Bringing all those amazing Greek flavors together in the most delicious way. Light, refreshing, and comforting, this oil-free Greek Lemony Bean Potato Soup is brimming with protein-packed beans, hearty potatoes, and sweet carrots in a savory lemony flavored broth featuring aromatic Greek spices. Lemon lovers rejoice, this cozy soup is just for you!
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
We seem to be on a Greek Cuisine kick these days as everyone already knows I absolutely adore Greek food. I fell in love with all those amazing Greek flavors and freshness while visiting Santorini after graduating high school. Santorini is truly one of a kind and blessed with its beauty and serenity.
This soup is a nod to the Greek cuisine. As you know Greeks LOVE their olive oil and lemons. Most Greeks would probably feel this soup is a travesty since we didn’t use any oil, so that is why we are calling it a nod to the Greek cuisine.
Light Broth
The broth for this soup is lightly flavored. You will definitely get that beautiful lemony freshness, but it is not overwhelming. Now, we know there are folks who love, LOVE, LOOOVVE lemon, we suggest adding lemon zest and/or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to individual servings. This will really punch up the lemon flavor and also add a light fresh aspect to the soup!
Greek Goodness
If you are looking for more delicious Greek inspired recipes, here is a list of some that you may wish to check out!
I’ll let Mom tell you more!
Hi! Robin here.
I enjoy lemon, but I am not a HUGE lemon lover like Monkey and Chris. Chris takes his love of lemon to a “whole nuther level.” I think he would LOVE this soup. It is right up his alley.
We certainly hope you give this deliciousness a try. If you love Greek food, then you’ll enjoy this Whole Food Plant Based nod to the Greek cuisine!
If you try this cozy soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
Products Used:
- Instant Pot or Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch oven or similarly sized large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid
Greek Lemony Bean and Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 14 Minutes
- Total Time: 29 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot/Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Light, refreshing, and comforting, this oil-free Greek Lemony Bean Potato Soup is brimming with protein-packed beans, hearty potatoes, and sweet carrots in a savory lemony flavored broth featuring aromatic Greek spices.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow onions, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 celery ribs. diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (+/-) *
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 2 – [ 15 oz. can ] cannellini , drained and rinsed *
- 3 cups Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1 ¼-inch cubes *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- Pinch black pepper
- Pinch dried crushed rosemary
Other Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons white miso *
- ¼ teaspoon lemon zest (+/-) *
Optional Toppings:
- Freshly chopped parsley
- Lemon zest
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaves) into a small bowl, mix well. Set aside.
- Add all the Base Ingredients and the Spice/Herb Mix into the Instant Pot. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, tuck in the bay leaves. Set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 12 to 14 minutes (see notes). When finished, press Cancel, unplug the Instant Pot, and allow to sit for 2 minutes, then do a Quick Release
- Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon zest and miso (see notes), allow to set for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Remove about 1 ½ to 2 cups of the soup mixture (making sure to get a good mix of potatoes and cannellini beans) and mash them in a bowl, then return the mashed mixture to the soup to create a thickened broth. Taste test ramp up any flavors as desired. Serve with additional lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley.
Stove Top Instructions
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf and cayenne pepper) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- Add all the Base Ingredients and Spice/Herb Mix, stir well to combine, then tuck the bay leaves into the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the carrots, celery, and potatoes are perfectly tender, stirring occasionally.
- Once the carrots, celery, and potatoes are tender, remove the pot from the stove. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon zest and miso, allow to set for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Remove about 1 ½ to 2 cups of the soup mixture (making sure to get a good mix of potatoes and cannellini beans) and mash them in a bowl, then return the mashed mixture to the soup to create a thickened broth. Taste test ramp up any flavors as desired. Serve with additional lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
*Tips for Success:
- Spices/Herbs: We recommend adding the spices/herbs as listed, then ramping up any favorite spices at the end if desired.
- Sautéing the Veggies: You can take the time to sauté the veggies and if you wish. We tried this recipe both with and without sautéing the vegetables and noticed only a tiny bit of discernable flavor difference, so we elected to throw everything into the pot to make it easier.
- Melting the Miso at the End: In order to avoid getting a clump of miso on your spoon, we recommend taking about ½ cup of hot soup broth and mixing it with the miso in a small bowl to dissolve the miso. Once dissolved, return to the soup, stir well.
- It’s all about the Lemon: This recipe is all about the beautiful flavor of lemon. If you are not a total lemon lover, then this recipe isn’t for you.
- Lemon Zest: Do not add the lemon zest to the pot while the soup is cooking. It will intensive the lemon flavor too much. We highly recommend adding the lemon zest at the very end after removing the pot from the stove (or unplugging the instant pot). Additionally, add a tiny sprinkle of lemon zest to individual bowls right before serving. It really pops the freshness of the lemon in the soup.
- Broth: This soup broth is light, yet flavorful. Greeks love lemon and that is what this soup is about.
- Thickening the Broth: We took 1 ½ cups of the broth – heavy on potatoes and beans and mashed it, then returned it to the pot to thicken the soup. If you want a really thick soup, then use an emersion blender or remove more of the broth to mash and return. (Note: It’s OK if a few stray carrots, celery, and onions are in the mash. The key is to get a nice mixture of potatoes and beans).
- Instant Pot Size and Timings: We have an 8-quart Instant Pot. If using a 6-quart IP, you may find that you need to adjust the timing downward a tad, perhaps 10 to 12 minutes. Adjust intuitively based upon the size of the potatoes.
*Notes Continued:
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
*Beans: You can use your favorite white bean in this dish. We used cannellini beans for their beautiful dreamy texture.
*Yukon Gold Potatoes: You can use your favorite potato in this soup. We used Yukon Golds simply because the skins are very thin and do not require peeling. Other types of potatoes may require peeling off the skin, i.e. Russets, etc.
*Sea Salt: You may need to add some sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences. We added an extra teaspoon of sea salt.
*Servings: 4 (makes approximately 8 cups)
*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.
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This was delicious….I used butter beans because I didn’t have cannellini beans. We loved it with crusty sourdough. Thank you.
Hi there Janell 🙂
Wooooot! We are so thrilled that you enjoyed this soup. Thank you so much for sharing your adjustments with us. We appreciate your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
Delicious. More lemon please. I used russet potatoes. Thanks for this yummy recipe!
Hi there Mary 🙂
Yaaaay!!! We are so glad you are loving our lemon recipe, and the beauty of this dish is you can increase the lemon as much as you prefer – woot! We appreciate you sharing your awesome feedback and for taking the time to write.
-Ameera and Robin 🙂
I never thought I would say such a thing but this was just too much garlic. I’m hoping it was rather that I used the minced stuff in a jar; next time I’ll try fresh put thru a garlic press and see if that makes a difference. So, 2 Tbs would be what, about 6 cloves?
Hi there Douglas 🙂
Yes, we used the minced stuff in a jar – just for convenience and also for consistency. This recipe is ALL about the garlic and lemon. If it was too much garlic, then simply scale back to 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic or use garlic powder. I hope this helps. Thank you so much for your support. We appreciate you.
-Ameera and Robin