This Italian style wild rice soup, flecked with lima beans, wild rice and loads of vegetables, has layers of depth and flavor. Serve it for a hearty, nourishing and delicious dinner.
Table of Contents
This easy and versatile soup is made in the style of an Italian rice and lentil soup with a twist: instead of the rice and lentils, I use wild rice and lima beans. Doing so not only adds more protein, fiber and other nutrients to the recipe, it also gives the soup more texture and flavor.
You can serve this wild rice soup for dinner any time of year but it is especially great in winter because it's exquisitely cozy and very pantry-friendly. You can adapt it to the veggies you have on hand, use any white beans of your choice, and if you don't want to use wild rice you can make it with white rice or brown rice.
The wild rice does take some time to cook, but all of that time is hands-free, so I am putting this soup firmly in the category of "weeknight friendly dinners." If you want to make it in the Instant Pot or crockpot, you can do so. More on that in the FAQs below. The soup is soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free (just skip the cashew parm I finish the soup with).
The recipe makes six very hearty servings and if you're a lighter eater you could easily stretch it out to eight or even 10 servings. Each serving has 19 grams of protein and 14 grams of heart-healthy fiber, among other nutrients. The soup freezes nicely so you can save leftovers for another day.
Why wild rice?
Wild rice is not really rice - it's the grain of an aquatic grass - and it has twice the protein of regular white rice or brown rice. It is lower in calories and carbs and has more nutrients, which pretty much makes it a nutritional powerhouse.
You can use wild rice as a substitute for rice in recipes like this wild rice cauliflower pilaf. In this soup the wild rice cooks up nutty and lightly chewy but creamy on this inside, making it the perfect foil for the tender vegetables and beans.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil. This adds both flavor and healthfulness to the recipe. See FAQs below if you want to make the recipe oil-free.
- Garlic. Lots of garlic = maximum deliciousness. I also love its healing properties in winter.
- Fresh vegetables: onions, carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. This combination adds maximum flavor and the mushrooms add umami. See FAQs below on more vegetable options. You can also use leeks instead of onions.
- Herbs: Use an Italian seasoning or make your own as I did using a mix of a half teaspoon each of dried rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram and basil.
- Canned tomatoes (pureed) and tomato paste. The tomato paste adds more flavor and umami to this vegan soup.
- Cooked or canned lima beans. I like lima beans because they become so creamy after simmering slowly with the wild rice. You can use any white beans of your choice. If cooking the beans from scratch, start out with 1 cup dried beans. The beans should be cooked before they go into the pot, and drain them if you are using canned.
- Wild rice. You can easily buy wild rice at any supermarket or health food store or online. It's pricier than regular rice but a good occasional addition to the diet for its healthy qualities.
- Vegetable stock (or water). Mushroom stock would work too. If using water, use a tablespoon of a vegetable broth base for the best flavor.
Optional ingredients
- Red pepper flakes. I put these under optional ingredients because I know not everyone likes the heat, but I recommend them for the wonderful but muted kick they add. If you don't want even that small amount of heat you can leave them out and use more freshly ground black pepper.
- Vegan parmesan. Stir some into the soup at the finish for more depth or skip it, the soup will still be delicious.
How to make Italian wild rice soup
Place olive oil and garlic in a Dutch oven or large pot. Turn heat to medium low and saute the garlic for a couple of minutes until very aromatic.
Add the onions, carrots and zucchini along with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Saute for a couple of minutes on medium heat until the onions start to soften.
Stir in the mushrooms and all the dried herbs and mix.
Add the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix them into the vegetables. Cover the pot and let the tomatoes cook for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the lima beans and the wild rice.
Follow this by adding three cups of vegetable stock or water. Mix well. Let the soup come to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
Add red pepper flakes, if using, stir them in, cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 40-45 minutes until the wild rice is still pleasantly chewy but tender. Check salt and add more as needed.
Turn off the heat and stir in vegan parmesan, if using. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and more vegan parmesan on the side.
Serve
There's so much going on in this wild rice soup, it's a complete and nourishing meal on its own. You can serve it, if you like, with a slice of crusty Italian bread or Tuscan bread.
My top tips
- If you like the soup soupier, add more stock or water and bring to a boil before turning off heat. Always check and add more seasoning if adding more water.
- The tomatoes and mushrooms add delicious umami, but for even more flavor add a teaspoon of soy sauce after adding the lima beans and wild rice to the pot. You won't taste it in the soup but it will help deepen the flavors.
Recipe FAQs
Saute the veggies in ¼ cup vegetable stock or mushroom stock.
You can swap out the mushrooms and zucchini for potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, asparagus and leafy greens like spinach or kale. Kale can go in along with the other veggies, but if using spinach, which cooks much quicker, add it only after the wild rice has cooked and allow it a couple of minutes to wilt.
