Happy spring! It’s warm and colorful outside, which typically makes me more interested in eating salads. But I’m a soup-all-year kind of person, so a couple of weeks ago I created this Cheesy Vegetable Soup to satisfy a craving for an uncomplicated cashew cream-based soup. I loved it so much, I’m already wanting to make it again!
This cheesy vegetable soup is comfort in a bowl without sacrificing your health. So many soup recipes are mostly good for you — full of veggies but finished with a large amount of heavy cream, oil, or bacon grease. The richness of this soup comes from soaked cashews blended with some of the soup. Blending soup also increases nutrient absorption by breaking the veggies into smaller particles than you’d get from simply chewing. This makes it easier for your small intestines to get to those desired phytonutrients/antioxidants!
Another great thing about this cheesy vegetable soup is that it’s kid-friendly! Assuming your child isn’t super picky, this soup contains familiar veggies — potatoes, carrots, celery, and broccoli. Even if your child doesn’t typically eat one or more of them, the cheesy base of the soup might make it/them more appealing. It’s worth a try!
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into small cubes (no need to peel them)
- 1 lg broccoli crown, cut into florets
- 4 cups vegetable broth, pref. low-sodium
- 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- Cover cashews in hot water and set aside to soak.
- In a soup pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and about 1 cup of water. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots can be broken with a spoon, about 7 mins.
- Add the potatoes, broccoli, and vegetable broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 more mins.
- While the veggies simmer, add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to a blender.
- When the veggies are soft, transfer 2-3 ladles of soup to the blender. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender too, then blend until completely smooth and creamy. Pour the blender contents back into the soup pot and stir in the paprika, dried thyme, and fresh parsley. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Allow to simmer a few more mins to let the flavors combine.
- To serve, garnish with a pinch of paprika and fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy!
I love this creamy, cheesy vegetable soup! Even with the added step of blending some of it with cashews, it’s a fairly simple recipe. I hope you try this one and enjoy it as much as I do!
♥ ♥ ♥
Also try my Veggie Pot Pie!
I love your recipes! What could I use in place of the nutritional yeast? I have a family member who I do not think can have it. Thank you 🙂
The nutritional yeast just adds an extra cheesy/umami flavor, so you can just leave it out or substitute a small amount of white miso paste (start with no more than a teaspoon). I hope it turns out well!