I Can't Believe It's All Veggie Soup

This dump-and-go crockpot vegetable soup is built to convince even skeptics that an all-veggie bowl can be seriously satisfying. The secret weapon is TVP (textured vegetable protein), which soaks up the tomato-rich broth over 6 hours and gives the soup a meaty chew without any actual meat.

Pinto beans and converted rice add body and substance, while okra does what okra does best: it thickens the broth naturally as it cooks, giving the soup an almost gumbo-like richness. Two cans of no-salt tomatoes form the base alongside vegetable stock powder and water.

The beauty of this recipe is the method. Everything goes in at once. No sauteing, no layering, no fussing. Six hours on low and your kitchen smells like you’ve been cooking all day, because you have. Just not actively.

Pro Tips

• Rehydrate the TVP in warm water for 10 minutes before adding it if you want it to absorb more broth flavor rather than staying chewy.
• Use no-salt canned tomatoes since the vegetable stock powder already carries sodium. You can always add salt at the table.
• Converted rice holds its shape better than regular white rice over 6 hours. Don’t substitute instant rice or it’ll dissolve.

Variations

• Stir in a handful of fresh spinach or kale in the last 30 minutes for extra greens.
• Add a diced jalapeño and a teaspoon of cumin for a Southwestern spin.
• Replace pinto beans with black beans and add corn for a chunkier, heartier version.