Freezer-friendly meals! Just hearing those three words makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This is one of the soup recipes that I made and froze before our baby arrived. I absolutely adore soup this time of the year, even better when it’s already made for me. It’s versatile, soul-soothing, filling, and healthy. Plus, it’s easy to make it into a complete meal without much fuss. I like to serve it with some toast/bread and/or salad for a lightening fast meal. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to have this soup waiting for us when we got home from the hospital.
By the way, thank you all for your tips on freezing meals. I picked up a few good ones (seriously, read the post + comments if you haven’t!), including labeling all the containers. I now add a piece of painter’s tape (because it’s easy to remove) onto each container and I write the name of the meal and the date that I froze it. This way I won’t ever have to wonder what the heck is hiding in the container and when it was made. Why haven’t I done this before?
Before I get to this soup recipe that I’m sharing from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, let me tell you about another revelation I had when I was making all of this soup in bulk several weeks ago. I finally taught myself how to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned diced tomatoes in my soup recipes. I try to avoid buying a lot of canned tomato products since acidic foods often leach chemicals from the lining of cans, so I figured it was time to finally bite the bullet and experiment with making my own using fresh, in-season tomatoes. I’m happy to report that this method worked well as a substitute in two of the soup recipes I tried so far. The only thing I found was that I needed to add more salt to make up for the salt that would’ve been in the canned product. Also, I only recommend using in-season, über tasty tomatoes for best results.
How I substitute fresh tomatoes for canned diced tomatoes:
1. I use about 1.8 pounds of fresh tomatoes to replace one 28-ounce can. Many sources online suggest 2 pounds, so I wouldn’t go much more than that or you are probably adding too many.
2. Using a paring knife, create an “X” slit in the bottom of each tomato. This will make the skin easier to peel off after blanching.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully drop the tomatoes into the boiling water with a ladle. Reduce heat to medium-high and turn the timer on for about 1 minute. When you see the skins start to peel away from the tomato, remove and plunge directly into a bowl of cold ice water.
4. Once cool to touch, remove tomatoes from water and peel off the skin. Core and dice tomatoes. Reserve the juice and be sure to add all the juices into the pot along with the tomatoes (unless of course the recipe calls for drained canned tomatoes).
You now have an easy, fresh substitute for canned diced tomatoes! Yippee.
When I don’t have fresh, in-season tomatoes on hand, my go-to brand for BPA-free canned tomatoes is Ontario Natural Food Co-op – they are organic, sourced from Ontario, and use BPA-free cans. Another alternative is buying them in glass containers.
Now onto this creamy, spicy, vegetable-packed soup!
10-Spice Vegetable Soup
Yield
10-12 cups
Soak time
2-8 hours (for cashews)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is the ultimate bowl of comfort food, made with a decadent creamy broth and loaded with an array of health-boosting spices and vegetables. Be sure to soak the cashews in water the night before (or see my 30 to 60 minute quick-soak method) so they are ready when you plan to make the soup. Recipe is lightly adapted from The Oh She Glows Cookbook (page 237).
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 6 cups (1.5L) vegetable broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups diced sweet onion (about 1 medium)
- 1 heaping cup peeled and chopped carrots (about 3 medium)
- 1 red bell pepper or 1 cup jarred roasted red pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potato, regular potato, or butternut squash
- 1 heaping cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 1 (28-ounce/796 mL) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Homemade 10-Spice Mix, to taste
- Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 to 3 cups baby spinach or destemmed torn kale leaves
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can chickpeas or other beans, drained and rinsed
Homemade 10-Spice Mix (makes 1/2 cup):
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
- Place cashews in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak the cashews overnight, or for 8 hours. For a quick-soak method, soak the cashews in boiled water for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews.
- In a blender, combine the soaked and drained cashews with 1 cup of vegetable broth and blend on the highest speed until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Season generously with Herbamare or sea salt.
- Add the carrots, bell pepper, potato, celery, and diced tomatoes with their juices, the remaining 5 cups broth, and 1 to 2 tablespoons 10-Spice Mix (to taste). Stir well to combine . Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Simmer the soup uncovered for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and black pepper. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the cashew cream, spinach (or kale), and drained beans. Add more 10-Spice Mix, to taste.
- To freeze, ladle the soup into containers (leaving 1 inch for expansion), cool completely, secure lid, and place in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Tip:
- If you don’t wish to make the 10-Spice Mix, feel free to use your favorite store-bought Cajun or Creole seasoning mix and add to taste.
- You will have leftover spice blend. Store it in a container and keep it handy anytime you want to spice up a dish! It's great in pasta sauces, soup, as a tofu seasoning, in a stir-fry, and more.
- When thawed, this soup's broth looks a bit grainy, but rest assured when it's heated up again it will return to its former smoothness. Regardless, it'll taste just as good!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
The Oh She Glows Cookbook now sold in Australia!