White rice will take far less time to cook than wild rice - it should be done after 15-20 minutes. Brown rice will take longer. Begin checking after 30 minutes and turn off heat once the rice is cooked.
Use cooked lima beans if using the crockpot. Use the SAUTE function on the crockpot up to step 6. After adding red pepper flakes cover the crockpot and simmer the soup on HIGH for three hours or LOW for six hours. Top off with water or stock if needed during or after cooking. Add parm, if using, and salt as needed before serving.
Use the SAUTE function of the Instant Pot up to step 6. After adding the optional red pepper flakes, cover the Instant Pot and pressure cook on HIGH for 20 minutes. Do a manual release after 20 minutes, stir the soup, add more water if needed and the parm if using, and check for salt and pepper. If starting out with dried lima beans, increase cooking time to 35 minutes and add two more cups of water.
Refrigerate the soup in an airtight container up to four days or store in the freezer for up to four months. Thaw and reheat in microwave or on stovetop, adding more water and salt if necessary.
More satisfying Mediterranean soups
Recipe card
Italian Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 large carrot (finely chopped)
- 1 medium zucchini (finely chopped)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (you can replace this and all of the herbs below with a tablespoon of Italian seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 14 oz canned plum tomatoes (pureed)
- 6 oz canned tomato paste
- 28 oz lima beans (approximately three cups, canned or cooked. Drain canned beans before using)
- ¾ cup wild rice (uncooked)
- 3 cups vegetable stock (or mushroom stock or water. Add a tablespoon of vegetable broth base if using water)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional. Add more or less according to your preference)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Place olive oil and garlic in a Dutch oven or large pot. Turn heat to medium low and saute the garlic for a couple of minutes until very aromatic.
- Add the onions, carrots and zucchini along with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Saute for a couple of minutes until the onions start to soften.
- Stir in the mushrooms and all the dried herbs and mix.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix them into the vegetables. Cover the pot and let the tomatoes cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the lima beans and the wild rice. Add three cups of vegetable stock or water. Mix well. Let the soup come to a boil, then simmer for five minutes.
- Add red pepper flakes, if using, stir them in, cover the pot and let the soup cook for 40-45 minutes until the wild rice is still pleasantly chewy but tender. Check salt and add more as needed. If at any point the soup looks too dry, add more stock or water.
- Turn off the heat and stir in vegan parmesan, if using. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and more vegan parmesan on the side.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
First published April 19, 2014. Updated and re-published on Jan. 17, 2025.
Stephanie says
This is one of the best soup recipes I have ever tried! I didn't have zucchini on hand and substituted it with acorn squash. It turned out great and my family enjoys it too. Thank you
Terri says
This soup is delicious, with rich and deep flavors! We enjoyed sopping up the last remnants in our bowl with homemade dinner rolls. I cooked the lima beans from scratch, and subbed half of them with cannellini beans, just for shape variety. I could find wild rice at only one store, and it was outrageously priced, so I subbed black cargo rice that I had on hand. I have since acquired wild rice at a more reasonable price, and plan on making it again with that. Thanks for this awesomely yummy recipe, Vaishali!
Vaishali says
Yay!! So happy you loved the soup, Terri. ❤️
Carla says
What could I sub for the lima beans? I loath the texture of lima beans. I can't leave a rating as I've not tried it yet.
Vaishali says
Use any white beans. I have listed options in the ingredients list. Hope you try!
Carolyn says
I love your recipes. The Italian wild rice and leek soup looks so good. Is it possible to use something other than asparagus? If so, what would you recommend?
Vaishali says
Hi Carolyn, you could use green beans or zucchini. Or use mushrooms.
Kelsey M says
This looks lovely!
Joe Rickerson says
I made this - sans wild rice - but I did put in the leeks. I think you forgot the leeks. I can't see them in the pictures or in the recipe beyond the ingredient list. And it took me 40 minutes prep time. I made enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a week for two. Very tasty and very healthy. Keep these recipes coming and keep us up to date on Opie. This was a very engaging story.
Vaishali says
Hi Joe, how lovely that you tried it-- and liked it. I did add the leeks, but I forgot to add to the recipe. Thanks for pointing out-- I've added it now. And yes, I'll keep those stories on Opie coming. So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Gita Jaishankar says
Opie looks too cute Vaishali...loved reading the antics about him especially about the squirrels 🙂 Your soup recipe looks very interesting and inviting, going to try this healthy soup sometime soon 🙂
Vaishali says
Thanks, Gita! Opie sends you a big wag of his tail. 🙂
Pallavi Kulkarni says
Oh Opie is SO gorgeous! and so good at posing for a picture 🙂 His soft shiny fur is so inviting, makes me feel like I want to bury my face in and I want to squeeze him:)
Vaishali says
Hi Pallavi, he is gorgeous, isn't he? He sends you a big wag. 🙂