Vegan Potato Soup: Comfort in a Bowl

As we continue to quarantine, many of us are turning to familiar foods that ease anxiety and use up all of those pantry staples we stocked up on. Of all the dishes from my childhood, this one is probably the best. It’s my family’s comfort food, and one of the first things my mom would fix if we were sick. It is also the dish I mourned the most when I went vegan, since the original recipe calls for butter and milk. This is one of the first recipes my mom taught me how to make as a child. It is also a traditional second night of vacation dish when we go on big family trips!

When I transitioned to a vegan diet, I started to experiment with various milk substitutes to “veganize” this meal. My first attempt was using unsweetened, plain almond milk. Unfortunately, the results were not ideal. Edible, but far from great.

I’ve mentioned before the miracle of Sam’s Choice Vegan Protein Broth from Walmart, which gets its protein from lentils. (This broth is still on the shelf at my local neighborhood Walmart, even with less inventory available). When I discovered this, I decided to give it a go in this soup. It worked perfectly, lending a creamy, savory base to this soup that did not curdle.

The other secret to this soup is in how you cut the veggies. You must cut at random angles! The thinner portions will actually break off and thicken the soup.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 5 lb bag of potatoes, peeled and cut in random sized pieces. I prefer gold or russet.
• 2-3 onions (white or sweet), peeled, discarding tip end, but keeping root end in place to ease cutting; cut in random sized pieces
• Enough water to fill pot 2/3 to potato/onion line
• Salt
• 1 stick Earth Balance vegan butter
• 1-2 cups Sam’s Choice Vegan Protein Broth

Directions:

• Place potatoes and onions in a large stew pot (I usually cut them directly into the pot)
• Fill pot with water to 2/3 depth of potatoes/onions.
• Salt generously (start with about 1T).
• Bring to a boil, then turn to low, simmering for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
• Add vegan butter and allow to melt.
• Add vegan protein broth until desired consistency is achieved (typically 1-2 cups).
• Adjust salt as desired.
• Serve with crackers. We love saltines or oyster crackers.

This will typically serve 4-6 people as a main course.

If you try this dish, let me know what you think! I hope you all are staying safe and healthy.