Description
This recipe is one way to make a cream of vegetable soup, but please switch it up based on the recommendations and basic structure in the post. Have fun with it!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
- 3 Tbs. fat of choice
- 1 leek, chopped (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 medium potatoes, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced (optional)
- 4 c. chicken stock (or boil potatoes in water, drain, and include extra milk for 100% meatless)
- 1 scant Tbs. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 2 c. broccoli (or more)
- Other vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, turnips, and more (what’s in your fridge?)
- 4 c. milk, reserve 1/2 cup to mix with starch
- 1 tsp. dill (marjoram, thyme, or tarragon are also nice in place of dill)
- 1 Tbs. fresh parsley
- 3–6 Tbs. arrowroot starch
- 1/2–1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut
- 1–2 packed cups chopped leafy greens
Instructions
- Wash and cut potatoes (with or without skins – for taste’s sake, peel them, for health’s sake, leave the peels on).
- Melt fat in large pot.
- Saute leek over medium heat (or anything else from the Allium family), stirring occasionally while dicing potatoes. When the saute is nicely aromatic and a bit limp, add garlic if using, stir for one minute, then add the potatoes.
- Pour in the broth to cover and salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase), at least a teaspoon per quart of liquid total (including milk) and pepper.
- Add any dense veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. Balance in a steamer basket if you choose or just boil in the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
- Pour in 3 1/2 cups of milk and seasonings; add green beans.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 5 minutes, then add the greens. Whisk starch and 1/2 cup cold milk (no need to measure, just eye it up) thoroughly, bring the soup back to a boil and pour starch mixture in while stirring constantly over medium to medium-high heat.
Notes
- Refrigerate to store for up to a week. Freezes pretty well as long as you don’t mind the potatoes falling apart a bit. Reheat to serve.
- Adding peppers will change the flavor a great deal, but if you want to make a Mexican style creamy soup, add diced peppers when you are sauteeing the onions, and try chili powder and cumin in place of the herbs.
- You can do just about anything with this framework recipe. Add cheese for a cheesy chowder, ham or sausage too for a hearty main dish, or fry up some bacon and onions and use a little bacon fat for the roux, then add bacon to the soup and sprinkle with cheese for “loaded baked potato” soup.
- For a super kid-friendly version, try pureeing it so they can’t see the vegetables. 😉
- If you want to use a traditional roux, you’ll either need to drain your potatoes and veggies and make the roux / bechamel in the pot, or just start the roux and cream sauce in one pot and transfer the veggies and broth in.