Comforting Quick Cream Soups

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Recipe submitted by SALLY MARTINY MARTINY.SALLY@epamail.epa.gov

Comforting Quick Cream Soups

These are my favorite after-work-no-time-to-cook winter dinners. Add a salad and a slice of bread and I'm happy. This is usually enough for myself. Its very easy to multiply it for more people. The proportions I use are usually 1 part potato to one part other vegetable. You can raise the proportion of vegetable to potato; the potato merely adds creaminess and mellows the flavor.

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 cubed potato and water (or stock) to cover into a saucepan.

Directions:

Bring to a boil, then simmer. Add ONE of the following combinations:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 peeled stalks of broccoli (or one cup of florets) chopped, a bit of dried onion, and a vegetable bouillon cube, OR

2 carrots, chopped, and 1/4 teaspoon of

1 cup of mushrooms and 1-3 tablespoons of your favorite wine, OR

2 stalks of celery, chopped, and 1/4 teaspoon of tarragon, marjoram, or savory, OR

1 package of frozen spinach or kale, a grating of nutmeg and a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice, OR

1 cup of frozen corn and 1 teaspoon of fresh parsley, OR

1 cup of frozen peas, 1/8 teaspoon each of ginger and goodly amount of pepper, and 1-3 teaspoons of vinegar (interesting and tasty combination, based on a medieval recipe), OR

1 sweet potato or half an acorn squash, peeled and chopped, and 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herb mixture

Directions:

Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth. Add salt/pepper to taste. Serve forth.

NOTES:

Instead of stock or vegetable bouillon cubes, you can take out 1/2 cup of soup after pureeing and dissolve a tablespoon of miso in it, then return it to the pot and mix.

Almost all of these combinations are good with the addition of 1/2 an onion and a clove or two of garlic sauteed in sherry.

Other possible additions (not combined, of course):

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

a tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 cup of leftover beans or grains
a few dried mushrooms or dried tomatoes
a few tablespoons of sauerkraut
a tablespoon of capers or chopped pickle added before serving
a tablespoon of yogurt swirled in right before serving (pretty!)
toasted pumpkin/squash seeds or wheat germ sprinkled on top

These soups are so good, I've been making them for lunch all week! They are especially good when it is cold and rainy and all you want to do is curl up under a blanket with something hot and comforting.

Archived comment by: monica

I added 2 oz. (56 grams) dried Somona brand papaya to kale for a touch of sweetness and added nutrition. This is delicious.

Archived comment by: bunny

To the cubed potato, I added kale, plus 2 oz. diced, dried papaya (Sonoma brand) for added nutrition and sweetness. Yummy

Archived comment by: bunny

Congratulations on the Cool Carrot Award!!! This recipe deserved it!!!

Archived comment by: jade

Sally: Thanks for sharing all of the Quick and nutritious soup ideas. I have been using many of the additions and toppings you mentioned for years now- and they really make a difference between having just soup or a thoughtful meal.

Archived comment by: kathy

These soups are so good and so easy. One suggestion - only blend up half of the solid ingredients. Makes the texture more interesting.

Archived comment by: mary Jane

I like to blend in some tofu into my creamed soups. Also, I often add nutritional yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae)in recipes instead of powdered soup stock - it adds flavor and nutrients. In this way you can turn your soup into a complete meal.

Archived comment by: sandy

in soups like these, you'll be surprised at what a delicious addition nutmeg is! Add a small amount-to taste...

Archived comment by: kelly

What comes after the 1/4 teaspoon of...with the carrot version? I would suggest grated ginger. Yum. These are all excellent, especially now that the cold weather is coming.

Archived comment by: greeny

Instead of vegetable stock, I often use miso. I usually have at least 3 kinds in the house so I can select for the rest of the flavors.

Archived comment by: zebraluna

Yes, I too jumped on the quick cream soup bandwagon. And you know what I found? Deliciousness! It is so fast and easy. I tried out kale and corn and added a bit of nutritional yeast and it was a flavor explosion in my mounth. Thanks so much for this recipe!

Archived comment by: pedagodess

This is a great quick meal idea. I tried the broccoli version with leftover broccoli from the night before and sauteed some onion and garlic in red wine vinegar. The flavor was a little bland at first (I think I might have had too much liquid) but I added some celery seed and it was great. I'm going to keep playing around with this one. I think my next soup will have asparagus!!

Archived comment by: tmedwards