26/09/2026

Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup

Name: Vegetable & Wholegrain Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 med - large onion ((roughly chopped)); 2 large carrots ((diced: approx. 225 g after preparation)); 2 stalks celery ((thinly sliced)); salt; black pepper; 250 g mushrooms ((sliced, not too thinly)); 1 small- medium leek ((roughly chopped)); 4 large cloves garlic ((thinly sliced or finely chopped)); 1 rounded tbsp tomato puree; 1 rounded tsp ground cumin; ¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes or chilli flakes; 240 g cooked chickpeas ((approx. 1 standard tin, drained)); 6 - 8 sprigs thyme, tied in a bunch ((or leaves stripped from stems, or 1 rounded tsp dried thyme)); 1 bay leaf; 2 - 5 tbsp soy sauce ((see Recipe Notes)); 800 - 1000 ml stock; 300 g cooked wholegrains ((e.g. brown, red or wild rice, bulgur wheat, wheatberries)); 75 g kale or other leafy greens ((tough stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped: weight is after preparation)); a few thyme leaves; a few pinches red pepper flakes or chilli flakes; freshly ground black pepper; extra soy sauce to serve

Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup is a deeply savoury, nutritious one pot meal that’s satisfying without being heavy. With rich umami flavour, vegetables, chickpeas, plus nutty grains, it’s perfect when you’re craving a tasty but healthy bowlful.

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn commission on qualifying purchases.

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A RESTORATIVE BOWLFUL

At the start of autumn this year I’d been a bit poorly. Nothing major, but once I was on the mend I felt I really needed a big restorative bowl of something to get me back on track. Something packed with good, healthy foods, but also tasty enough to rouse my appetite.

The result was this wonderful Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup which fitted the bill perfectly. Along with all the nutritious stuff my body craved, I packed in lots of simple savoury flavour which had me going back spoonful after spoonful.

And with ready cooked grains and tinned pulses, this comforting, satisfying soup can be on the table in a relatively short time.

VEGETABLE & WHOLEGRAINS SOUP

You’ll find a recipe card at the end with ingredient amounts and full instructions to make four servings of Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup. But the recipe can easily be adapted to whatever vegetables and grains you have available or you particularly like. So, feel free to use it as a template and come up with your own delicious, wholesome bowl.

VEGETABLES, GRAINS, PULSES

For the vegetables, I’ve chosen everyday ones that I always have this time of year. Onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms, leek, and garlic, plus kale grown in my garden. As mentioned above, there’s no reason to stick to these. The only thing to remember is to add harder vegetables earlier (e.g. carrot) and quicker cooking ones later (e.g. kale).

The wholegrains I’ve chosen are brown, red, and wild rice supplemented by a little bulgur wheat. I prefer to add cooked grains to the soup rather than cooking them in the soup. This is not only quicker but also means you’re less likely to overcook the vegetables. While you could cook the grains yourself separately, here I used a packet of cooked mixed wholegrain rice. Bulgur just needs soaking in boiling water so that’s time saving too.

Beans or pulses add protein to the Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup, and pretty much any will be fine. Chickpeas are one of my favourites, and I think their slight nuttiness complements that of the wholegrains. Again, for speed and convenience, I used tinned chickpeas.

FLAVOURINGS

You might be surprised at just how much flavour the handful of seasonings gives to the soup. Together they create a deeply savoury taste without overwhelming the natural flavours of the main ingredients.

As well as salt and pepper plus olive oil and stock there’s thyme (use dried if you don’t have fresh), a bay leaf, ground cumin, plus a few red pepper or chilli flakes: I like fruity, mild gochugaru).

But the two ingredients that give this Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup a real whack of moreish umami are tomato puree and soy sauce. Don’t worry that these make it particularly tomatoey or take it in an Asian direction. They don’t. In harmony with the other ingredients, they create a beautiful savoury background flavour. For the best results, choose a good quality tomato puree. The soy sauce shouldn’t be too salty but have a good flavour: I recommend this light soy sauce.

HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE & WHOLEGRAINS SOUP

Because it doesn’t take very long to make this delightful soup, gather and prep all your ingredients first.

Start by putting the olive oil in a roomy pan over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, carrot and celery, seasoning with a grind of black pepper plus a small pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for around 12 minutes or until the vegetables are starting to brown and soften a little.

Now add the mushrooms, leek, garlic, and cook for 5 or so minutes, until they’ve taken on some colour and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. The tomato puree goes in next along with the cumin, red pepper or chilli flakes. Stir these around for a minute or two, not letting the puree scorch on the bottom of the pot, then add the chickpeas, thyme, bay leaf, and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.

