Description
Vegan White Bean Soup Serbian is a cozy, hearty bean-and-tomato soup loaded with veggies, herbs, sweet paprika, and chewy freekeh for a satisfying, meal-prep-friendly bowl.
Ingredients
4 onions, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
3 slices celery root/celeriac (about finger thick), diced
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced tomatoes
8 cups (2 liters) vegetable stock
200 g cracked freekeh (lightly pulsed/ground)
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp oregano
2 bunches parsley, chopped (save some for garnish)
1 tsp celery salt
2 tsp onion powder
4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked salt (optional)
Instructions
Prep freekeh (overnight): Pulse cracked freekeh in a blender a few times to slightly break it down. Soak it overnight in some of the vegetable stock (or enough stock to cover).
Sauté aromatics: In a large pot, sauté diced onions and minced garlic until soft. Add a splash of water as needed to prevent sticking.
Add veggies: Stir in leeks, carrots, and celeriac. Cook 3–5 minutes to soften slightly.
Build the soup: Add soaked freekeh (plus soaking stock), remaining stock, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram, oregano, chopped parsley (reserve some), celery salt, onion powder, paprika, and smoked salt (if using).
Simmer: Bring to a gentle simmer and cook about 20 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until freekeh is tender.
Season + serve: Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm
Notes
No-soak option: If you didn’t soak the freekeh, simmer 10–15 minutes longer and add extra stock as needed.
Make it lower sodium: Use low-sodium vegetable stock and no-salt-added diced tomatoes; season at the end.
Thicker soup: Simmer uncovered a few extra minutes. Thinner soup: Add a splash more stock.
Substitutions: Freekeh can be swapped with bulgur, barley, or farro (cook time may change).
- Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus optional overnight soak)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Serbian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 272 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 903 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g