One way to enjoy the finer things in life is to learn how to make them yourself. Sure cooking can be hard, but once you’ve mastered the basics it can also be a lot of fun.
If you’re vegan, it isn’t as easy to rely on quick food options such as convenience meals or fast food, so you will need to learn to prepare your own meals if you haven’t already. Instead of viewing this as a negative, it is better to see it as an opportunity to expand your culinary horizons, experience new things, and experiment with flavors you have never tried before.
In those cold winter months, there are few things better than a nice warm bowl of soup. Not only does it warm you up, but vegetable broths are also packed with vitamins and nutrients. Another great thing about soup is its versatility, it can be enjoyed chunky, or blended to improve the texture for any picky eaters in your family.
Once you have got the hang of making a soup, it is easy to add different vegetables or combinations of herbs to alter the flavor however you wish. This guide will show two ways to make a delicious vegan potato soup without using any oil.
You won’t need to peel the potatoes for either of these recipes. You can remove any eyes or unappetizing areas with a sharp knife if you wish; but in general, it is better to just wash them and leave the skin on. This is because most of the nutrients are located directly under the skin so leaving it on will only make your soup healthier.
So without further ado, let’s get into our first recipe.
Recipe No.1
Oil-Free Vegan Potato Soup Recipe No.1
6
servings10
minutes20
minutes30
minutesThis is a classic root vegetable broth that is perfect for cold days and serves to up to 6 people. It contains lots of tasty herbs alongside a pinch of smoked paprika for that extra kick. Kale, spinach, sweetcorn, and peas all make great additions to this soup if you want to add even more vegetables.
Ingredients
5-6 unpeeled medium-sized potatoes
2-3 celery stalks
2-3 unpeeled carrots
4 garlic cloves
1 small white onion
3 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of soya milk (can be supplemented with any other plant milk you prefer)
½ a cup of nutritional yeast
Dried thyme, oregano, and parsley (one teaspoon of each)
½ a teaspoon of smoked paprika
A pinch of sea salt
Black cracked pepper to taste
Directions
- Wash your vegetables and set aside the carrots, celery, and onions. Dice the onions into small pieces, then cut the carrots and celery into half-moon shapes. Place all three in your chosen pot and let them simmer down over medium, high heat.
- While the other vegetables are sauteing down finely dice your cloves of garlic, or simply grate them with a Microplane. Chop the potatoes into small cubes roughly ½ an inch thick.
- Once your onions have gone translucent add the garlic as well as your herbs and spices. Keep stirring to prevent things from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Garlic burns quickly so you probably only need to cook everything for a minute before you are ready for the next step.
- Add the broth and milk then stir until consistent.
- Next, add your potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Slightly reduce the heat and keep boiling the soup until you can pierce the potatoes with a fork.
- Finally, add your nutritional yeast and stir until everything has combined. If you want to make the soup a bit creamier, then you can use a hand blender to thicken it up, or simply enjoy it chunky.
Optional garnishes
Once you have made your soup you can add a bit more black pepper or salt if you prefer. There are also some great garnishes that go well with this dish such as freshly chopped spring onions. A little bit of vegan yogurt or sour cream can help to make this dish even more creamy, or you add vegan bacon pieces to compliment the smoked paprika.
Tips and tricks
Since you aren’t using any oil, you may find that your vegetables are sticking to the pot. Stirring regularly is a great way to prevent this, but if you do need to deglaze the pot then you can use a splash of water. This will loosen the vegetables off the bottom and provide them with a little bit more liquid for sauteing down.
Great things about this dish
This soup is a great source of potassium, sodium, and calcium. It also contains lots of vitamins A and C, making it a nutritious delicacy that doesn’t take long to prepare.
You can save this soup in the fridge for another day, but in order to do so, you will have to let it cool down a bit first. After it cools place it in an airtight container, such as a Tupperware. It will keep for about a week in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer so you can always pull it out for a quick meal whenever you need it.
Make sure when freezing to leave empty space at the top of your container since liquids expand when frozen.
It is possible to make this soup in a slow cooker if you have one. To do this you will need to add everything except the nutritional yeast and your garnishes to the crockpot. Cook for up to 8 hours on medium heat, or 4 on high. Add your yeast at the very end before you serve and stir until fully combined.
Conclusion
Potatoe soups are a filling and quick solution for those cold nights when you don’t want to spend ages waiting for a meal. They are incredibly easy to prep for, requiring you to chop only four vegetables at most.
If you want to add more veg to enhance the flavor it is very easy to do so, and potato soups go great with a number of different herbs, spices, and garnishes. Experiment with adding leeks, red lentils, or any green veg like spinach and kale.
The possibilities are endless so why don’t you give it a try and treat yourself to a delicious oil-free vegan potato soup today?
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are making an oil-free soup, a nonstick pot will work best to prevent your vegetables from sticking to the bottom while they are sauteing down. Pots made from stainless steel or other metals will work, but you may need to deglaze them more often by adding a small splash of water to your veg.
Potatoes are a fantastic source of vitamin A, iron, and potassium, which is why it is always better to leave the skins on if possible to preserve as many of the nutrients as possible.
Yukon gold potatoes are a great choice for soups thanks to their buttery taste and middling starch content that makes for a creamier broth. Other varieties that work well include Fingerlings, Russets, and sweet potatoes.
Nutritional yeast, or nooch as it is known colloquially, is a dried, inactive form of yeast that is used to flavor vegan food. It is known for its cheesy, nutty flavor which is why it is commonly included in cheese sauces among other recipes.
Nutritional yeast has many health benefits, for one it is high in protein, containing 8g per every 2 tablespoons. It also contains fortified B12 which is a vitamin partly responsible for the synthesis of DNA in our bodies.
