Food You Can Eat: Potato Soup

I realize a hearty bowl of soup might be an odd choice for a summer meal, but hear me out: I think there are a few good reasons to make soup in the summer. I usually make soups in my Instant Pot, which is a matter of throwing everything in and walking away. I don’t have to deal with my whole kitchen getting hot the way it does if I need to make anything in the oven. Plus, when I make soup, I make big batches so I’m set with food for days that I only have to reheat, to limit the amount of time I need to spend cooking.

Anyway, this soup is delicious any time of year. It is vegan as written, but you could obviously sub the coconut cream with regular cream, or the vegetable broth with another type of broth, if you were so inclined.

I’ve found this works best with so-called “waxy” (low starch) potatoes, which also tend to have thinner skins that you don’t need to bother peeling. I’ve sometimes made this with russets (peeled, because the skin is tougher), and it works fine, but the texture just isn’t as nice. 

• Olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 3 lb diced gold/red/new potatoes
• 4 cups vegetable broth (makes for a very hearty soup; feel free to adjust this anywhere up to 6 cups if you want a thinner soup)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic 
• ½ tsp salt
• Several grinds of black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• ⅛ tsp oregano
• ⅛ tsp thyme
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional – I know this isn’t always a common ingredient for non-vegetarians. It adds a cheesy flavor, so if you leave it out, consider stirring in a bit of fresh grated cheese at the end)
• ½ cup coconut cream*
• Optional garnishes: Grated/shredded cheese, scallions, chives

*If all you have is a can of coconut milk instead of cream, you can still make this work. Don’t shake up the can! Coconut milk separates, and when you open an undisturbed can, the thicker cream will be on the top for you to scoop out. This works even better if you thought ahead and stuck your can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. What’s left in the can after you remove the cream, depending on how well it separated, will either be a thinner coconut milk or straight up coconut water. Either way, it makes for a great addition to smoothies.

Saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in olive oil in a big soup pot for a few minutes, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with the spices. Pour in the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes get tender. [If you want to do this in an Instant Pot, it’s even easier. Saute the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic for a few minutes, then add everything else except the cream and set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Let it release naturally for 5 more minutes, then quick release the rest of the way.]

Now you have a choice about texture. This soup works best if you blend it at least partially to thicken it up. You could certainly blend the whole thing, but I like to keep some whole veggies. I usually just stick an immersion blender in there briefly and haphazardly. Another option is to put half or more of the soup into a blender, blend until smooth, and mix it back in. 

Stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with shredded cheese, scallions, or chives. I’d say this recipe makes about six generous servings.