A delicious vegetable soup, like this simple vegan Minestrone with Swiss Chard & Broccoli, is a great dish in summer and winter. In Germany, Swiss Chard is in season from May to October, so winter is not the »ideal« time for this soup – but thanks to imports from Southern Europe, you can prepare this soup almost all year round ;)
The availability of fruits and veggies all year round has become quite normal in many areas. However, that does not mean you should buy them all year round. I am definitely not the one that supports the import of fruits and veggies from the other side of the globe. I prefer products that are from farmers around you at times when they are in season in that area. That’s better for your wallet and also for the environment I suppose ;)
Fortunately, you can adapt a minestrone like this one here quickly and easily in case you don’t have any of the veggies to hand. If you can’t get hold of Swiss Chard or simply don’t want to use it because it’s not available fresh from the fields, you can use other veggies instead: spinach, kale or other types of cabbage also work here as well.
Of course, the taste will change a little depending on the type of vegetable you use, but the result is probably still very tasty ;)
Depending on what you use here instead of the Swiss Chard, you might have to adjust the recipe slightly. Kale, for example, needs pretty much the same amount of time to cook – spinach, on the other hand, should be added right at the end of the cooking time. That one needs only a few moments to cook. Just keep that in mind when you do make changes in the recipe ;P
In case you want more recipes like this one here – I got some delicious vegan soups and stews here on the blog. A great Chickpea Potato Soup, for example, or a Potato & Chickpea Stew. Similar ingredients but completely different dishes ;P
BTW – the minestrone tastes great when served immediately… but to be honest it’s also great the next day when warmed again ;P
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the baking powder in the list of ingredients… you can (but don’t have to) add it to the soup in case your tomatoes add a lot of acidity to the soup. That can happen with some tomatoes and not everyone can deal with that. If you have a sensitive stomach and tend to suffer from heartburn, adding baking powder might help. It neutralizes some acidity and can make the soup easier to digest.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4-6 servings)
some olive oil for frying
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
salt, pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 liter (4 cups) veggie stock
2 cans (800g) crushed tomatoes
50g quinoa (mixed)*
1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small broccoli, cut into florets
1 small Swiss chard, stalks diced and leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)
(4-6 Portionen)
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
1 mittelgroße Zwiebel, fein gehackt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
1 mittelgroße Karotte, gewürfelt
2 Stangensellerie, in Scheiben
1 TL Fenchelsamen
1 TL Chiliflocken
1 TL Kräuter der Provence
Salz, Pfeffer
1 EL Tomatenmark
1l Gemüsebrühe
2 Dosen (800g) stückige Tomaten
50g Bunter Quinoa*
1 Dose (400g) Kichererbsen, abgespült & abgetropft
1 kleiner Brokkoli, in Röschen geschnitten
1 kleiner Mangold, Stängel gewürfelt & Blätter grob gehackt
1/4 TL Backpulver (optional)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Clean and prepare the veggies. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Peel the carrot and cut it into small pieces. Wash and dry the celery stalks and slice finely. Wash and drain the broccoli and cut into small florets. Finally, wash and dry the Swiss chard, and cut the stalks into small pieces, and chop the green leaves coarsely. Set everything aside.
2. Add some olive oil to a large Dutch oven (large saucepan) and heat up. Add the chopped onion, and garlic and sauté over medium-high heat until soft and glossy. Next, add the diced carrot and celery and cook until softened and slightly browned – takes about 5-6 minutes. When everything has a bit of color, add the fennel seeds, chili flakes, Herbes de Provence, and some salt and pepper. Let everything roast briefly to enhance the flavors, then add the tomato paste. Mix everything and let this roast for a minute or two as well. Deglaze with the veggie stock and add the crushed tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat a bit and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the quinoa and chickpeas to the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes or so. Next, add the broccoli and the diced Swiss char stalks. Let everything cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chopped leaves of the Swiss Chard and let the soup cook for another 2-3 minutes until the leaves are softer. Season with some additional salt and pepper to your liking and serve.
