Creamy Potato & Onion Soup
We’re going to pretend that it actually feels like Fall outside, and slurp up some creamy potato soup. Okay, you don’t have to slurp, I’ll go ahead and slurp enough for the both of us.
This creamy potato and onion soup pretty much screams fall and makes me wish it was more like 60 degrees outside instead of the 80s that we’ve had these last few days. The only time it’s actually cool outside is in the early morning, so I guess I should eat potato soup for breakfast? Um, okay nevermind.
This soup has so much great flavor, with so few ingredients. Just the way I like it. You have potatoes, a little vegetable stock, milk, garlic, spices, and then some fun toppings like bacon, mushrooms and green onions. Like I said, so. much. flavor.
How can you go wrong when you start with butter and end with bacon? Wow, that statement sounded so unhealthy. Let me explain. I used vegan butter because I’m sensitive to dairy, and only a little bit of high quality bacon for each serving. Sound a little better? I think so. If you use a really good, high quality bacon without a ton of fat, then a little goes a long way.
I love creamy soups like this because they are filling but still pretty light at the same time. I used a pretty good amount of liquid, so it is not overly thick verging on mashed potatoes. You can get crazy with the toppings if bacon and mushrooms aren’t really your thing.
I foresee so much more of this soup in my future during this year’s winter.
Ingredients
- 4 large russet potatoes (or you could use yukon gold)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups non-dairy milk (or milk of choice)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 tsp cumin
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter (I used Earth Balance vegan butter)
- 4-5 pieces of bacon (or turkey bacon)
- 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lb mushrooms
- red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat a large stock pot over medium heat. Peel the potatoes and chop them into small pieces, trying to keep a pretty consistent size so they all cook evenly.
- Add the oil and butter to the pot and then add in the onion and garlic. Stirring occasionally, let the onions cook for about 2-3 minutes, until they start to get soft.
- When the onions start to get soft, add the chopped potatoes, vegetable stock and milk. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, turn the heat up to high, cover and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat back down to medium and let the potatoes simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. It could take more or less time depending on how big you chopped the potatoes.
- When you are able to easily stick a fork through the potato, it is done cooking. Turn the heat off and add the cumin and more salt and pepper if needed. Season to taste.
- Carefully transfer the cooked potatoes and all of the liquid to a blender. You may have to work in batches for this part. Blend until the soup is completely pureed and creamy. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and set aside.
- Now prepare the toppings. Chop the bacon into small pieces and saute in a small pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the bacon is brown and crispy. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Remove the stems and quarter the mushrooms, saute them in the same pan for 3-4 minutes, until they become brown, season with a bit of black pepper.
- To assemble the bowl, pour the soup into a bowl, top with a couple of tablespoons of bacon, mushrooms and green onions. You could also sprinkle a few red pepper flakes if you want to add a little kick.