Description

This soup is like one giant, cozy HUG! Full of flavorful feel-good ingredients, this soul-warming Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup is ultra-comforting, satisfying, and bursting with delicious rich cheesy flavor. Tender, wholesome broccoli florets are bathed in a velvety cheesy broth that warms you from head to toe. Grab your favorite bowl, and get ready to cuddle up with this fabulous dish. It is a sure bet that you will get second requests for this deliciousness! Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Ingredients

Scale

3 medium leeks, sliced, then soaked, rinsed, and drained
2 celery ribs, diced
3 carrots, divided (2 diced, 1 grated)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic, finely minced
½ cup [raw] cashews
4 cups water
2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth *
6 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cubed (we used Kennebec potatoes)
1 Tablespoon ume plum vinegar *
4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon white miso *
1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
4 cups broccoli florets, cut into tiny florets and microwaved or steamed until tender

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon dried crushed thyme leaves (+/-) *
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Optional Topping Ingredients:

Microgreens
Sprinkle of hemp seeds

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Instructions

Remove the green leek stems (discard or save for later making your own veggie broth). Use only the white portion of the leeks. Cut the leeks lengthwise in half, then take each half and chop into thin slices. Place the leek slices into a large bowl of water and swish the leek slices around in the water, pulling the leaves apart with your fingers to remove any dirt hidden between the leaves. Scoop out the leek slices into a colander to drain. This allows the dirt and sand to fall to the bottom of the bowl while the leeks float to the top. Shake to remove any excess water and allow to drain until ready to use.
Dice the celery ribs and 2 of the 3 carrots, set aside.
Peel and cube the potatoes, sit the cubed potatoes in a bowl of water until ready to use.
In a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven/pot or similarly large stockpot, over medium-high heat, sauté the leeks, carrots, and celery for about 7 minutes until softened. Add a splash of water if they start to stick.
Once the leeks, carrots, and celery are softened, then add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute.
Then add all the remaining soup ingredients except for the following: plant milk, miso, nutritional yeast, remaining carrot and broccoli. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Simmer at a low boil for 20 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, remove the pot from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes to slightly cool down, then transfer the soup mixture into a high-speed blender and pulse until completely smooth, about one minute. You may have to do this in several batches. Please be very careful, do not overfill the blender. Cover the high-speed blender with a thick tea towel to prevent burns when unscrewing the lid as the steam from the hot soup builds and can squirt out when you unscrew the lid.
Transfer all the pureed soup back into the pot, place the pot back on the stove, then add the nutritional yeast, miso, and plant milk, stir well to dissolve the miso, and cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes.
Add the grated carrot to the soup mixture. Stir well, continue to simmer on low heat.
Microwave or steam the tiny broccoli florets until tender, then add to the soup mixture and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, taste the soup for seasonings and adjust seasonings accordingly to suit personal preferences. Test the broccoli and grated carrots for desired tenderness. Continue cooking until everything reaches the desired tenderness.
To serve, we topped with microgreens, and/or hemp seeds, and a side of quinoa flatbread.

Notes

*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. 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.

*Cashew Substitutions: You can try the typical cashew substitutions like silken tofu, white beans, other nuts or seeds with the understanding that the flavor and texture will change accordingly. We have not tried any substitutions.

*Ume Plum Vinegar: Ume Plum Vinegar is perfect for this recipe as it has that deliciously tangy flavor. It is relatively inexpensive. We use it quite frequently and it worth requesting it from your local grocery, or ordering off of Amazon in our humble opinion.

*Miso: We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil. You can also substitute with chickpea miso for a soy free version.

*Thyme Leaves: Please note that dried crushed thyme leaves are not the same as ground thyme. You can use either in this recipe. We used dried crushed thyme leaves, so if you are using ground thyme, scale back a little bit and start with about half of the amount listed in the recipe, then check for flavor. Adjust to suit your own personal tastes.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving: Makes 12 cups (approx. 4 large servings or 6 small servings with a side salad, veggie, sandwich, or as an appetizer)

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days. Freezes well.