As we head into the fall and winter, hearty soups make for great comfort food!
I’ve made a few variations of this recipe. It easily makes 10+ generous servings of soup. I made a version with and without fresh fennel. I’ve used different stouts. Some stouts are more bitter than others and can add an assertive bitterness to the soup. I used Guinness Extra Stout instead of their standard stout, and it gave the soup an unpleasant bitterness. Unless you’re looking for an assertive bitterness in your soup, don’t use a particularly bittern beer.
If you find the beer you added is making your soup too bitter, you can cut the bitterness by adding a little brown sugar and an acid like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. I used a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of lemon juice to dial back the bitterness that the Guinness Extra Stout imparted. The cashew cream adds a little additional sweetness to balance it all out. So, hold off on curbing the bitterness until after you’ve added the cashew cream.
Optionally, top each serving with (some or all of) hulled sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, sliced jalapeño, and chives. These toppings add protein, a burst of color, and points of interest to this hearty dish. I’ve even added vegan ground “sausage” for an interesting variation.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 TBSP Avocado oil
- 1 Large leek chopped (Don’t use the dark green stalk)
- 6 medium-large yellow potatoes (about 3 lbs)
- 15 oz can cannellini (white) beans
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- ½ fennel root/bulb
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 12 oz stout beer (such as Guinness Stout)
- 5 cups vegetable broth (or use 5 tsp Marmite or vegetable bullion in 5 cups of water)
- 2 tsp garlic
- 2 tsp black garlic
- ½ tsp tarragon
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp marjoram
- 1 cup cashew cream
- 1 tsp lemon juice(as needed to counter beer bitterness)
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (as needed to counter beer bitterness)
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar (as needed to counter beer bitterness)
- 2 TBSP vegan butter
- 1 TBSP hulled sunflower seeds per serving (optional)
- 1 TBSP hemp hearts per serving (optional)
- Sliced jalapeño (optional)
- Chives(optional)
- ½ cup vegan ground “sausage” (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- Chop leek into thin cross sections like scallions
- Saute in 1-2 tsp refined coconut oil
- Meanwhile chop ½ fennel root
- Add chopped fennel root
- Chop potatoes into bite-sized chunks
- Peel and slice carrots
- Add vegetable broth or reconstituted bullion/Marmite to pot
- Add potatoes
- Add sliced carrots
- Add stout beer
- Add spices from garlic through marjoram
- Make cashew cream
- Add cashew cream
- Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and brown sugar (only if needed)
- Top with hulled sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, sliced jalapeño, chives, and vegan ground sausage (as desired)
- Serve with a slice of toasted bread or a roll.
- Enjoy!