This insanely delicious vegan lasagna soup recipe is packed with vegetables, beans, tender lasagna noodles, and a delicious sunflower cream broth! It's ready to eat in 1 hour and it's gluten-free and oil-free.
This vegan lasagna soup is rich, decadent, and loaded with beans and vegetables! Believe it or not, but the creamy broth is made of blended sunflower seeds! Would you ever guess that blended sunflower seeds make a delicious and thick sunflower cream that can be used to replicate heavy cream? It's the perfect vegan replacement!
While I absolutely love creamy cashew-based recipes like spinach artichoke dip or stuffed shells, raw sunflower seeds are less expensive, more accessible, and using them makes the dish nut-free. This soup is easy to make in one hour, it's freezer-friendly, and it's naturally gluten-free and oil-free!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This vegan lasagna soup is made with a combination of fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, and pantry ingredients. Let's talk about the most important ingredients and substitutions if you need it.
- Sunflower Seeds: The seeds are definitely the most important ingredient in this recipe because it's what makes the broth taste so rich and creamy! It's important to use raw seeds and to boil them first in order to soften them before blending them into sunflower cream. If you need a substitute, you can use raw cashews.
- Great Northern Beans: Beans add extra plant-based protein to this dish. I used great northern beans because of their color and texture, they're so creamy and buttery!
- Lasagna Sheets: To keep this recipe gluten-free, I used gluten-free brown rice noodles. However, you can use any kind of lasagna noodles that you like or any type of pasta is fine too. Bowties would be my next noodle-shape choice because they have a ruffled edge just like lasagna noodles do. It's best to cook the pasta in a separate pot so they don't absorb all of the broth in the soup.
- Vegetables: I used a delicious combination of zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes, and spinach in this soup. You could replace any of these veggies with yellow squash, jackfruit, any variety of mushrooms, carrots, kale, or red bell peppers. Fresh or frozen veggies can be used.
How to Make Vegan Lasagna Soup
First, boil the raw sunflower seeds in water for 10 minutes and then blend the softened seeds with fresh water to make the sunflower cream (Photo 1). Set it aside until later. Next, saute onions in a large pan until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and dried seasonings and let it cook for a few minutes to toast the spices (Photo 2).
Add the zucchini, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot and saute for 15 minutes (Photo 3). Stir in the beans, vegetable broth, and sunflower cream (Photo 4) and let it cook until the vegetables are tender (Photo 5). While the veggies are cooking, break and boil the lasagna sheets in a separate pot. Lastly, add the frozen spinach and lemon juice to the pot (Photo 6).
Slow Cooker Instructions
You can also make this creamy white vegan lasagna soup in the slow cooker. First, make the sunflower cream. Then combine all of the ingredients except for spinach, lemon juice, and lasagna noodles in a large slow cooker. Cover and set it to cook for 4 hours on High. After 4 hours, take the lid off, stir in the frozen spinach and lemon juice, and let it cook until the spinach is fully defrosted. Cook the pasta separately and then add them to each bowl before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Since this is a neutral-colored dish, I like to serve it with a colorful side dish for a pop of color. A couple of slices of crusty slices of bread would be delicious for dipping too. Any of the following side dish recipes would be good options to try.
- Lemon Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Beet and Feta Salad
- Salad with Ranch Dressing
- Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers. I recommend freezing the soup by itself in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months (for the best quality) and then you can make fresh pasta to go with it when you reheat it.
How To Reheat It
Take the container out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. The broth may separate a little bit, but just give it a good stir when you warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop and it will be nice and creamy again. In a separate pot, cook the noodles and add them to each bowl.
Notes & FAQ
- What other vegetables could I add? Cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, carrot sticks, bell peppers, or green peas would be delicious additions.
- Can I use frozen vegetables? Sure! I've made this vegan lasagna soup using all frozen vegetables before and it turned out just as good!
- Should I cook the noodles in the soup or separately? You can cook the noodles in the soup but it will absorb most of the broth and make the consistency very thick. I recommend that you cook the pasta separately and then add them to each bowl before serving.
- Gluten-Free: This vegan lasagna soup recipe is gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free pasta. I used these brown rice lasagna noodles and they're delicious!
Success Tips
- It's important to boil the sunflower seeds before blending them to soften them and make them easier to digest.
- After you drain the canned artichokes, gently squeeze each artichoke over the sink to get rid of any excess brine that's hiding in the layers.
- Cook the noodles in a separate pot so they don't absorb all of the broth in the soup.
- Chili pepper flakes add flavor and a little heat, start with ¼ tsp and add more to taste. I like to add a little bit more at the end for extra zing.
- Store the leftover soup separately from the cooked noodles in airtight containers in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
Want More Vegan Soup Recipes?
Creamy Vegan Vegetable Lasagna Soup
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Blender
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Medium Pot
Ingredients
Sunflower Cream
- 1 ½ cups raw sunflower seeds
- 2 cups water
Lasagna Soup
- ¼ cup vegetable broth (to saute)
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- ¼ tsp chili pepper flakes (add more to taste)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups zucchini chopped (1 large or 2 medium)
- ½ lb cremini mushrooms sliced
- 14 oz can artichoke hearts (in water) drained & chopped
- 3 medium sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 14 oz can great northern beans rinsed & drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 10 oz bag frozen spinach
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 9 oz package gluten-free lasagna noodles (I used brown rice noodles)
- 1 tbsp chives sliced
Instructions
Sunflower Cream
- First, put the sunflower seeds in a medium saucepan and cover them by 1-inch with water. Boil for 10 minutes and then drain any excess water.
- Combine the boiled sunflower seeds and 2 cups of fresh water in a blender cup and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside for later.
Lasagna Soup
- In a large dutch oven, saute the diced onion in ¼ cup of vegetable broth until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic, 1 tbsp Italian seasonings, ¼ tsp chili pepper flakes, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Stir to combine and let it cook for 2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add the zucchini, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes to the pot. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the beans, vegetable broth, and sunflower cream. Stir to combine, bring it to a low simmer, cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook for 20 minutes.
- Lastly, add the frozen spinach and stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes to defrost and warm the spinach. Taste and add more salt or seasonings if necessary. I added a little bit more chili pepper flakes.
- While the soup is cooking, boil water in a medium-sized pot. Break up the lasagna noodles into bite-sized pieces and cook them in the boiling water according to package instructions. Drain the water.
- Serve the soup in a bowl and top it with a serving of cooked noodles. Garnish with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and chives.
Notes
- It's important to boil the sunflower seeds before blending them to soften them and make them easier to digest.
- After you drain the canned artichokes, gently squeeze each artichoke over the sink to get rid of any excess brine that's hiding in the layers.
- Cook the noodles in a separate pot so they don't absorb all of the broth in the soup.
- Chili pepper flakes add flavor and a little heat, start with ¼ tsp and add more to taste. I like to add a little bit more at the end for extra zing.
- Store the leftover soup separately from the cooked noodles in airtight containers in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 9/1/16 but I updated it on 10/21/20.
