Description
This Vegan Broccoli Potato Soup is a creamy, comforting, and nutritious dish perfect for any season. Made with golden potatoes, fresh broccoli florets, and a blend of savory vegetables, cashews, and nutritional yeast, this soup is rich in flavor and texture without any dairy or animal products. It’s an easy, hearty meal that comes together in just 45 minutes and serves 8 people, making it ideal for family dinners or meal prepping.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1/2 yellow onion (or 1/2 leek), chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 lb golden potatoes, scrubbed, rinsed, and diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1 lb broccoli florets
Other
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 7-8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 5-6 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 pinch sea salt, to taste
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh chives, snipped for garnish
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
- Water or a drizzle of olive oil (for sautéing)
Instructions
- Sauté Onion: Preheat a heavy stock pot over medium-low heat and sauté the chopped onion in a splash of water or a drizzle of olive oil until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add Vegetables and Sweat: Add sea salt, red pepper flakes, chopped celery, and diced carrot. Toss everything together, cover with a lid, and sweat the vegetables for a few more minutes until the carrots begin to soften.
- Simmer Soup Base: Add minced garlic, diced potatoes, raw cashews, and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stir in the nutritional yeast, cover with a lid, and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes and cashews are tender.
- Puree Soup: Transfer the soup to a powerful blender (such as a Vitamix) and carefully purée until silky smooth. An immersion blender is an alternative, but a high-speed blender yields the best texture.
- Cook Broccoli: Return the creamy soup to the pot and bring it back to a simmer. Add broccoli florets, cover with a lid, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until broccoli is tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Alternatively, steam the broccoli separately and add later.
- Adjust Seasoning and Texture: Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with additional sea salt if needed. Add more vegetable stock to thin the soup if you prefer a looser consistency.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with extra red pepper flakes and fresh chives, and serve hot.
Notes
- You can substitute leek for the yellow onion if preferred.
- Turmeric is optional but adds a subtle earthiness and color to the soup.
- Use low sodium vegetable stock to control saltiness, especially if adding sea salt to taste.
- For a nuttier flavor, toast the cashews lightly before adding to the soup.
- To make the soup thicker, use fewer cups of vegetable stock or add less when thinning.
- This soup freezes well; cool completely before freezing in airtight containers.
