10 Hot Vegetarian Soups From Around the World
Do you ever get tired of the same ole soups? Why not try something different. Say… International? What about a vegetarian soup option?
Whether you are trying to implement Meatless Mondays or you’ve adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, you can never go wrong with vegetarian soups, especially during these cold winter (or fall) months we’re experiencing right now in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Here are just 10 examples of hot vegetarian soups from around the world.
[There are affiliate links in this post. Read my disclosure policy to learn more]
Costa Rica: Sopa Negra
I grew up eating a whole lot of sopa negra!
It’s a soup that is made from the water that you use to cook black beans. It’s a hot vegetarian soup because it does not involve any meat or meat broth or meat stock whatsoever.
My mom used to literally make this soup almost every day when I was little.
My History with Sopa Negra
In Costa Rican culture, we eat a whole lot of rice and beans, mainly to make gallo pinto, which is Costa Rica’s national dish.
Gallo pinto is a dish made from black beans and white rice as well as other vegetables like sweet bell peppers and cilantro. Most Costa Ricans eat gallo pinto every morning for breakfast.
So anyway, my mom would use the water that she used to make black beans for gallo pinto to make sopa negra for that evening’s lunch or dinner.
How My Mom Used to Make This Vegetarian Soup
All my mom would do was ladle the broth that was made from the beans into individual bowls.
Then, she would season the broth that was ladled into the bowls with some salt and add a tiny bit of some Costa Rican Salsa Lizano. Then, she would add a hard-boiled egg, some white rice, maybe some grilled onions or sweet bell peppers, and maybe some chopped cilantro.
And that’s it!
Vegetarian and packed with protein.
Japan: Miso
Japanese miso soup is a traditional hot soup, and it’s vegetarian, made from miso paste and dashi stock.
Miso is made from fermented soybeans and salt (don’t worry… this soup does not taste like fermented anything).
Some fermented foods can actually be good for you, like yogurt and sauerkraut because it is good for your gut (although you have to be careful if you are preparing these foods yourself).
Check out this page from the Cleveland Clinic for more information.
Dashi stock is made in different ways, but one of the most popular forms of dashi stock is made from dried sea kelp or mushrooms.
Unfortunately, some dashi stocks are made from dried baby sardines. So, if you’re trying to take the vegetarian route, you should ask your server at your favorite Japanese restaurant how it’s made.
FORTUNATELY, if you’re in the United States or Europe, miso soup is made by using miso paste and vegetable stock. Still, if you’re not making this soup yourself, it would probably be a good idea to ask your server whether their version is vegetarian.
ALSO, if you want to make miso soup for yourself, you can often find the dehydrated powder form (freeze-dried or instant) in packets that you will only need to add water. This is a good thing because you can read the ingredients on the back 🙂
These instant or freeze-dried options can be found on Amazon or your nearest Japanese or another Asian market.
Don’t forget to add some tofu or dried seaweed!
Oh! I almost forgot to mention… you can make your own miso soup from home! There are plenty of recipes online. Although it may be harder to find some of the ingredients depending on where you live, it’s not impossible!
Mexico: Sopa de Fideo
OK, so this is another example of a hot soup that is not traditionally vegetarian because it’s made with chicken broth, but it’s super simple to make vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
This is a super simple soup that you can make from home.
Its main ingredients are broth, short fideo noodles (my Mexican roommate used to always use this brand whenever she would make sopa de fideo for us), and tomatoes and onions.
How to Make This Vegetarian Soup
There are several ways to make sopa de fideo, but this is how my Mexican roommate used to make it.
The first step, toast the noodles in some oil in a pan. Make sure to stir often as these can burn easily.
After the noodles are done toasting, you can boil the Roma tomatoes and sliced onions in a pot of water. Once these are all the way cooked, place the tomatoes, sliced onions, and some of the water in a blender with some vegetable bouillon and blend.
Place this water mixture back into the pot you used to boil the tomato and onion and add the fideos. Cook until the fideos are soft (but not mushy).
There’s your sopa de fideo! Here is a similar recipe I found online at brandnewvegan.com.
France: Soupe à l’oignon
Also known as… French Onion Soup!!
Ok, so French onion soup is not traditionally vegetarian because it’s made with beef broth or a meat broth base. However, it is SOOO easy to make this soup vegetarian just by substituting the meat broth or meat stock out for a vegetable or mushroom-based broth.
French onion soup is my most favorite kind of soup! I just LOVE the saltiness!
I admit it’s not the healthiest, but it’s tasty and gets the job done with you’re cold. It warms you up!
I’m in love with grilled onions, too. This soup, to me, tastes like grilled onions.
What Is French Onion Soup
Let me tell you!
As mentioned before, French onion soup is traditionally made from a meat broth or meat stock base.
The main ingredient, and the yummiest part, is the onion.
It’s topped with croutons or a large slice of hard, toasted bread with a slice of cheese on top.
How to Make This Vegetarian Soup
First, you’ll need to sautee some sliced onions in a good amount of olive oil.
Then, after the onions have cooked for a good while, add some sugar and flour and cook a little longer.
You’ll want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Next, add some wine, mushroom broth, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and some salt into your soup and stir.
After that, you’ll spoon some of the soup into oven-safe bowls that you have placed on top of a baking sheet (to make it easier to put in and take out of the oven).
Then, add some cheese to the bowls and mix well.
Next, place a slice of baguette bread on top of the bowls and put some more cheese on top of that.
Then, place the bowls into the oven to bake for about 10 minutes.
After that, you can place it under your oven’s broiler for 1 to 2 minutes and then serve!
