An easy wild rice soup recipe made with vegetables and flavored with lemon and garlic. This soup is vegan, gluten-free, and comforting. It also works well for meal prep.
Relationships are all about compromise, right? One of the things I’ve learned from mine is that in order to get Matt on board with the meals I like to make, I can’t just cook my favorite foods all the time. I need to make things he likes too, just with my own twist.
This wild rice soup is a prime example of how we compromise.
I'm a creamy soup girl through and through (hello, creamy roasted pumpkin soup ????????). I'd so much rather have a soup that is blended and creamy that I can dunk toast into. But he doesn't. He's a brothy soup guy. And since he's also not 100% plant-based, this is something I can make that satisfies us both.
It's a rich, cozy, veggie soup, that is broth-based. It's a win-win!
A Flavorful Vegetable Soup
One of the things I love about soup is that it’s really easy to use lots of vegetables without much effort. You can toss whatever you have on hand into the pot, cook it until everything is tender, and serve it up.
That’s what I wanted when I made this wild rice soup! I wanted it to have plenty of vegetables but also be really flavorful.
Sometimes vegetable soups can feel a little lackluster in the flavor department, so to bring everything to life we sauté the vegetables with lots of garlic and stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. The result is one of my favorite soups to date!
The Best Wild Rice Soup Recipe
It might sound like a bold statement, but this is definitely one of my favorite wild rice soups I’ve made.
I love starting by sautéing the vegetables because it gives them a deeper flavor, almost like they’ve been roasted. Then comes the Italian seasoning, which is one of my favorite herb blends with oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme. Add a little lemon zest for brightness and a hint of tang, and everything comes together beautifully.
I also like finishing wild rice soup with a splash of plant milk. It adds a little richness without overpowering the flavor. You can use whatever milk you prefer – I used unsweetened almond, but cashew, rice, or coconut milk would work nicely too.
The finishing touch is fresh spinach. It adds a beautiful pop of color and blends right into the soup.
If I had to make one soup over and over again this winter, this would be it. I loved it, Matt loved it and we enjoyed having leftovers all week long. That's saying a lot because he is NOT a leftovers guy and he actually asked me to pull it out of the freezer and reheat it for dinner a few nights later.
It's that good! And I know you're going to love it too ????
More Flavorful Wild Rice Recipes
Lemon & Garlic Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onion , about 1/2 a medium onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots , about 2 medium
- 1 cup sliced celery , about 3 ribs
- 5 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest , from 1 large lemon
- Pinch of salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh spinach or kale , optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute until the carrots start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings and zest and cook another 2 - 3 minutes.
- Stir in the wild rice and vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer, cooking until rice has cooked, about 30 - 40 minutes.
- Once the rice is cooked and soft, stir in the milk, lemon juice, and spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted.
- Serve immediately and enjoy! Soup can be frozen and reheated as desired.
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