Creamy vegetable soup
Automatically translated from Romanian. See the Romanian original
A practical guide to preparing light and healthy cream soups without heavy cream, featuring tips on proportions, natural thickening, and achieving a velvety consistency.
Ingredients
Method
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Establish the vegetable proportions: the main vegetable should be 60% of the total, with the remaining 40% consisting of potato, onion, garlic, etc.
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Cut all the vegetables into small, uniform cubes.
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Sauté the vegetables in olive oil one batch at a time: start with the garlic and onion, then the potato, followed by the rest of the vegetables, for 3-4 minutes over high heat.
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Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables break down easily.
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Puree the vegetables using an immersion blender or food processor: start with the solids separated from the liquid, then gradually add the liquid until you reach the desired consistency.
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Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil at the end for a creamier texture.
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Optionally, prepare croutons: toast cubed whole-wheat bread with salt, a little oil, and oregano in a pan over medium heat until well browned.
The story behind this recipe
To me, cream soup is a healthy choice for lunch or dinner. It is light, tasty, easy to digest, and can be made from any vegetable.
To begin, you need to know the proper vegetable proportions for a cream soup. If you want to make a celery cream soup, for example, the celery should account for 60% of the total vegetables. The remaining 40% is made up of potatoes, onions, garlic, etc.
The potato is very important for cream soup. You don't need much; one potato is enough for 5-6 servings. It helps achieve a creamy soup thanks to its starch content. We can also thicken the soup with rice, breadcrumbs, or semolina if you don't have potatoes on hand.
When I want to make cream soup, I always start by dicing all my vegetables, then sautéing them in olive oil in stages. I start with the garlic and onions, followed by the potatoes, then the rest of the vegetables. Sautéing takes about 3-4 minutes over high heat. I always cut the vegetables as small as possible because I don't want to boil them for two hours. Generally, I let the soup simmer for 30 minutes. It's enough time for everything to break down easily.
Once the vegetables are cooked, it's time to puree them with an immersion blender or a food processor. I start by blending the bulk of the vegetables (taking them out of the liquid), until well mashed, then gradually add the liquid until I reach the desired consistency. I always add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil at the end; it helps to achieve a creamier soup.
Be careful with beans, chickpeas, or lentils—keep in mind that the soup will thicken as it sits due to their high starch content.
Unlike traditional soups, cream soup is actually better if served the day after it's cooked. The flavor is effectively stronger and the texture creamier.
I don't use heavy cream, and I rarely add butter, even though they help with consistency. I try to keep the soup as light and healthy as possible.
Most of the time, I like to make fresh croutons from whole-wheat bread. In a pan over medium heat, I add bread cubes with salt, a bit of oil, and oregano. I let them cook until they are nice and crisp.
Some of the soups I am most proud of include red cabbage soup, romaine lettuce cream soup, and porcini mushroom soup with nutritional yeast.
Enjoy!
