RICH AND CREAMY POTATO SOUP
I am one of those people who eat soup all year long regardless of the weather or the temperature outside. I love it because it is very convenient, filling, and healthy. It’s an easy way to add veggies and other important nutrients to your diet and it doesn’t take much time to prepare.
This creamy chunky potato soup with roasted chickpeas combines sweet and regular potatoes, peas, chickpeas, smoked tofu, and spices. It is very rich and flavorful – a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and smoky.
You can serve it as a light lunch or dinner. The soup is vegan and gluten-free.
MEET THE INGREDIENTS
This soup features several key ingredients:
- Sweet and regular potatoes: I love mixing both types
- Green peas
- Chickpeas
- Smoked tofu
- Spices – turmeric and cardamom
- Lemon juice
- Cashew cream
The star ingredient is, of course, potato. To add creaminess to the soup, I opted for cashew cream. Also, to enhance the flavor, I added some lemon juice.
ARE POTATOES GOOD FOR YOU?
Many people associate potatoes with processed and junk food like chips or french fries. But if you prepare them the right way and consume them in moderation, they can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet. To get the maximum nutritional benefits, you can boil, steam, or bake them.
Potatoes are rich in fiber and have a great number of nutrients. Many nutrients including fiber, potassium, and vitamin C are concentrated in the outer skin, so consuming both the skin and flesh is a very good habit. Make sure you always buy organic ones so that you don’t end up eating pesticides as well.
SWEET POTATOES VS. REGULAR POTATOES – WHICH POTATO IS HEALTHIER?
Both sweet and regular potatoes are very nutritious and they contain about the same amount of carbohydrates ( (1/2 cup = 15 grams of carbs). Regular potatoes provide more potassium, whereas sweet potatoes are very high in vitamin A.
Sweet potatoes, however, have more fiber and are slightly lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes and they are often considered as being healthier.
I love sweet potatoes because they add valuable nutrients to any meal. Plus, they come in different colors including white, orange, and my personal favorite-purple. What’s even better, you can enjoy them in both, sweet and savory dishes.
HOW TO MAKE IT
STEP 1
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook over medium heat until onions and carrots are tender (3-5 minutes).
STEP 2
Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, smoked tofu, turmeric, and cardamom, and then cook, stirring everything around the pot, for 30 seconds.
STEP 3
Pour in water and add potatoes, frozen peas, cooked chickpeas, and 1 vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
STEP 4
After 10 minutes, stir in cashew cream (How to make cashew cream) and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Taste for seasonings and adjust with more salt if needed.
STEP 5
Serve in bowls and top with sauteed Swiss chard (How to saute Swiss chard), roasted chickpeas (How to roast chickpeas), and fresh thyme.
TIPS AND HOW-TOS
Green peas: Use canned or frozen ones. If you use canned ones, make sure to add them at a later stage as they are already very soft.
Chickpeas: I always cook chickpeas the night before but if you don’t feel like cooking, feel free to add canned ones. Instead of chickpeas, you could add cooked brown lentils, adzuki, or black beans.
Use a mix of potatoes: You can use white sweet potato instead of orange or sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. I love mixing regular and sweet potatoes.
Tapioca flour: If you don’t have tapioca flour, try adding cornstarch or arrowroot flour to thicken the soup.
HOW TO MAKE CASHEW CREAM
Place cashews, water, and tapioca flour into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
HOW TO SAUTE SWISS CHARD
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2-3 handfuls of Swiss chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
HOW TO ROAST CHICKPEAS
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are golden and crispy, for about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt.
- The cooking time may vary, depending on how roasted you like your chickpeas.
CHUNKY POTATO SOUP WITH ROASTED CHICKPEAS IS
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nutrient-packed
- Flavorful
- Creamy
Thank you for stopping by! If you try this recipe, please let us know what you think in the comments section below. Your feedback means a lot to us! Also, if you post it on Instagram, please tag us with @alltheworldisgreen because we love to see your remakes.
Chunky Potato Soup with Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients
Cashew cream
- 50 g cashews previously soaked in water for 1-2 hours
- 200 ml water
- 15 g tapioca flour
Soup
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1.5 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 100 g carrots cut into small cubes
- 400 g sweet potatoes cut into small cubes
- 300 g potatoes cut into small cubes
- 100 g peas
- 100 g cooked chickpeas about 1/2 cup
- 100 g smoked tofu
- 800 ml water
- 1 vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt
Sauteed swiss chard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2-3 handfuls Swiss chard
Roasted chickpeas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
Instructions
Soup
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook over medium heat until onions and carrots are tender (3-5 minutes).
- Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, smoked tofu, turmeric, and cardamom, and then cook, stirring everything around the pot, for 30 seconds.
- Pour in water and add potatoes, peas, cooked chickpeas, and 1 vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt.
- After 10 minutes, stir in cashew cream and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust with more salt if needed.
Cashew cream
- Place all the ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
How to saute Swiss chard
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 2-3 handfuls of Swiss chard, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing often, until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
How ro roast chickpeas
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are golden and crispy, for about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt.
- The cooking time may vary, depending on how roasted you like your chickpeas.
Serving suggestion
- Serve in bowls and top with roasted chickpeas and sauteed Swiss chard.
Nutrition facts
* The nutritional information provided is calculated automatically and should be used as an estimate.