Tip: If the soup is very acidic because of the tomatoes, you can add baking powder to neutralize some acid – great if you tend to have heartburn ;)
1. Das Gemüse waschen bzw. reinigen. Zwiebel und Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln. Die Karotte schälen und in kleine Stücke schneiden. Die Selleriestangen in keine Scheiben schneiden. Den Brokkoli in kleine Röschen zerteilen. Die dicken Stiele des Mangold in kleine Stücke schneiden und die grünen Blätter grob hacken. Alles zur Seite stellen.
2. Etwas Olivenöl in einem großen Topf erhitzen. Zwiebel und Knoblauch bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr glasig andünsten. Karotte und Sellerie dazugeben und ebenfalls andünsten bzw. anbraten – es dauert etwa 5-6 Minuten, bis alles etwas weicher ist und Farbe bekommen hat. Fenchelsamen, Chiliflocken, Kräuter der Provence, sowie etwas Salz und Pfeffer dazugeben und kurz anrösten, damit sich die Aromen entfalten können. Tomatenmark dazugeben und ein oder zwei Minuten mit dem Rest anrösten. Mit der Gemüsebrühe und den stückigen Tomaten ablöschen. Alles einmal aufkochen lassen, dann die Hitzezufuhr ein wenig reduzieren und die Suppe etwa 10 Minuten köcheln lassen.
3. Quinoa und die abgetropften Kichererbsen in die Suppe geben und weitere 5 Minuten köcheln lassen. Die Brokkoliröschen und die gewürfelten Stängel des Mangolds dazugeben und etwa 2-3 Minuten mitkochen lassen, dann die gehackten Mangoldblätter dazugeben und noch einmal 2-3 Minuten köcheln lassen – die Blätter sollten weicher geworden sein. Nach Belieben noch einmal mit Salz und Pfeffer abschmecken und dann servieren.
Tipp: Sollte die Suppe wegen der Tomaten etwas viel Säure haben, kann man das mit ein wenig Backpulver ausgleichen. Prima, wenn man einen empfindlichen Magen hat ;)
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Minestrone with Swiss Chard (vegan)
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 00:45
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A simple and easy-to-prepare dish without any dairy or meat: a vegan Minestrone with Swiss Chard, Broccoli, and Chickpeas. Delicious and vegan.
Ingredients
some olive oil for frying
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
salt, pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 liter (4 cups) veggie stock
2 cans (800g) crushed tomatoes
50g quinoa (mixed)*
1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small broccoli, cut into florets
1 small Swiss chard, stalks diced and leaves coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)
Instructions
1. Clean and prepare the veggies. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Peel the carrot and cut it into small pieces. Wash and dry the celery stalks and slice finely. Wash and drain the broccoli and cut into small florets. Finally, wash and dry the Swiss chard, and cut the stalks into small pieces, and chop the green leaves coarsely. Set everything aside.
2. Add some olive oil to a large Dutch oven (large saucepan) and heat up. Add the chopped onion, and garlic and sauté over medium-high heat until soft and glossy. Next, add the diced carrot and celery and cook until softened and slightly browned – takes about 5-6 minutes. When everything has a bit of color, add the fennel seeds, chili flakes, Herbes de Provence, and some salt and pepper. Let everything roast briefly to enhance the flavors, then add the tomato paste. Mix everything and let this roast for a minute or two as well. Deglaze with the veggie stock and add the crushed tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat a bit and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the quinoa and chickpeas to the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes or so. Next, add the broccoli and the diced Swiss char stalks. Let everything cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chopped leaves of the Swiss Chard and let the soup cook for another 2-3 minutes until the leaves are softer. Season with some additional salt and pepper to your liking and serve.
Notes
If the soup is very acidic because of the tomatoes, you can add baking powder to neutralize some acid – great if you tend to have heartburn ;)
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
