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…
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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
I’m just wondering if the yeast is needed? Recently released from hospital trying to make something good for body to eat have all items but yeast…what will happen without?
I made this a couple of weeks ago, and both my husband and I loved it! Thank you!
Can I just say…”I love your recipes”. I made this soup last night and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT
I have made several other items and it is all good and by the way I did not know veggies could taste this wonderful. I am still embarking on my new lifestyle and dragging my husband with me…he loves everything also. keep it up!
Thank you so much Ellen!
This soup was delicious!!! I substituted regular potatoes for the delicata squash due to what I had on hand. I shared this soup with my mother in law, and she said that it was the best soup she has ever had. Also, since my young boys are not huge soup eaters, I had the idea to serve this soup over noodles with a bit of melted cheddar cheese, and “viola!” It was a flavorful mac n “cheese.” I have enjoyed EVERY recipe I have tried from your page.
Aw thank you so much Tanya! I appreciate it :)
Do you have to peel Delicata squash? Or can the skin stay on? Thanks!
I left the skin on – it’s quite thin as far as squash goes and totally edible. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much for the reply! I’m going to make it this weekend :) I have never tried delicata squash so I was excited to buy one.
I must say that EVERY recipe I have taken from your blog has turned out wonderfully …and I’ve tried a lot of them! Keep up the great work… can’t wait for the cookbook!
Did I read correctly that you do not have to peel the delicata squash?
yes its true!
Okay- seriously, thank you so much. This is the best thing I’ve ever had!!! It tasted even better left over I thought. I had to use butternut squash- but other than that, I followed your recipe exactly and I love it!! I literally went out and bought 12 new mason jars because I’m gonna need to stock the freezer with this for the winter.
We don’t say it enough- thank you for sharing your creative recipes and wisdom with us. I really do appreciate it. You make plant based living much, much tastier! I appreciate you!
Hey Susan! yay, so happy you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for your kind words :) Hope your winter is delicious with this soup on hand!
Wow, this soup is great! I’m a long-time lurker and a huge fan. I’ve tried dozens of the recipes here, and I’ve never had one that I didn’t love! I made this soup yesterday and added a bit of curry powder at the end. Delicious! Another instant dinner staple.
This is your BEST recipe, and I have made, and loved a lot of yours. Super easy and so very tasty…everyone needs to try this one!
Well, thank you! :)
This is so good! I just found your website and am so happy I did. My meat eating husband had a beef stew, he liked the looks of this so tried it, and stopped eating his beef stew and switched to this! If made it just like the recipe but also added flax seed for a little more protein. My Vitamix did a great job blending it in. I also used raw unsalted pumpkin seeds on top……very good. Thanks!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was incredible!! I have tried several of your recipes and loved every one of them. :)
We loooooove this soup! I have made it twice in the last week! Thanks so much!
Okay, I’m back again to thank you for this amazing soup. I have now made it 4 times, and each time, I think, I should have made more!
This last time, I threw in a head of cauliflower and probably more squash than it called for (I just had it laying around and didn’t want it to go to waste) and it was even better! It was a bit thicker and creamier. Just throwing it out there. Seriously thank you for what you do. We are so lucky that you share your creative recipes with us- the least we can do is come on here and say ohmygosh this was AMAZING!!! :)
ps to my post: I do roast hard root veggies before making soup with them. I use my solar oven for squash (I usually use butternut, but also other types) and sweet potatoes. Also, onions are better cooked first as they tend to be a bit sharp if added to the Vitamix in the raw state, even though they are liquefied and not identifiable except by smell and taste.
I am hungry!
Just wondering if you have the nutritional info for this recipe? I know you have included in the past but can’t find it now? I made this last night for a healthy kick start to 2014 – I used butternut squash as that was all I could find. It was delicious! Sadly my Vitamix wasn’t with me so I just used a stick blender, it worked fine though I am sure Vitamix would have resulted in a more creamy soup. Thanks!
Yum, I’m making this tonight! It should help me keep warm and feel great despite this frigid weather. Can’t wait! xo
I am slowly sneaking vegan food into my family’s stomachs and so far they have not seemed to notice. But! I have never used nutritional yeast. I bought some but am reluctant to try it. Is this an acquired taste? Will this flavor stand out in the soup? Can’t decide if I should just go for it or use half and work my way up or leave it out?
Another amazing recipe! I thought it sounded too healthy for my boyfriend to like it but I decided I wanted to make it anyway because so many other people gave it such good reviews. I only had 4 cups of brocolli and 1/2 cup of celery, but it was still absolutely amazing. I can’t believe how healthy it was for how good it tasted! Thanks again :)
A ridiculously fantastic recipe. I’ve made it three times in two weeks! The whole is definitely greater than the apparent sum of the parts here. Almost no oil, minimally spiced, and yet it is addictively delicious with an amazingly rich texture. You have struck absolute gold here… or, you are at least brilliantly imitating it! Nice work… and big thanks.