It’s officially April and we all know what that means … it’s still winter in the Midwest. Literally my car was frosted yesterday when I went to go to work, does not get much grosser than that. However, the only plus side to winter still lurking, is that it is still soup season! Time to get cozy with this Vegan Creamy Mushroom Leek Soup.
This recipe went through several rounds of testing before blossoming into the creamy masterpiece it is today, and let me tell you, we enjoyed every round of testing. This soup is rich, creamy, thick and filled with savory, comforting flavors from fresh herbs.
If you’re looking for a great comfort food while second winter has you in a funk, this is the soup for you. While it’s actually really healthy and nourishing, I swear the taste would fool you into believing you’re eating just pure dairy, but you’re not, it is vegan, and gluten free.
I know that food and soup cannot fully cure the annoyance and sadness that comes with winter lasting 6 months, but it definitely helps a little! Let this soup get you through these next couple weeks and then BAM, before you know it, we will be on to grilling season, everyone’s favorite. Stay positive my friends.
Until Next Time,
Jackie & Andrew
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Vegan Creamy Mushroom and Leek Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, Dinner,
- Cuisine: Comfort Food
Description
A vegan version of a classic Cream of Mushroom Soup made with rich and thick cashew cream with an extra boost of flavor from fresh herbs and leeks.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbs vegan butter, or olive oil
- 3 shallots, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tbs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 tbs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tbs dry oregano
- 2 leeks, sliced and washed
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms
- 1 cup soaked cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbs arrowroot starch, or potato starch
- 1/3 cup dry red wine
- 6 cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the vegan butter or olive oil. Add in the shallots and garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until the shallots get cooked down and turn translucent. Add in the red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, mustard powder, paprika, oregano, and salt and pepper. Stir until all of the ingredients are fully mixed together and incorporate.
- Next add the mushrooms and leeks and a couple splashes of vegetable stock to help them cook down. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the leeks are soft and the mushrooms are cooked down and released their juices. While the mushrooms and leeks are cooking, make the vegan cream sauce by mixing the cashews, almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a high speed blender or food processor until its creamy. Set it aside.
- When the mushrooms are cooked down add in the wine and bring to a simmer. Allow the red wine to simmer for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until about half of it has evaporated. Then add in the potato starch and whisk vigorously until it is fully coating the ingredients and blended in with the wine. It will start to form a creamy sauce but if it still looks clump at this point that’s normal so don’t worry.
- Turn the burner down to medium heat and begin to add in the cashew cream a little bit at a time whisking in between. You want to add some cream then whisk until it’s incorporated and thickens and then add more until you’re out of cashew cream. The sauce at this point will look almost like condensed Campbells cream of mushroom, very thick.
- Slowly add in the vegetable stock whisking the whole time. The creamy sauce will start to clump and fall to the bottom of the pot when you first add in the stock so whisk continuously until it’s broken up and completely mixed into the stock. The soup might seem a little thin at this point but fear not, it will thicken when you simmer it. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil, turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Whisk the soup occasionally while it is simmering to ensure that the mushrooms and cream are not clumping or sticking to the bottom.
- When it’s done, remove it from the heat and give it a few more good whisks! Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil. You can store this soup in the fridge all week but may need to add just a tad more stock when heating it up if it gets too thick.
