Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
Sunday, November 17, 2019
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I used to love Panera’s broccoli cheese soup, I would get the large bowl every single time I went. I loved dunking the warm crusty baguette in the hot cheese soup. However, I’m 100% sure that that Panera’s vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup is loaded with heavy cream and dairy cheese– all things that I don’t eat anymore. When I started craving that vegetarian broccoli cheddar soup I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to recreate it without the milk and heavy cream but I did it and it’s delicious. Now, whenever I get that familiar craving, I whip up this vegan broccoli cheese soup and it hits the spot every time.
This soup doesn’t have any faux cheeses, it’s all vegetable based. I like faux cheese shreds for pizza night on quinoa crust pizzas or sprinkled on top of spinach artichoke lasagna but you won’t find it in this vegan broccoli cheese soup.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp turmeric (For color)
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (Or more to taste)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water (Add more if needed)
6 cups broccoli florets, chopped small
Instructions
1. Add olive oil to a dutch oven pot and saute the diced onions over medium heat until softened. Add cubed potatoes, carrots, cashews, a pinch of salt and 2 cups of water. Bring it to a low simmer and then cover it and let it cook for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Almost all of the water should be absorbed by now.
2. Let the mixture cool slightly before adding it to a blender. Add the vegetable broth, water, paprika, garlic powder, turmeric, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to the food processor. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Pour the soup back into the original pot and bring it to a boil.
3. Chop the broccoli up into bite-size chunks and add it to the blended soup. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and let it cook for 5-10 minutes or until the broccoli is soft.
5. Garnish each bowl with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or parsley.
Get full recipe Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup