Name: Easy Green Chili Soup (Vegan)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large diced yellow onion ((2 cups)); 3 cloves minced garlic; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ⅓ cup long-grain white rice ((uncooked)); 4 cups vegan chicken broth ((or vegetable broth)); 1 (16 fl oz / 474 ml) jar salsa verde ((2 cups, see note 1)); 2 cups water; 2 (15 oz / 14 fl oz / 398 ml) cans white beans ((3 cups drained, see note 2)); 2 cups frozen corn; 1 small bunch cilantro; extra garnishes

Why you'll love this recipe

Easy: This 30 minute recipe involves minimal chopping and very little active cooking. So, this soup makes an easy weeknight meal, thanks to flavor-packed ingredients.

Great source of plant-based protein: This soup has almost 20 grams of protein per serving. And, it's a complete protein because it has beans and rice.

Flexible recipe: You can adapt this recipe to suit what's in your pantry. Swap out the type of beans. Use a different type of rice if you need. And, use whatever garnishes you have on hand (or leave them off altogether).

Meal prep friendly: This soup keeps in the fridge for quick and healthy weeknight meals. Or, freeze it for longer storage.

Ingredients (and substitutes)

This easy green chili soup comes together with mostly pantry ingredients. Here's what you need:

Ingredients to make easy vegan and gluten free green chili soup.

Salsa Verde: This delicious Mexican green sauce is made with tomatillos and green chili peppers. It's an easy way to pack flavor into this quick cooking soup. Store-bought salsa verde is most convenient. But you could make it yourself. Choose a mild or medium salsa to avoid the soup being too spicy.

Beans: Most types of white beans work well here—like Navy beans or Cannelini beans. Or, swap Pinto beans. Canned beans or home cooked both work.

Rice: Choose a long-grain white rice if you can. At the store, it may be labelled as a generic "long-grain white rice". But, Jasmine or Basmati are also varieties of long-grain white rice that work too. Otherwise, use a medium-grain white rice.

Broth: Green chili soup is often made with chicken broth. So to keep it vegan, we recommend a vegan chicken broth (like Better than Bouillon No Chicken). Otherwise, use a great tasting vegetable broth.

Corn: Frozen corn is an easy and inexpensive way to add more veggies to this dish. Much like the peas in our frozen pea soup, flash-frozen vegetables are picked peak season. So, you can enjoy veggies "at their best", even in the depths of winter.

Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

How to make (step-by-step photos)

This cozy rice soup is ready in about 30 minutes. Here's how to make this recipe:

Cooking onions and spices in a pot for soup. — 1. Saute onion and spices in a pot.

A wooden spoon stirring a pot of soup made with salsa verde and rice. — 2. Add rice, stock, salsa verde, and water. Simmer until rice is tender.

Chopped cilantro added on top of a pot of green chili soup. — 3. Stir in frozen corn until warmed through. Then add cilantro.

A woman spooning green chili, corn and rice soup into bowls on a kitchen counter. — 4. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish if you'd like (optional).

Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

Tips

If in doubt, choose a mild salsa: This recipe uses a whole jar of salsa verde, so avoid using a super spicy salsa. It's easier to make the soup spicier at the end...rather than try to make it less spicy. We've tested this soup recipe with a mild salsa and a medium salsa verde. We prefer medium because we like spice. But mild might be more crowd-pleasing.

How to make the soup spicier: If in the end you want to make your bowl of soup spicier, you can add hot sauce or sliced chili peppers.

Frozen corn is already cooked: There's no need to cook frozen corn for a long time. Just add it to the simmering soup until it has warmed through.

How to thin soup: If your soup is thicker than you'd like, simply thin it with more water or stock. Stock is more flavorful, but if you're sensitive to salt, use water instead.

Garnish ideas

This green chili stew is delicious on its own. But, you can also take it over-the-top with more garnishes, such as:

Quick Pickled Red Onions (and Jalapenos): Make them just before the soup so they're ready for dinner! You can add jalapenos to the same pickling brine to do double-duty.

Tortilla Chips: Crumble tortilla chips on top of the soup for some crunch!

Avocado: Thinly sliced avocado adds a creamy element. If you have extra avocado leftover, make the best guacamole to serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Radishes: Add a pop of color and crunch. We love adding thinly sliced radishes to garnish soups like our V egan Golden Chickpea Noodle Soup. You don't need a lot, so consider making Lentil Nicoise Salad with extra radishes.

Chili peppers: Thinly sliced jalapenos or serranos add more heat.

Sour Cream: A spoonful of sour cream is delicious swirled into the soup. There are many great store-bought vegan options if you're looking to keep it dairy-free.

Cheese: Crumbled or shredded cheese would be great on top!