Herbed Cannellini & Spring Vegetable Soup with White Miso Finish – 22g Protein | Vegan Lunch

A green soup that earns its color honestly. Kale, spinach, zucchini, celery, and tomato simmered in vegetable broth with a spice bloom of oregano, basil, smoked paprika, and garlic until everything is tender and the broth has absorbed the herb depth. Half the soup blended smooth and stirred back into the unblended half: the blended portion creates a vivid, thick green base and the unblended half keeps the cannellini beans whole and visible, the zucchini in identifiable pieces, the spinach leaves still intact. Every spoonful has both texture and depth rather than one or the other.

White miso and a spoonful of oat cooking cream go in together off the heat at the very end. The miso dissolves into the warm broth and adds a mineral, savory depth that makes the herb flavors taste more complex and rounded. The oat cream smooths the finish without heaviness. Neither ingredient is detectable as itself: what you taste is a soup that is considerably more developed than its ingredient list suggests. A squeeze of lemon over the bowl just before eating lifts everything and keeps the green color vivid.

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📊 NUTRITION (per serving)
Calories: 355 | Protein: 22g | Carbs: 42g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 14g

Served with 1 slice rye bread: approximately 430 cal, 24g protein
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⏱️ Time: 30 minutes (Prep: 10 | Cook: 20) 🍽️ Serves: 1
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INGREDIENTS

Ingredient	1 Serving	2 Servings	4 Servings
Fresh kale, roughly chopped	1 cup (30g)	2 cups (60g)	4 cups (120g)
Fresh spinach	1 cup (30g)	2 cups (60g)	4 cups (120g)
Zucchini (courgette), diced	1 medium (200g)	2 medium (400g)	4 medium (800g)
Tomato, diced	1 medium (120g)	2 medium (240g)	4 medium (480g)
Celery stalk, thinly sliced	1 stalk (50g)	2 stalks (100g)	4 stalks (200g)
Canned cannellini beans, rinsed	½ cup (130g)	1 cup (260g)	2 cups (520g)
Vegetable broth	1½ cups (375ml)	3 cups (750ml)	6 cups (1.5L)
Onion, finely diced	½ medium (60g)	1 medium (120g)	2 medium (240g)
Garlic clove, minced	1 clove	2 cloves	4 cloves
Olive oil	1 tsp (5ml)	2 tsp (10ml)	4 tsp (20ml)
Dried oregano	½ tsp	1 tsp	2 tsp
Dried basil	½ tsp	1 tsp	2 tsp
Smoked paprika	¼ tsp	½ tsp	1 tsp
Red pepper flakes	1 pinch	2 pinches	4 pinches
White miso paste	½ tsp	1 tsp	2 tsp
Oat cooking cream	1 tbsp (15ml)	2 tbsp (30ml)	4 tbsp (60ml)
Fresh lemon juice	1 tsp	2 tsp	4 tsp
Salt and black pepper	to taste	to taste	to taste
Rye bread (for serving, optional)	1 slice	2 slices	4 slices

✨ Chef’s Kiss: Drizzle ½ tsp chili dipping oil over the surface just before serving — the red oil floats on the green base in a glossy slick and adds slow-building heat that deepens the smoked paprika. The visual contrast alone is worth it. Impact: +20 calories, no protein change.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Sauté the base: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, sliced celery, and diced zucchini. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent and the zucchini has started to release its moisture.
2. Bloom the spices: Add the minced garlic, smoked paprika, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir constantly for 60 seconds until fragrant. The spices need direct contact with the oil to bloom properly: this step builds the aromatic foundation the whole soup sits on.
3. Add tomatoes and beans: Stir in the diced tomatoes and drained cannellini beans. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to soften and release their juice into the pan.
4. Simmer: Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the zucchini is completely tender and the broth has absorbed the herb and spice depth.
5. Add the greens: Add the chopped kale to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until wilted and tender. Add the spinach and stir for 60 seconds until just wilted. Do not overcook the spinach: it needs only enough heat to collapse into the broth while staying bright green.
6. Half-blend: Remove the pot from the heat. Ladle approximately half the soup into a blender or use a hand blender to blend half the soup directly in the pot. Blend until completely smooth then stir the blended portion back into the unblended half. The result is a thick vivid green base with whole beans, zucchini pieces, and spinach leaves still visible throughout.
7. Finish off heat: With the pot off the heat, add the white miso paste and oat cooking cream. Stir until the miso is completely dissolved and the cream is fully incorporated. The miso must go in off heat: adding it while the soup is still boiling destroys the probiotic benefit and can make it taste bitter. Squeeze the lemon juice over the soup and stir once more. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
8. Serve: Ladle into a wide shallow bowl so the green base and whole ingredients are both visible. Serve with one slice of toasted rye bread on the side for scooping.

PRO TIP: The half-blend technique is the detail that separates this from a standard vegetable soup. Blending the full soup produces a smooth puree where the ingredients disappear: visually dramatic but texturally one-dimensional. Keeping it fully unblended produces a thin broth with floating vegetables: nutritious but not particularly satisfying. The 50/50 approach gives you a thick, vivid green base that coats every ingredient while the whole beans and vegetable pieces give every spoonful something substantial to eat. Blend exactly half: more than half and the soup becomes too thick, less and the broth stays too thin.

CHEF’S KISS: Drizzle ½ tsp of your chili dipping oil over the surface of the finished soup just before serving. The red chili oil floats on the green surface in a thin glossy slick and adds a slow building heat that deepens the smoked paprika already in the base. The visual contrast of red oil against deep green soup is strong. Impact: approximately +20 calories, no protein change.

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🌱 PLANT DIVERSITY: Kale • Spinach • Zucchini (courgette) • Tomato • Celery • Cannellini beans • Onion • Garlic • Oregano • Basil • Smoked paprika • Miso (soybeans) • Oat cream (oats) • Lemon • Rye bread (rye)

(If you’re tracking plants per week, this adds 14 to your count.)

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*Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients and brands used.* 

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ESSENTIALS

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You may find yourself in need of: 

Immersion Blender – blends part of the soup directly in the pot to create a thick base while keeping whole vegetables intact.

White Miso Paste – adds a mild, slightly sweet umami depth when stirred in off heat, rounding out the herb flavors.

Cannelini (White) Beans – creamy white beans that hold their shape and add substance to the textured, partially blended soup.

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