Grocery shopping while hungry – oh boy. It seems to happen all too often, despite my best intentions. Sometimes, simply being in the proximity of tasty looking food makes me hungry. Ok, make that always. Last week, Eric and I were picking up some groceries at Whole Foods around dinnertime. Shopping at Whole Foods before dinnertime is Trouble with a capital T. I’m out of control and totally irrational. The hubby made a beeline for the pizza and I contemplated buying food from the hot and cold bar. That is, until I spotted a row of glorious, vegan, made-from-scratch soups on the very top row of the cooler section. The angels started to sing!!!
Moral of the story: ALWAYS look on the top or bottom row at Whole Foods! That’s where the hidden gems are.
I was suddenly struck by an intense craving for broccoli and “cheese” soup. Funny how that happens! The jar was thrown into my cart so fast my head almost spun.
Needless to say, I polished off the jar by lunch the next day. SO GOOD. My new obsession was either going to make me broke feeding it, or I was going to try and make something similar in my own home. I bet you can take a wild guess what I did.
That’s right. I got down and dirty in the kitchen. Recreating favourite store-bought foods is a true passion of mine. My version is a bit thicker than the original, but I’m not complaining. The original soup might be a bit stronger on the broccoli too, while mine probably has more squash and sweet potato. Either way, both are crazy good. It made a whopping 10 cups worth, which is so great for leftovers all week long!
Sure, there will be those times when I’m hangry in the grocery store and looking for something quick for dinner, but it’s good to know that I can make something similar in my own kitchen should I feel motivated to do so! Ontario friends, if you come across Sopa Organica Soup line (here is a list of locations), I strongly urge you to give this soup a try! I can’t wait to sample other kinds…
7 Vegetable and "Cheese" Soup
Yield
10 cups (2.4 L)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Silky smooth and bursting with 7 healthy vegetables, this soup will keep you feeling great all fall and winter long! The nutritional yeast gives this soup a "cheese-like" flavour and simple spices allow the flavours of the vegetables to shine. The beauty of making a puréed soup is that you don't have to fuss over chopping the vegetables with great precision since they’ll be blended anyways; this results in a faster prep. To give the soup some texture, try topping it with my easy Pan-Fried Garlic Croutons and toasted pepita seeds.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 cups (280 to 420 g) chopped sweet onion (from 1 large onion)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (115 g) chopped celery (2-3 stalks)
- 1 heaping cup (155 g) peeled and chopped carrots (2 small carrots)
- 6 cups packed (330 g) broccoli florets (1 large bunch broccoli)
- 2 cups (270 g) peeled and chopped sweet potato (from 1 small sweet potato)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (195 to 260 g) seeded and chopped delicata squash* (optional)
- 5 1/2 cups (1.375 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 3 to 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt)
- White wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice, to taste
For Serving:
- Toasted pepita seeds
- Pan-Fried Garlic Croutons
Directions
- Grab a very large pot (about 6 1/2 quarts) with a lid and set aside.
- Add the onion and garlic with the oil into the pot and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes. Season with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Add the celery, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, and squash, one by one, as you chop them. Continue to sauté over medium heat, stirring every once and a while so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes, reducing heat if necessary.
- Remove lid and stir in the broth. Bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and cover with lid. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the squash and potato are fork tender.
- Turn off heat and remove lid. Allow the soup to cool slightly for 5 minutes or so. After cooling, carefully scoop the soup into a blender (you'll have to do this in a couple batches most likely) and add in the nutritional yeast and optional cayenne, if using. Carefully blend the mixture with the lid ajar (to allow heat to escape), starting at a low speed and increasing the speed until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender.
- Pour all of the puréed soup back into the original pot. Now, stir in the vinegar or lemon juice, to taste, about 1 teaspoon at a time. I usually add between 1 to 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar. This helps give the soup flavours some brightness.
- Ladle into bowls. Garnish with toasted pepita seeds and croutons.
- Transfer leftovers into jars and allow to cool before securing the lid and placing in the fridge. The soup should stay fresh for a week in the fridge. To freeze, add cooled soup into a container or glass jar, leaving 1 inch at the top for expansion. Secure lid and freeze for up to 1 to 2 months.
Tip:
- * The delicata squash in this soup is totally optional. It still turns out lovely without it. Or you can also try swapping the delicata squash for peeled and chopped butternut squash.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
By the way, a huge thank you to everyone who made a donation to TEAM MOO in Farm Sanctuary’s What Did U Do? campaign! We’ve raised over $1000 (and a total of $3341 on our team!) and I can’t thank you enough for your generosity. This is going to help so many animals get the care they need. The campaign runs until October 2nd so you can donate at any time. To find out more, see yesterday’s post.
xo
Thanks. This looks fabulous. It’s on the menu for tonight.
To really save money on vegetable stock, here’s a simple and free way to do it. Get a large ziplock freezer bag. Throw all your veggie scraps in it – ends of carrots & peels, potato peels, broccoli stems, asparagus stems, onions & peels, spinach, mushroom stems, etc (skip lettuce, cabbage or anything really strong).