The stock goes in next. I like a thick Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup so start with just 800 ml of the recommended 1 litre. You can always add more at a later stage if it turns out too thick. Bring to a simmer and leave to gently bubble until the carrots are just tender. This will probably take 15 – 20 minutes. Have a taste and add more salt, pepper and soy sauce if needed: the soup should be really well flavoured.

Finally, add the kale or other greens plus the wholegrains. It’s at this point you may want to add the remaining 200 ml of stock, or even a splash more if you prefer a less thick soup. Simmer again, this time 3 – 5 minutes depending on how done you like your greens.

Before serving, have a final taste and adjust the seasoning again if necessary.

DELICIOUSLY SAVOURY ONE POT MEAL

When I set out to make this simple and nutritious yet tasty soup I don’t think I actually expected it to taste as good as it did. Could all those undoubtedly healthy ingredients plus a handful of everyday flavourings really come together to rouse my appetite? But Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup genuinely turned out even better than I’d hoped.

Wonderfully savoury and comforting, it was one of the dishes you can almost feel doing you good as you spoon it up. And I kept spooning it up! All the flavours came together harmoniously: the good, natural taste of the vegetables, grains, and chickpeas combined with that umami-rich broth.

Served with a few fresh thyme leaves and more red pepper flakes on each bowl, it was a real delight. In our house we love soy sauce, so the bottle was on the table in place of salt for everyone to perfectly season to their own taste.

This thick soup really is a meal on its own. But if you like accompaniments then bits of torn bread in the bowl to soak in the broth are lovely. Or how about some golden cheese toasts? My partner loves those on his Vegetable & Wholegrains Soup – see my Cheese & Onion Soup for how to make them.

If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please do leave a comment and rating.

Vegetable & Wholegrain Soup

A deeply savoury, nutritious one pot meal that's satisfying without being heavy. With rich umami flavour, vegetables, chickpeas, plus nutty grains, this thick soup is perfect when you're craving a tasty but healthy bowlful.

Feel free to adapt the recipe to whatever vegetables and wholegrains you have.

Please read the accompanying blog post before starting.

Course Soup, Main Course, Lunch

Cuisine Vegetarian, Vegan, plant-based, World

Keyword healthy

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 med - large onion (roughly chopped)
2 large carrots (diced: approx. 225 g after preparation)
2 stalks celery (thinly sliced)
salt
black pepper
250 g mushrooms (sliced, not too thinly)
1 small- medium leek (roughly chopped)
4 large cloves garlic (thinly sliced or finely chopped)
1 rounded tbsp tomato puree
1 rounded tsp ground cumin
¼ - ½ tsp red pepper flakes or chilli flakes
240 g cooked chickpeas (approx. 1 standard tin, drained)
6 - 8 sprigs thyme, tied in a bunch (or leaves stripped from stems, or 1 rounded tsp dried thyme)
1 bay leaf
2 - 5 tbsp soy sauce (see Recipe Notes)
800 - 1000 ml stock
300 g cooked wholegrains (e.g. brown, red or wild rice, bulgur wheat, wheatberries)
75 g kale or other leafy greens (tough stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped: weight is after preparation)

Garnish (optional)

a few thyme leaves
a few pinches red pepper flakes or chilli flakes
freshly ground black pepper
extra soy sauce to serve

Instructions

Put the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in the onion, carrots and celery, plus a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are starting to soften and colour (approx. 10 - 12 minutes).
Stir in the mushrooms, leek, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until starting to brown and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated (approx. 5 - 8 min).
Add the tomato puree, ground cumin, red pepper flakes or chilli flakes, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
Stir in the chickpeas, another grind of pepper, the thyme, bay leaf, and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.
Stir in 800 ml of the stock, a little more if the soup seems very thick.
Bring to a simmer, put on a lid, and cook until the carrots are just tender (approx. 15 - 20 minutes).
Stir in the kale or other leafy greens plus the cooked wholegrains. If the mixture is very thick add all or some of the remaining stock.
Gently simmer until the greens are done to your liking and the grains are hot (3 - 5 minutes), adding more stock or water if you prefer a thinner soup.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, and/or soy sauce if needed.
Serve the soup with the optional garnishes sprinkled over each bowl if liked and with extra soy sauce on the table for people to help themselves.
Soup can be cooled and stored in the fridge for 2 days. If the grains have absorbed a lot of the liquid, thin with a little stock or water before reheating.
Freezing not recommended.

Recipe Notes

Soy sauce. For the best results, use a good quality light soy sauce that isn't overly salty. I recommend this one (affiliate link). If yours is salty use sparingly in the recipe, adding a little at a time and tasting before adding more.