) and chicken broth instead of veg broth. Thanks for posting this – it made a wonderful dinner on a cool evening in October. 🙂
Pat Goodeill
October 5, 2010 at 6:45 amThis recipe also follows the “RAVE DIET” by Mike Anderson if you leave out the oil and use vegetable broth or wine to sauté . I’m always looking for new soup and stew recipes, so will definitly try this one. Thank you!
Helen Packard
October 7, 2010 at 9:16 pmThis was really yummy! I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand, so I added 1/2 cup of my homemade canned tomato sauce – it gave it a nice flavour!
Mary Y.
November 19, 2010 at 11:55 pmThis was so delicious. We always have these ingredients on hand, so I’ll be making this again. =)
Anita
April 7, 2011 at 3:41 pmCan we just use water instead of veg broth. I do not like the amount
of sodium that is used in the broth.
SusanV
April 7, 2011 at 4:35 pmThat would be fine. You can also use homemade broth or salt-free bouillon.
Dianne Eason
April 25, 2011 at 1:02 pmHi Susan,
The soup sounds delicious! Right this minute, I’m making a (dried) black bean soup with kale, carrots, summer squash and onion, seasoned with basil (from last summer’s garden), salt and pepper, garlic, tomato paste and a cumin seasoning cube.
I’ll try yours next time. Thanks for sharing!
Linda
October 22, 2012 at 11:53 amHi Susan,
I feel silly asking this, but is 1 serving a 1-cup serving?
Thanks for such a wonderful web site!
~Linda
Susan Voisin
October 22, 2012 at 12:51 pmNo, one serving will be 1/8 of the whole amount. The serving size will depend on how much liquid evaporates, but it will probably be more than a cup.
Judy Thomopson
January 29, 2013 at 12:36 pmI love your recipies… thanks for sharing!
Donna
April 11, 2013 at 4:28 pmWonder if I could make this with my frozen zukes??
Lynn
March 27, 2014 at 7:27 pmThis is the best soup ever and I have to make it at least 2X a week or else my husband starts asking for it. In fact, I had some people over tonight for an impromptu dinner and they went on and on about it. I add a few handfuls of elbow macaroni to bulk it up even more. Thanks for a great “go to” and easy meal.
Mimi
February 4, 2015 at 8:07 amHi Susan, even with the addition of beans is the soup still zero pts for Weight Watchers?
Thanks!
Susan Voisin
February 4, 2015 at 9:22 amWeight Watchers has changed their point system so much that I just don’t know. Do they even use points anymore?
MiMi McGee
February 6, 2015 at 8:44 amYes, they are still using points. I offer a vegan meal service (mcdougall style) from our local health club where WW has a big chapter. The participants would like me to put the points on my meals, which I tried for a while but with the starches, they often come out high and the participants avoid them. I thought if I included some low or 0 pts items from time to time I could entice them and make them happy so this soup really looked interesting to me. Thanks!!
George Elliott
November 29, 2015 at 2:23 pmWow. This looks more like a main course meal than an appetizer. Thanks for the recipe Susan.
Jill
November 29, 2015 at 2:57 pmI love this soup! I’ve been making the WW ZP soup for years and found this recipe a few years ago and have made it many times. It’s also an easy dinner to serve when people come over, served with a nice salad and bread. A nice twist (if you have time) is to roast the garlic, onions, carrots, and zucchini before adding to the soup for more robust flavor. And instead of Italian you can add Mexican seasonings and black or pinto beans with corn. It’s all good!
kim
February 18, 2018 at 11:04 ammy guru comes through once more! I have joined the WFPB ( whole food plant based ) movement, but I come back to you foten! Love your food, Susan!
Christina
February 28, 2018 at 3:53 pmI would love it if you could post serving sizes and freestyle points on all your recipes! They’re all so good and supportive of health!