Vegan Potato Leek Soup

by | Apr 9, 2013 | Soups | 2 comments

A few weeks ago, I tried a new recipe for cream of mushroom soup posted by Somer Vedge. It was delicious and gave me an idea how I could create a vegan potato leek soup using the same technique. I just bought a new food processor. This made prepping the vegetables a snap.

Creamy potato leek soup

Begin by sautéing diced onions, carrots and celery in a little vegan butter. Add sliced leeks and minced garlic and cooked until the leeks are wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Add 1/4 cup of flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are well coated. Add five cups of water and 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of vegan “no chicken” bouillon base. You can also use five cups of vegetable broth. Add a few pounds of peeled and sliced russet potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. The broth should cover the potatoes and vegetables by 1/2 – 1 inch. This will be a thick, chunky soup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.

When the potatoes are tender, ladle out 2 cups of the soup into the carafe of a blender. Add 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked and drained), 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast. 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder. Blend for 1 – 2 minutes until the cashews are completely smooth. A Vitamix makes quick work of this, but any blender should do. Add the cashew mixture back to the soup pot and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Creamy Potato Leek Soup
Author: Sylvia Bass
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 60 mins
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 2 – 3 leeks, washed and sliced (white parts only)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 – 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil or vegan butter
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 5 cups water* or vegetable broth
  • *1 1/2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base (if using water instead of broth)
  • 2 – 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a stock pot, saute onions, celery and carrots in oil until onions are translucent (about 5 – 10 minutes).
  2. Add leeks and continue to cook for until leeks are wilted. Add garlic and saute for 1 – 2 minutes more. Add flour and coat the vegetables. This will help thicken the soup.
  3. Add 5 cups of water and the sliced potatoes. *Add bouillon if using water. Add more water if needed to cover the potatoes.
  4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 – 60 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender and break apart easily.
  5. Ladle two cups of soup into a blender. Add 1/2 cup of cashews and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast. Blend at highest speed for 1 – 2 minutes or until the sauce is creamy with no cashew bits.
  6. Add the sauce back to the soup and stir. Add garlic and onion powders. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
If you have a food processor, the vegetable prep time will be very quick. Trader Joe’s sells a bag of frozen sliced leeks.
3.2.1753

 

2 Comments

  1. Dan Janjigian

    Loved this recipe – didn’t have nutritional yeast, so used Parmesan cheese instead (I know…), and added some Tabasco for a nice kick. I think next time I’ll go with a little less flower so it’s just a tad thinner, but this recipe ROCKS!!

    Reply
    • Sylvia

      I am so happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know.

      Reply

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Updated on
Mar 5, 2017

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