Easy Creamy Vegetable Soup
- PREP 5min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 35min
You will love this easy, delicious, and creamy vegetable soup recipe. Don’t worry too much about how you prep the vegetables. You should be fine as long as they are all of a similar size. Since this is a blended soup, you do not need to mince the garlic cloves. Just peel and cut them in half.
We have been making this soup for years. It’s simple to make, healthy, and comforting. Throw lots of vegetables into a big pot, add stock and herbs, and then simmer until done. Blend, and it is ready to eat. For a brothy soup, see this Homemade Vegetable Soup.
You Will Need
1 large onion, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces, 4 to 5 medium carrots
4 celery sticks, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt, as needed
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound thin-skinned potatoes, chopped into ½-inch pieces, 3 medium potatoes
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (710ml)
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ cup half-and-half, cream, or coconut milk (60ml)
Directions
1Cook the veggies: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Toss the onion, carrots, and celery around in the oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and add the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables sweat, soften, and smell sweet, 5 to 10 minutes.
2Add the potatoes: Stir in the potatoes, garlic halves, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 5 minutes. Add more oil if the pot seems dry.
3Simmer the soup: Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork, about 15 minutes.
4Blend the soup: Remove the soup from the heat. Take out the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and discard them. Use an immersion blender, stand blender, or food mill to puree the soup until smooth.
5To finish: Stir in the cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt and pepper if necessary.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it! Portion into freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Add to a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until hot. You can also microwave it. Use a spoon or whisk to bring the soup back together if it is separated.
- Vegan vegetable soup: Use either homemade veggie broth or store-bought broth, and look for one that is heavy on mushrooms for the most flavor. Add full-fat coconut milk or cashew cream at the end.
- Substitute the potatoes: Try 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans. Once blended, they make the soup creamy and add a little extra protein.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We included ¼ cup of half and half in the calculations and assumed 4 servings. We omitted salt from the calculations since you will need to add it to your taste.