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.
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.
- 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
- In a stock pot, saute onions, celery and carrots in oil until onions are translucent (about 5 – 10 minutes).
- 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.
- Add 5 cups of water and the sliced potatoes. *Add bouillon if using water. Add more water if needed to cover the potatoes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the sauce back to the soup and stir. Add garlic and onion powders. Salt and pepper to taste.
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!!
I am so happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know.