I’m thrilled to announce that The Oh She Glows Cookbook is now officially published in Australia by Penguin Books Australia!
You can find the cookbook at the following retailers:
Yum! I love soup and this one looks as good as it must taste. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this soup this week for lunch and it is amazing! Sadly I forgot the spinach but it’s still 5 stars for me!
I just finished a bowl of this delicious soup for lunch, with some rice crackers and kale, hemp seed and sun dried tomato pesto from your cookbook (my favorite snack with rice crackers).
Made this last night and it was amazing! Loved the smokey and slightly spicey flavor the 10 spice mix added to the soup. Perfect for a fall night.
This soup is rich, hearty and filling, yet does not put me immediately to sleep like most rich foods. Very yummy, reminds me of the African peanut soup (also from your book). I love that it makes such a huge pot; we have been eating it for days and even had enough left to freeze several servings. Perfect for the cooler weather.
I made this the other night, as it is definitely fall weather that calls for a warm, hearty soup. It was easy to make, and super delicious! I used a generous amount of Herbamare during the sauteing process, and with all the other spices, there was no need whatsoever to add additional seasoning after it was done simmering. The veggies were soft, yet crunchy – not a soggy mess like a lot of other veggie soups tend to be. The cashew cream definitely adds more depth, while not necessarily in flavor, but in richness. I see this becoming a constant in our home, to tide us over in the winter months and after our baby arrives! DELICIOUS!!
This was the perfect fall healthy, comfort vegetable soup. I used kale and it was perfection. I also used about 2T of the 10 spice blend as I love a little heat. :) Making the 10 spice blend is definitely worth the time (about 2 min). I will be making this and freezing it in prep for our next little bundles arrival, but this batch is going to be devoured this week. I also made the carrot cake loaf with lemon glaze to eat with the soup. YUM!
As much as I read the comments following recipes, I have never taken the time to write one. I have cooked more than two thirds of the recipes in your cookbook and countless others from your site. You have NEVER failed me! Everything has always been perfect. I truly appreciate your creativeness as well as the time you must put into testing out recipes before sharing them with your readers. The soup was outstanding in every way. My family sang my praises, so hats off to you! My only regret is that I didn’t double the batch! Cheers!
Made this 5 star soup last night but added zucchini…. it’s pure deliciousness. It was so good I even ate it for breakfast!!
I love how rich and filling this soup is.
Mmh this looks delicious! Perfect for the small hunger in the afternoon or when you come home from a walk! I definitely need to try this recipe!
http://anovamelody.blogspot.com
A really filling, decadent soup! I messed it up a little because my red pepper had gone mouldy and I totally forgot the tomatoes but it still delicious! The broth is so creamy and smooth!
First of all Angela, congratulations on Adriana! She is absolutely beautiful, oh boy, Eric’s gonna have his hands full with a daddy’s girl!
Second, I made this soup and I absolutely love it! I’m in the tail end of the 2nd week of a 30 day vegan detox. I’m not a vegan but a pescatarian and this was such a perfect meal. I added butternut/acorn squash along with the sweet potato and wow, what a hearty and delicious soup for winter. I froze 3 huge glass jars from this and now I’ll have enough for winter nights when it’s cold and dreary!
I still follow you avidly and love your book and have given it to several friends and family members as gifts!
Enjoy your time with your sweet baby girl!
I made this soup two days ago and we LOVE it! This is the first time I have made a cashew cream- and it’s wonderful! It adds so much rich creaminess to the soup. I also love the spice blend and am sure I will use it in other recipes as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this soup and the flavor is really good. I was in the mood for a blended soup so I threw several cups into the blender and it works beautifully that way too. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this soup yesterday, and wow!! It is one of the best soups I’ve ever eaten. Even the bf loved it. I may have to make another batch before the long weekend is over so I can have some for lunch this upcoming week. Thanks for the recipe!!
My husband is allergic to cashews. Any thing I can use as a substitute? I LOVE your recipes Angela!!
Hey Natasha, I don’t know of a substitute off hand as I havent tested anything out. I would like to try to use a full fat can of coconut milk in the future though…not sure if that would work or not?
Hey Angela!
My husband and I made this recipe. We’re in love with it! Would it be possible to make this in the slow cooker? Would that work?
Thanks.
I made 4 batches of this soup last night for my vegan food club. It was amazing. The cashew cream made it very rich and creamy and contrasted with the tomatoes nicely. This is also a nice one for my veggie teenager because of the protein she’ll get from the cashews. I used all the spices called for except the onion and garlic powders. I toasted the paprika since it called for smoked paprika, not sure this is what was meant… It will be interesting to see what the food group thinks…
I am trying to avoid inflammatory producing items like tomatoes and red peppers. What would be some good substitutions?