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…
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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)
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xo
Hi!
I am currently fighting a nasty cold and want to make this tomorrow.. I only have one package of (frozen) broccoli and two bags of (frozen) cauliflower. What would you do? Do you think it would be good with cauliflower?
Thanks!!!
Now THAT looks awesome! Do you think you could substitute regular potatoes for the sweet potatoes?
This recipe looks so wonderful! If I were to sub an acorn squash, would I have to bake it beforehand? Thank you!
I would just follow the cooking method as described..should be fine!
Soup is a recent passion of mine and THIS will top the charts. Oh my gosh, it sounds and look so good. Our weather has been in the 70’s so it is perfect weather for soup! I can’t wait to try this. You do have the MOST amazing recipes on here!
Hello Angela, Many thanks for your wonderful recipes including this beautiful soup. I couldn’t get my hands on nutritional yeast in Sydney however I replaced it with a small amount of ground cashews for a creamier soup. I am thoroughly enjoying your posts and recipes. Wishing you all the best from Australia. Irene
Hey Irene, that is a great idea! So glad it worked :)
Oh my I am craving this soup now even though its spring here is Australia and not really soup season. I might just whip up a batch!
I made this last night for dinner. I admit, I was afraid… I don’t like squash soup or any sweet soups. But I followed the recipe to a T and it was DELISH! The hubby loved it.
I used a cup of it, some cooked quinoa, bread crumbs and made ‘quinoa veggie balls’ for the toddler. He loved it too!
Made this last night, so, so, SO good. My husband said it was one of his fave soups ever. I’m making more to freeze today.
Omg!! I made this last night and just ate it for lunch! SO SO DELICIOUS!!!
Hey Patti, So glad you enjoyed it! :) Thanks for letting me know.
I made this the other night, adding in some parsnip and garnet yams, and substituting acorn squash for delicata, which I could not find in my local grocery store. Absolutely delicious! My SO threatened to eat it for every meal until it was gone, and I’m traveling today and actually worried that there won’t be any left when I get home, or that I’ll find him mainlining it. That’s a lot of mental energy invested in a soup, but deservedly so. Thanks for the great recipe!
What a beautiful soup! Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe…and so healthy as well. It looks perfect for Fall :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I want October to be full of soups so I will definitely be making this.
I plan on steaming frozen broccoli as I’ve heard boiling broccoli causes a loss in nutrients.
Perfect timing for posting a soup recipe as the weather here just turned cold and foggy. I made this soup for dinner last night as I was in need of a heavy dose of veggies. This soup definitely did the trick. I love how packed it is with nutrient dense seasonal vegetables. Just what I needed. I didn’t add the cinnamon, since I like my soups more savory, and it was delicious. I also added some cooked quinoa to the soup to give it a little protein.By the way, I bought an immersion blender for $10, and it cuts WAY down on the prep time. Now I have a ton of soup ready to freeze for quick, healthy lunches this season. Thanks for the great recipe!
this soup was delicious – I couldn’t find the type of squash listed in the recipe – i did find one called a “sweet potato squash” but wasn’t sure if it was right so i didn’t buy it. now looking on line i see that delicata and sweet potato squash are the same thing :) anyway the soup was great without it! thanks for the recipe.
My sister has been in town and we were planning a bit fall feast for her last night with us here. As soon as we saw this recipe, we ran to the market and picked up all of the ingredients. Angela, this soup is inspiring and heart-warming. We simply could not wait for it to cool last night, so we ate it in its heartier, chunkier form. Then, we blended it so that we could have the smoother version today for lunch! This soup is criminally simple and moan-inducing delicious! It will definitely be a cool-weather staple around here!
This was delicious! I don’t really care for the taste of nutritional yeast, so I added some cashew cream instead. Mmmmm! Thanks for the recipe :)
This looks very yummy. I will definitely be testing it out! Thanks.
Hi Angela! So I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, but I’ve never commented before. I am not a vegan, but I do believe in eating lots of fresh produce and I absolutely LOVE all of your recipes. They’re always so vibrant and full of good for you ingredients! Just made this soup for dinner tonight, it’s delicious! I pretty much made it as written, except that I didn’t have any nutritional yeast on hand. So instead, I whipped up a small batch of cashew cheese with about a 1/2 cup of cashews, 1/2 cup water, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. I blended it in with the soup and it turned out great!
Thanks again for creating awesome food :-)
Hey Colleen, So glad that worked out for you…genius!! I will have to try it out sometime. :)
Hi. Making this later. Do we keep skin on the delicata squash as it appears in pic?? I made some delicata yesterday. Didn’t know if I could use the cooked squash!! Thanks!!
Lauren
Yes you keep the skin on :) enjoy!
Hi Angela,
I LOVE your site. Always excited to see what delish dishes you will inspire me with next :)
Question: what type of nutritional yeast do you use? I have two types in my cupboard right now: a powdery one with a more pungent/cheesy smell/flavour and a more coarse flake variety (which is less on the cheese but quite earthy). I never know which one to use! Thanks for your insight. i.