10 Vegetable Soup Recipe (Panera Bread Copycat)

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Our Delicious copycat Panera Bread 10 Vegetable soup recipe is a healthy, nutritious and vegan soup. This satisfying vegetarian soup is loaded with a variety of fresh vegetables and hearty grains, beautifully balanced in an all-natural broth. It’s the perfect choice for a wintery, cold day.

You might also enjoy some of my other favorite soups; Creamy Chicken Poblano Soup, Outback Potato Soup, 30 Minute Chicken Noodle or try my Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

There is something so comforting about a bowl of soup! It’s like a warm hug. Or wrapping up in a cozy blanket. I’ll be honest, I’ve rarely met a soup I didn’t like!

Key Ingredients for Panera Bread 10 Vegetable Soup

Ingredients, directions and nutritional information in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

• Onion | Your friendly, simple flavor booster.
• Peppers | Poblano, red and yellow bell peppers add vibrant color and amazing flavor.
• Carrots & Celery | Wash, peeled and chopped carrots will work, you can even use baby carrots, chopped.
• Corn | Frozen corn is perfectly delicious; good quality canned corn works well too.
• Spinach | A powerhouse of nutrients, you will add this just before serving, so it’s bright and delicious.
• Garbanzo Beans | Also known as chickpeas, these babies pack 15 grams of protein into one cup.
• Tomato Paste & Fire Roasted Tomatoes | For a robust flavor and a fiery kick!
• Aleppo Chili Pepper Flakes | Adds a unique sweetness, salty flavor with a moderate to medium heat level. My husband sprinkles this on everything! From pizza to steak!
• Seasonings | Cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, classic to bump up the flavor.
• Soy Sauce | If gluten-free, replace with liquid aminos, coconut aminos, Tamari, Mirin or apple cider vinegar.
• Sprouted Brown Rice | A much healthier alternative to white rice, full of fiber. May substitute with cooked brown rice, lentils or pearled barley.
• Hard Red Wheat | Adds a beautiful chewiness and texture to the soup. Red fife is what Panera uses, which is just a hard red wheat or wheat berries can also be used.
• Vegetable Broth | Lots of healthy, organic options on the shelves today or try making my Vegetable Mineral Broth. Use vegetable stock or broth.

Optional Add-Ins

• Lemon | Slice a lemon wheel for garnish or add lemon zest for a burst of brightness. Or, use limes or lime juice for a fun twist. Add some lemon peel (zested lemon) for a bright burst.
• Bouillon | An extra teaspoon of Better than Bouillon Chicken, Vegetable or Garlic can add a bit more flavor to the soup. For the vegetarian or vegan option stick with garlic or vegetable.
• Bay Leaf | Bay leaves add a subtle, woodsy flavor to dishes. Remember to remove before serving.
• Parmesan Cheese | Panera’s version doesn’t add cheese, but freshly grated parmesan cheese takes this soup to the next level. More cheese please!

How Do You Make Garden Vegetable Soup?

Step 1 | Chop those Veggies

To make this soup even easier, chop and prep all of your veggies ahead of time, wash and drain your beans, measure out the grains, seasonings, etc.

Step 2 | Saute the Veggies for Max Flavor

In a large pot or Dutch oven heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add onions, red and yellow peppers, poblano peppers, carrots, and celery. Saute until the vegetables start to brown slightly on the edges, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic in the last minute or two, stirring until fragrant. 

Stir in garbanzo beans, corn, tomato paste, soy sauce, cumin, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and Aleppo chili powder, stir for a minute until fragrant, this blooms the spices. 

Step 3 | Deglaze the Pan & Finish Soup

Deglaze pot, by increasing heat to medium-high and then pouring in 1 cup of vegetable broth, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add remaining stock to the pot as well as the diced tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and add the hard red wheat and sprouted brown rice, stirring to combine. Cover and simmer for about 45-60 minutes. 

Step 4 | Serving Panera Bread 10 Vegetable Soup Recipe

When ready to serve, stir in fresh spinach, it will wilt almost immediately. Or even better, add a small handful of spinach to soup bowls, then ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a lemon slice and a little fresh thyme if desired.

How to Make Crockpot Panera 10 Vegetable Soup

This recipe is easily adapted to be made in the crockpot or slow cooker. 

I recommend sautéing the vegetables in a stovetop safe slow cooker or something like this Instant Pot Dutch Oven (love this small appliance) for optimal flavor development in this veggie soup. If none available, in a large saute pan, saute your veggies, deglaze and then add everything to the crockpot. 

