Description

Amazingly delicious and completely soul satisfying, this delicious Tarragon Tuscan Soup is the perfect soup on a cold winter day. Snuggle up with a bowl of delicious veggies in an amazingly hearty flavorful tarragon cream broth. Comfort food at its best, this soup-stew is sure to please everyone in the family making it an ultimate Whole Food Plant Based soup, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Ingredients

Scale

Soup Base Ingredients:

2 leeks (cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced, place in a bowl of water to remove and sand, then drain and rinse well)
2 celery stalks (finely chopped)
2 carrots (sliced in pennies)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons flour (we used gluten free flour)
½ cup white wine (we used Vegan sovereign blanc white wine or any Vegan dry white wine will work equally well)
1 cup vegetable broth (Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth – see recipe notes*)
4 cups water (see recipe notes*)
3 Tablespoon minced onions (dried minced onions)
2 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon thyme (dried)
1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 ¾ teaspoon tarragon (dried/crushed)
2 teaspoons sea salt (+/- to taste – see recipe notes*)
¼ teaspoon pepper (+/- to taste)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake (+/- to taste)
2 cup almond milk (unsweetened, plain plant milk of choice)
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (cut into 2 inch chunks)
2 –15.5 oz. cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
2 small zucchinis (cut into small rounds)
1 yellow squash (cut into small rounds)
2 cups baby spinach (packed, fresh baby spinach)

Cashew Cream Ingredients:

½ cup raw cashews (soaked)
Boiling water – just to cover the cashews; this water will be discarded later
¾ cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or plant milk of choice)

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Instructions

In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot, add the leeks, celery, and carrots. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the veggies are tender. (If needed to prevent sticking, add 1 – 2 Tablespoons of vegetable broth or water).
Add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute.
Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed veggies and cook the flour for a few minutes. The cooked veggies and the flour will be very lumpy, then add the white wine and stir. Cook for several more minutes.
Add the vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil. See recipe notes on Vegetable Broth/Water Ratio. Stir well to incorporate the flour and to thicken the sauce.
Add all the remaining Soup Based Ingredients except the spinach, increase the heat and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
Next make the cashew cream by draining the water off the cashews (discard the water) and placing the soaked cashews in a high-speed blender, such as a Ninja or other food processor. Add 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other plant milk) to the blender, and blend at a high speed for 1 or 2 minutes; then add the cashew cream to the Dutch oven mixture. Increase the heat until boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.
Cook the soup for approx. 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Taste test the soup flavor. This is the time you can adjust flavor. Increase seasonings, if desired, to suit your personal preferences.
Add the fresh baby spinach. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes, zucchini and squash are tender.

Notes

*Vegetable Broth/Water Ratio: We use Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients; however, this brand of vegetable broth does have a strong flavor so less broth is required when compared to the water ratio. We use a higher water to broth ratio because of this. If you use another brand of vegetable broth, then adjust the water/vegetable broth ratio accordingly. For example, if you are using a very mellow vegetable broth, you might consider 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cups of water for this recipe. Please adjust the recipe (broth/water ratio) accordingly based upon the vegetable broth brand used if you are NOT using Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth.

*Sea Salt: You may need to add some extra sea salt. We added an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt to this soup based upon our family’s sea salt preferences.

*Cayenne Pepper: Add an additional 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne to add some heat.