When you need stock, fill a pot with water (however much stock you need), add a handful of frozen scraps (grab a mixture) and a little salt (optional). Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5-20 minutes (no longer than that or it can start to go bitter).
Strain and voila, free stock. The longer you simmer, the strong it’ll be, but even 5 minute stock is more flavourful than water. Making your own is free and it lets you control the salt, which is especially good if you’re going to use it for beans or lentils since you don’t want salt until later in the cooking process anyway.
*Note: the green stems, broccoli, asparagus and mushrooms will make it a dark stock. For a light stock, just grab onion and carrot bits.
this looks so yummy & it’s a great recipe going into fall! will have to try!
Broccoli cheese soup is one of my favorite soups. Soup is one reason I love fall, I’ve made soup every Sunday for the past 3 weeks! I can’t wait to try this recipe, I love your other broccoli soup recipe so am confident this one will be great as well.
This soup sounds lovely, and so simple! I bought a delicata squash yesterday and I think it’s meant for this soup.
Hi! We don’t have much squash here in Australia, but we do have a couple of different types of pumpkins. Could I substitute with pumpkin?
I have been LOVING the vegan month of food for ONE reason:
WE’VE BEEN GETTING SO MANY WONDERFUL OSG RECIPES!!!
It’s like Christmas over and over again! I love it. So many great ideas, all delicious and diverse!
hahah this comment just made my day – thanks so much! I’ll think of you when I’m losing my mojo.
Saw this recipe first thing this morning, dreamt about it all day, and now I’m eating it for dinner! Bonus: made the entire soup out of CSA veggies!
Glad to hear that!! using up a CSA box is always a satisfying victory. :)
Love this soup-
However allergic to broccoli…. What can I substitute that would work with all the flavones?
Thanks!
We sell Sopa soups at the cafe I work at in Etobicoke (it’s called Birds and Beans). My favourite kinds are the Curried Cauliflower (which I plan on recreating) and the Lentil Lime. So good! I have yet to try this variety, but now I can with this recipe!
I saw your post during my lunch break and had to make this for dinner! Turned out sooo good, perfect end to a rainy day. I had to sub zucchini for the squash, red potato for sweet, and use my hand blender, which actually produced a super smooth texture. Another great recipe!
Hey Melissa, So glad it worked out even with the subs! Don’t you love when soup recipes are versatile? Thanks for letting me know!
Hi! I know this is supposed to be a “cheesy” soup, but would it taste good even without the nutritional yeast? Thanks!
I’m not sure…I forgot to try it before I added in the seasonings!
The seven vegetables and the cheese in your soup makes it mouth-watering! I will try your recipe soon. Thank you.
This soup sounds perfect for Fall/Winter! Two quick questions- what brand of vegetable broth powder do you use? Also, could I use an immersion blender instead of having to transfer the soup to a blender? Thanks for the info!
Angela, you have no idea how many lives are being positively influenced and changed by what you do in your kitchen and here on your blog. I, being one of them, want to thank you from my heart and let you know you’re loved and admired very much! Keep being who you are, and doing what you do!
You are so sweet, thank you so much for your lovely words! I appreciate you so much.
Ohhhh girl!
I’m so excited that it’s Soup Season! As soon as Fall comes around I’m ready to dive into the soups. This one looks delicious and so packed with goodness. I have to tell you that your blog has become a favorite for me–I suddenly realized I’d been pinning nearly all your recipes to try later! I have felt that my vegetarian diet has been really poor lately, but your recipes get me excited to eat good food again. So thanks. :)
I’m so happy to hear that Callen! Thanks for reading :)
I love your site and am working my way through every recipe! I talk about it so much my partner is beginning to finish my sentences for me, “I got this great recipe off…” “ohsheglows, I know Lisa”
Thanks for keeping us happily and healthily fed! :)
haha that’s too funny!! Glad to help :)
This looks AMAZING!:) I just love how fall foods just glow don’t you?:) This soup is lovely! My fridge isn’t quite filled with all these ingredients, but I do have some leftover acorn squash, some onions, garlic, celery and carrots to work with. Plus, I made some homemade broth last week when battling a cold, so I think I’ll give this a whirl with what I’ve got! Thanks for the inspiration:) I always love using my Vitamix for something other than smoothies, even though that’s my favorite way:)
PERFECT. I need something tasty that I can freeze for late nights when I come home around dinner time absolutely starving. Would you recommend freezing glass jars? I’ve never tried it before and am a bit scared that might now work, but I don’t have a lot of other containers I could use.
Beautiful soup and gorgeous pics!!! Thanks for the idea of using nutritional yeast for a cheesy soup! Just a suggestion: I used to make soup all of the time on the stove and then puree in my vitamix but now I just use a stick blender to blend up my cooked veggies right in the pot and it saves so much time and MESS! For me, it is the only way to go!! :)