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
We made this for a dinner party last night and it was loved by all. One of the guests just emailed me for the recipe. We skipped the cinnamon and used the cayenne. It was so good!
I made this the other night and it was SO SO good! I’m not vegan, so I added some chopped up chicken breast to it for a protein kick and to make it a meal soup, and because it makes so much my husband and I have been enjoying it for days!
Thanks,
Julia
Love it! My new favorite! I used the cinnamon & cayenne. I went heavy
On the broccoli and used a sweet almond milk to thin it a little… It was a hit at my house! Next time I will pull some out to be cayenne free for my daughter..two thumbs up! Thank you!
Made this soup today and everybody loved it! Thank you, Angela for another gorgeous, flavorful recipe and for a very inspiring site. I look forward to getting your cook book. Many blessings, Ziji
Made this for my family and I last night. Followed the recipe exactly, except for the squash. I only had butternut so I substituted it. It was AMAZING!!!!!! Even my 7 and 2 year olds had two bowls. Thanks so much for the wonderful recipes!!
Ang, I have had this soup bookmarked for AGES. I knew my Vitamix purchase was finally in the near future and I wanted this to be my first soup!
I got my Vitamix last week (haaaaallelujah) and made the soup tonight. This recipe is SO GOOD, just like all of your recipes. I love your approach to veganism and I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of your book! Thank you for cooking delicious vegan food :-)
I’ve just finally made the splurge on a vitamix this weekend and this was my first recipe. It was delicious, creamy and came out perfectly smooth. Next up is to tackle a green monster in the morning!
So I made this soup tonight. My daughter, she is 5 years old and at the moment a hand-full when it comes to eating, came home and asked me what we were going to eat. I just said ‘soup’. ‘Yippie!!’ she said. So she and her dad were sitting at the table and I gave her her bowl of soup. She looked at me and said ‘ what is this?! I want tomatosoup’. I said ‘ do not yell at me and just eat your soup’. Yes, she was angry. But she started eating anyway and ate two bowls of soup, without another sound. Hah! Victory :D… Thank you for this recipe. I finally got my daughter to eat something other than tomatoes. xo
Just made this tonight! A delicious warming soup for a cold damp evening! I’ll be making it again for sure!
This soup is amazing. I find when you use the vitamix and pulverize it that is has a very creamy texture.
The spices make this recipe. A lot of work but worth it.
I replaced the Delicata Squash with Zucchini and it came out great! Added some extra cayenne and cinnamon as well.
Love this soup. I have made it once and am preparing a batch again today. I’m not a fan of butternut squash soup, but this one has so much more going on, especially with the added ‘cheese’ I am preparing a double batch today and will freeze the extra in mason jars. thank you Angela for another great recipe!
Wow! I just made this soup for the 1st time (literally eating some now), and I am in love. Typically I prefer big, robust veggie stews and soups because I love to sink my teeth into the tender veggies so I can taste each one. However, making this soup was so much fun for me and I’m not even missing chunky vegetables to bite into. This is very filling, and yes the flavor of each vegetable is still prominent and extremely satisfying! I have enjoyed many of your recipes, but this one will stand as my favorite…for now!
This is the most amazing soup I have ever tasted! I used butternut squash because it was all my grocery store had, and I omitted the cinnamon – instead I sprinkled a little smoked paprika on top just before eating. Perfection. I love knowing that I’m getting so many servings of veggies in one delicious meal. I love your recipes because you really know how to showcase how amazing and delicious veggies are! Thank you!! This soup is definitely going to be a regular in our house.
This was delicious. I didn’t have any celery on hand, so I added a teaspoon or two of Herbamare seasoning, which gave it a subtle celery flavor. I went light on the cayenne (I am very sensitive to spiciness!) and it came out PERFECT! Thanks for sharing!!
Lovely and it was so smooth and creamy, I will be making this one again.
Hi Angela, I was just came across this wonderful coloured soup and have been inspired to make it! I was wondering if the nutritional yeast needs to be powdered or flaked? I’ve never used it before and don’t want to get it wrong! :) Thanks x PS love your blog, can’t get enough of it!
I think either should work :) You can always add it to taste too…the powdered might be slightly more concentrated.
This looks great! What kind of blender do you (or other commenters) use? I have a basic one-speed Ninja that my husband uses to make shakes and a Kitchenaid immersion blender, but i always seem to have trouble getting pureed or cream-style soups to actually come out smooth. It always seems like, well, very small vegetable particles suspended in liquid, ha. I’d love to improve the consistency without dropping $500 on a Vitamix (I just won’t go there). Any suggestions?
i use a vitamix :) love it
I realize this is an old recipe but I just discovered your blog. I’m making it right now but wish there was a weight listed for the nutritional yeast. IME volume varies hugely between powder and different flake sizes. I really appreciated being able to weigh my sweet potatoes and squash while chopping! :)