For more thorough instructions for this vegetarian French onion soup recipe, you can check out mayihavethatrecipe.com.
Ecuador: Locro de Papa
Locro de papa is an Ecuadorian hot soup that’s made primarily from potatoes.
It is often blended with milk or cheese to make it creamy and topped with avocado.
(Boy, do I love creamy soups)
On a side note, to make a vegan version, you can just use almond milk as noted in sweetsimplevegan.com.
This soup also includes annatto powder or paste, which is an oily substance that comes from the achiote tree and is used to give the soup its color. I use this product to make my aunt’s Costa Rican arroz con pollo (rice with chicken).
How to Make This Vegetarian Soup
So, do how you make locro de papa? Fortunately, it’s actually not very difficult to make!
First, you saute some onions in a pot on your stove.
Then, you add garlic and annatto paste or powder.
Next, you add the cubed potatoes and stir the mixture together.
After that, you add just enough water to cover the potatoes and boil the water until the potatoes are soft.
Then, you add the potato mixture and water to a blender to make it smooth and creamy (or keep the potatoes in the pot and mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher).
The next step is to add milk and cheese and mix together then you’re done!
Here is one sample recipe from laylita.com.
Italy: Minstrone
The meaning of minestrone is thick vegetable soup.
This is a very popular Italian soup you can find at just about any Italian restaurant (Olive Garden’s minestrone soup is pretty good, in my opinion).
It’s a hot soup made with various vegetables such as carrots, celery, tomatoes, onions, and some beans. However, anyone can use whatever vegetables they have on hand.
This soup is GREAT for getting rid of those vegetables you have laying around that will be going bad soon if you don’t make something with them, like right now!
How to Make Minstrone
To make minestrone, you just sautee the vegetables in a pan or pot, add seasonings of your choice (why not Italian seasoning?), add vegetable broth or water, bring to a boil, cook until all vegetables are done, and then you’re done!
Cookie & Kate make a super popular recipe I found online. I’ve included it here if you feel more comfortable following a recipe.
Africa: Maafe
Maafe is a spicy, creamy, peanut soup commonly made in many West African countries. This soup can be made with or without meat, making it a great vegetarian option.
Each country, and family, has its own way of making maafe. However, the main ingredients include peanuts (obviously), onion, garlic, tomatoes, cabbage, and a leaf or root vegetable (such as sweet potatoes and carrots).
This soup, or stew depending on how it’s made, can be served on top of a bed of rice.
I don’t know about you, but I am a BIG fan of foods that incorporate peanuts or peanut butter.
Curious Cousiniere makes a vegetarian maafe, which you can find here.
Bolivia: Sopa de Maní
Just like maafe above, Bolivia’s sopa de mani is a peanut-based hot soup.
The first time I had sopa de mani was at a Latin American food festival that I was a part of at my church (helping out with the Costa Rican table).
After the event, my friend’s mom, who is Bolivian, handed me some leftover sopa de maní (she made a lot and was trying to get rid of what she had not sold).
Oh. My. Gosh.
I literally fell in love, again.
As mentioned above, I am a BIG fan of foods that incorporate peanuts or peanut butter.
How is Sopa de Maní Made
I recently contacted another Bolivian friend of mine to find out how to make this SO delicious soup.
This soup can be made with beef, chicken, OR vegetarian. The first time I had it was a vegetarian version.
I have to admit, when I made it for myself, I did use a beef version only because my Bolivian friend had said this recipe was close to the way she often makes it herself (I couldn’t find raw peanuts, so I used natural peanut butter).
HOWEVER, there are various ways to make this soup and the vegetarian way is just one way.
This sopa de maní recipe by eatingwell.com is SO CLOSE to the vegetarian version I had the first time I ever tried this soup.
(It includes QUINOA! Just like how my Bolivian friend’s mom made it when I had it the first time!!)
Give it a try. I think you’ll like it… a lot (especially if you love peanut butter).
Turkey: Yayla Corbasi
The translation of yayla corbasi is highland soup.
It’s also known as Turkish yogurt soup (and, yes, it’s eaten hot).
Yogurt is actually used in many Turkish dishes, similar to other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes.
According to a recipe page from Unicorns in the Kitchen, the main ingredients include rice, plain yogurt, dried mint, and eggs and flour to thicken the soup.
It’s made by first cooking the rice; then mixing together egg and flour, yogurt, and salt; and then adding the mixture and some additional water to the boiled rice, and finally sauteeing the dried mint and adding it to the rice mixture.
And there you have it!
Check out this YouTube video to see how it’s done 🙂
Venezuela & Dominican Republic: Crema de Auyama
Crema de Auyama is a Venezuelan and Dominican Republic soup made from a squash called auyama. This squash, unfortunately, can be a little difficult to find in the United States, so many people substitute it with butternut squash or kombucha squash.
It is commonly consumed for lunch or dinner.
To make this soup, you can boil the squash in a pot with whatever seasonings or herbs you like.
Then, once it’s cooked, you let it cool a little.
Next, you place the squash with water in a blender to puree it until it becomes creamy.
The next step is to serve it in soup bowls and eat!
You can top it with herbs, cheese, or hard toasted bread pieces.
I am including two recipes from two different websites, one from Dominican Cooking and the other from Enrilemoine (Venezuelan), for your reference.
For those of you visual learners, here is a video that I found to be very informative by Chef Zee Cooks. Check it out!!
Conclusion
So, there are your 10 vegetarian soups from around the world! Are there any that stick out to you? Are any of them calling out your name? 😀
