Longevity Soup (aka Blue Zones)! Each spoonful brims with colorful vegetables, wholesome legumes, and fragrant herbs that deliver a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and immune-boosting compounds.

This Longevity Soup, inspired by the nourishing ingredients of the Blue Zones, is a comforting, nutrient-packed dish that tastes as good as it is good for you. Think tender beans for protein, leafy greens packed with iron and calcium, bright carrots and sweet potatoes for a splash of beta-carotene, and a zesty finish of herbs that brightens digestion. Crafted with plant-forward ingredients, this soup not only supports heart health and longevity but also fuels your day with steady energy. It’s naturally cozy, endlessly adaptable, and simmered to perfection—best enjoyed with a crusty slice of whole-grain bread for dipping.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We whipped up a steaming pot of this soup and devoured it in record time—it’s that delicious. Yasmeen leaned in, declaring it a new family favorite, and I couldn’t agree more: every ladleful tastes like nourishment you can feel good about, with layers of savory goodness that sing with herbs and veggie goodness.

You gotta give this one a try for a comforting, nutrient-packed meal that satisfies cravings and supports immune health too.

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: This Longevity Soup recipe is basically a Blue Zones veggie soup packed with nutrient rich ingredients that are an antioxidant powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and immune boosters. The flavor is similar to a classic Italian minestrone soup.
• Broth Flavor: Because both carrots and sweet potatoes are in the broth, the broth will naturally be slightly sweeter than a typical soup broth.
• Herbs/Spices: This soup can easily be adjusted by adding your favorite spices and herbs.
• Potatoes: We kitchen tested several types of potatoes in this soup, and most will work perfectly as long as you select a potato that can hold its own while being boiled for a long period of time and does not disintegrate into the broth. We tested unpeeled, cubed red-skinned potatoes and all-purpose white potatoes. Both worked perfectly.
• Not a fan of Sweet Potatoes in a Soup: Just increase the amount of red-skinned potatoes by an equal amount of the sweet potatoes.
• Rolling Boil versus Low-Percolating Boil: Avoid rolling boils when making soups. Rolling boils tend to destroy the veggies and disintegrate potatoes. A low percolating boil works perfectly. This is where the soup broth bubbles gently and not furiously.
• Lemon Juice: The lemon juice significantly enhances iron absorption and adds antioxidants and Vitamin C. The citric acid from the lemon juice adds brightness to the soup and aides in digestion.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes and tomato paste) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch. The baking soda helps the potatoes to become tender faster.
• Greens: Greens such as spinach and kale are natural spice/herb neutralizers.  A soup/stew/dish can taste perfectly seasoned before adding the greens, then once the greens are added, the flavor mellows requiring more seasoning.
• Almond Butter: The almond butter is used to balance the flavors.
• Almond Butter Substitutions: The almond butter can easily be substituted with your favorite nut or seed butter with the understanding that the flavors are impacted accordingly.
• Dried Crushed Thyme Leaves: If you can’t find dried crushed thyme leaves, you can use ground thyme but use half the amount.
• Fresh Parsley Substitutions: You can replace the fresh parsley with 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley if you wish.
• Cannellini Beans Substitutions: You can replace the cannellini beans with your favorite beans.
• Optional Topper – Vegan Parmesan Cheese: We used our recipe, Vegan Parmesan Cheese. Feel free to use your favorite vegan parmesan cheese recipe. A sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese on individual servings really elevates this dish.
• Amount of Sea Salt: Our family was completely divided over the amount of sea salt needed to properly flavor this soup. For most palates, we felt 1 ¾ teaspoons worked well. We suggest starting on the lower side (3/4 teaspoon) and build from there.
• Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
• Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered air-tight container.

This soup freezes well.

Pantry Products:

• 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.  Feel free to use your favorite vegetable broth.
• Canned Lentils: We used Delallo Imported Italian Lentils.  They come in a 14 oz. can.  Most grocery stores carry them in the specialty aisles. If using dry lentils, select lentils that hold their shape after cooking like a brown lentil such as small brown lentils called Pardina lentils. Cook dry lentils separately, adjust time accordingly.  If cooking dry lentils, you want to end up with 1 2/3 cups of cooked
• Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos. We recommend using reduced-sodium products.
• Almond Butter: We used Artisana Organics Raw Vegan Almond Butter.  Feel free to use your favorite raw almond butter in this recipe.  Read the label, make sure the only ingredient is raw almonds.  Do not use a salted or sweetened almond butter.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Equipment:

• Large stock pot with a lid

If you try this wholesome dish, 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.

Longevity Soup (aka Blue Zones)

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 20 Minutes
• Cook Time: 50 Minutes
• Total Time: 70 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 10 ½ Cups 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Longevity Soup, inspired by the nourishing ingredients of the Blue Zones, is a comforting, nutrient-packed dish that tastes as good as it is good for you.

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 2 celery ribs, small dice
• 2 medium carrots, small dice (or penny rounds)
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
• 3 cups water
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda * 

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (+/-)
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
• ¼ to 1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
• Pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• 2 bay leaves

Other Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups diced sweet potatoes, peeled, ¼-inch dice
• 1 ½ cups diced red skinned potatoes, unpeeled, ¼-inch dice *
• 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] brown lentils, rinsed and drained *
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] cannellini beans, rinsed and drained *
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice *
• 1 Tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari (optional) *
• 2 teaspoons almond butter (+/-) *
• 2 to 3 cups chopped baby spinach (+/-) *

Optional Toppings:

• Chopped fresh parsley
• Sprinkle Vegan Parmesan Cheese

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Instructions

1. Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaves and fresh parsley) into a small bowl, stir well, set aside.
2. In a large stockpot, sauté the diced onions, carrots, and celery, sauté for 7 to 9 minutes over medium-high heat until they start to become tender. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking/burning if needed.
3. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the pot, continue to sauté over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
4. Next add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda), the Spice/Herb Mix and fresh chopped parsley, stir well, tuck in the bay leaves, bring to a boil.
5. Add the baking soda, stir well, then immediately lower to a low-percolating boil.
6. Add the diced sweet potatoes and red skinned potatoes, increase the heat and bring to a boil, then immediately lower once again to a low-percolating boil and low-boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
7. Stir in the lentils and cannellini beans, simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the almond butter, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, tamari, and chopped baby spinach, stir well until the almond butter is completely dissolved into the soup broth, simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
9. Taste test for seasoning, adjust as needed.
10. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and the potatoes to continue to infuse with the soup broth flavors. After 15 minutes, then remove and discard the bay leaves.
11. Top individual servings with a sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese and/or chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy with crusty bread or with a simple side salad.

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Notes

Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used. 

Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Serving:  6 to 8  (makes 10 ½ cups)

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