Here is another great recipe for using up veg that might be on the turn. Take those wilty leeks, those potatoes growing eyes, those limp celery stalks and turn them into a rich and delicious soup.
The soup I’ve made here is a Creamy Leek and Celery Soup. But you can use any veg you have languising in the fridge or pantry. Potatoes are a must to make it thick and creamy.
Ingredients:
(I’ve put the amounts I used here, but feel free to scale up or down. This made 4 good sized portions which we ate over 2 nights)
2 potatoes
2 leeks
5 stalks celery
2-3 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 tablespoon vegan veggie boullion
2 Bay Leaves
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment:
Soup pot
Cutting board
Knife
Spoon
blender
Fine chop garlic and chop celery. Peel and chop potatoes. Slice leeks and wash thoroughly. I soak mine in a bowl of cool water to let the dirt float out, drain, rinse and repeat until no dirt or sand remains. Add garlic and leeks to put with olive oil and cook until fragrant and wilted. Add celery and cook until tender. Add potatoes, salt, pepper, water to cover and bouillon and bring to a boil. Make sure to stir the bouillon in well to make sure it is totally incorporated. Boil until potatoes are fork tender and then reduce heat to simmer until veg practically falls apart when poked. For this soup, it was about an hour. Let cool before blending in a blender. This time I let it cool for several hours and reheated, but you can wait as little as 20 min as long as you can safely blend it. Blend the entire soup in batches if desired. I always reserve some of the chunky veg as I prefer my soups with a little bite. Add more salt and pepper to taste and serve.
A few notes:
- Make this soup ahead and store then blend. Or do like I did and blend and then store. This soup lasts up to a week in an air tight container. I’m sure it can also be frozen, but I’ve never tried it. It never lasted that long!
- Serve with crusty bread, crackers, add more veg in, as an appetizer, or as the main meal.
- Add whatever spices you might like to change this soup up. Pepper flakes might be nice, warming spices, french herbs. All sound good. Personally I think the bay leaves are key to making this taste fantastic.
- Remember that the bouillion is salty! Add salt with that in mind.
- This soup would also be delicious with sour cream and cheese on top if you are not vegan. But it doesn’t need it!
Using up old vegetables makes this a great zero waste recipe. Using bouillion in a glass jar and spices and oil in glass or bulk are good zero waste options. Always make sure to buy your veg not packaged in plastic.
I love this soup bc it’s so simple, quick and delicious. I also believe all soups should be both creamy and toothsome and this fits the bill. What are some of your go to soup recipes?