Once all ingredients (except spinach) are added to the crockpot, cover and cook on LOW 4-6 hours or on HIGH 2 ½ – 3 ½ hours. If going to be gone all day, keep the sprouted brown rice and red wheat out of the crockpot (it will soak up too much broth) and instead add during the last hour to 90 minutes of cooking, turning the crockpot up to HIGH. Stir in spinach just before serving or add a small handful to individual bowls.

Vegan Vegetable Soup

This soup is entirely vegan or vegetarian, in fact, that was the reason Panera Bread added it to their menu. Check your soy sauce, or just use apple cider vinegar instead.

Variations & Substitutions

• Black Beans | Substitute black beans for garbanzo.
• Gluten-Free 10 Vegetable Soup | Replace the red wheat with lentils, farro or barley. Or use a little more sprouted brown rice or other preferred grains like quinoa or millet or even chia seeds.
• No Aleppo? If you cannot find Aleppo chili flakes or choose not to use them, no worries. Use chili powder or additional smoked paprika instead. You could even use some red pepper flakes for a bigger kick of heat. Aleppo chili flakes are a mild pepper, adding a little heat on the back end, but not overwhelming.
• Change the vegetables | Some other popular choices are green peas, frozen green beans, etc. 
• Brothy | I like my soups a bit more brothy, as the grains soak up the liquid, you may want to add up to an additional 4 cups of broth depending on how brothy you like your soup. Be sure to adjust your seasonings to taste after adding more broth. 

Storage Tips

Make Ahead | Panera Bread 10 Vegetable Soup recipe can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, allow the soup to cool before refrigerating.

Freeze | Freeze leftover soup in 1 cup portions or use these Souper Cubes (perfect 1 cup portions) freeze for up to 3 months. See more detailed freezer instructions below

Reheat | Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat as desired, or place frozen soup in a saucepan and heat over low heat until bubbly and hot. Add spinach just before serving. 

How Long Can You Freeze Vegetable Soup?

When you have a big batch of soup, more than likely you will need to freeze some. In fact it’s the best way save homemade soup! Below are a few tips:

• How long can you freeze vegetable soup? Soup freezes really well, and if care is taken in freezing the soup, it can last a long time, at least 3 months, if not up to 6 months frozen.
• Temperature | You should never place hot soup (or any hot food) straight into the freezer, as that is how condensation forms which in turn, becomes freezer burn or ice crystals. So allow your soup recipes or any recipe come to room temperature before placing in a freezer-safe container.
• Label | It’s always a good idea to label your soup, so you don’t end up with a mystery soup. Either write using sharpie right onto the baggie, use a label or use chalk marker on lids.
• What’s the Best Freezer Containers | Freeze in glass containers, glass jars, BPA free plastic containers too, or even freezer baggies. Using any of the above, be sure to leave about ½-1 inch of space in the container to allow for expansion of your favorite soup and make sure to “burp” your containers, or squeeze out as much air as possible. Consider how you will use the soup, use smaller containers for single servings, larger containers for bulk reheating. See below for great single serve freezer options.
• Quantity | If you know you will be reheating the soup all at once, then freeze in bulk. An easy way to freeze in bulk is using freezer baggies, freeze flat on a cookie sheet until mostly frozen, then stack frozen soup on top of each other, saving on freezer space.
• Meal Prep | Vegetable soups, clear soups, and some creamy soups or chunky soup freeze well for meal prep. I like using these 1 cup or 2 cup portion Souper Cubes for freezing.
• Reheating Frozen Soup | For best results, allow soup to thaw in fridge over night and reheat on stove top. If reheating straight from frozen, return to crockpot and cook on low or for smaller portions place in saucepan and reheat over low. A great way to retain the best quality in your soup is to add a little extra liquid (such as chicken broth, or cream or milk for cream based soups) back into the soup as it reheats, adjust seasonings for the best flavor.

More Yummy Ideas for Cold Weather

• Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice, a family favorite, inexpensive too!
• Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup Recipe
• This Easy Creamy Tomato Bisque Soup is amazing, quick and uses canned or fresh tomatoes!
• Colorado Green Chile
• This Olive Garden Steak Alfredo is a fancy looking, but easy to make meal!
• This German Goulash Soup is AMAZING!
• Check out all of my soup and stew recipes!

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