This vegan potato leek soup uses white beans instead of heavy cream to make the creamiest bowl of soup! Pair it with crusty bread or salad.
Can we talk dreams for a moment? Not the stories in your head last night kind (though funny enough, I dreamed I birthed triplets—meaning, please?), but those soul yearning, deep in your heart dreams that run as inner monologue in the shower or when you’re driving. And then let’s talk vegan potato leek soup, too! Keep reading for more.
Related:10 Green Food Recipes
It’s never too late to dream big
Do you have a dream, bubbling up from within? Or an urge to do something or start something but it feels nebulous, like a distant whisper? It’s uncomfortable, right? So possible in the imaginary space of your mind, yet such an uphill climb in the “real world.” But friends, let’s dream big. Because if it weren’t for dreams, where would we be? A few small things I’ve learned about dreams as of late: no dream is too big or too small. Even if your dream only affects a handful of people, it is uniquely yours. Touching just one person’s life is supremely valuable.
Alex and I have long dreamed to share the ways that learning to eat real, good food has touched our lives and inspire others about the power of food for our physical health, communities, and planet. Somehow this became A Couple Cooks. Being able to help even one person to make a healthy, satisfying dinner (like this vegan potato leek soup) is what keeps our dream going.
Another thing: it’s never too late for a dream. It’s easy to feel like we’ve been left behind, that everyone else has figured out their dreams or passions in their teens or early 20’s. I was a classical musician for much of my life but became frustrated, quit, and felt like it was too late to find my true calling. As I began to learn to cook in my mid-20’s, my inspiration was Julia Child, a woman who didn’t find her true passion until well into her 30’s, then launching an illustrious career that lasted until her 80’s.
Fear and self-doubt can propel us
And while they can get in the way, fear and self-doubt can also propel us forward. Lately I’ve been reading the book The War of Art, and in it author Steven Pressfield says, “Self-doubt can be an ally. This is because it serves as an indicator of aspiration. It reflects love, love of something we dream of doing, and desire, desire to do it. If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are.”
The more we create recipes here on A Couple Cooks, the more we find ourselves asking those questions. Even writing a post about dreams makes those questions run rampant. Yet at the same time, the more we effort toward that dream the more we find ourselves invested.
So readers, what are your dreams? What is stirring in your hearts? Big or small, we’d love to hear what’s on your mind.
About this vegan potato leek soup
Lastly, this vegan potato soup recipe came out of a dream (ha!) I had of making a creamy potato leek soup into a vegan recipe. Here are a few notes about the recipe:
- It’s got white beans for creamy body. We took my mother’s recipe for vichyssoise, traditional French potato leek soup, and gave it a makeover! Pureed white beans give the soup body instead of cream.
- It’s naturally green! To get completely crazy, we added spinach for some extra nutrients. It turns the entire soup green, which gives it a much more vibrant color and vibe!
This vegan potato soup is warm and cozy, and it has a bit more nutrients than the traditional potato leek soup. While we do eat dairy, we love finding recipes that work for all sorts of diets, like vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free all at once. We hope you enjoy it: let us know in the comments below!
Video: How to cut leeks
Leeks can be a bit tricky to cut! If you’re making this vegan potato leek soup, make sure to check out our video showing how to cut leeks. Here, I demonstrate how to cut leeks and clean them in our kitchen:
This vegan potato soup recipe is…
Vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Print
Vegan Leek Potato Soup (Green!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Total Time: 36 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
This vegan potato leek soup uses white beans instead of heavy cream to make the creamiest bowl of soup! Pair it with crusty bread or salad.
Ingredients
- 3 large leeks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 15-ounce can white beans
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 6 to 8 cups spinach
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- Chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Chop the leeks (watch the video!): Chop off the dark green stems of the leeks and the bottom root, then slice them in half lengthwise. Place each leek half cut-side down on the cutting board, then chop it into thin slices, resulting in half-moon shapes, then rinse them thoroughly in a colander. Dice the potatoes. Drain the beans.
- Heat the olive oil and saute leeks 4 minutes until softened, then add the potatoes and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add broth, water, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and white beans. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, stir in spinach, spices, and another 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Heat until the spinach is wilted. Puree in a blender or using an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick, add a few more tablespoons of water until the desired consistency is achieved (this may also be necessary when reheating). Serve garnished with chopped chives.
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan potato leek soup, vegan potato soup, vegan soup recipe
More vegan soup recipes
We love vegan soups! Here are a few more favorites:
Love your branding and content tweaks! Makes it so easy to find recipes and articles. And thanks for opening up the discussion about the reality of dreams and what they can become. Especially appreciate you saying it’s never too late to dream.
Lovely soup too. A simple blended green soup like this is one of my staples. Love the leeks and chives especially.
Thank you so much about the website! Yes, it’s good to remember it’s not too late to dream! So many times it seems that there are already too many dreams in the world and that we’ve been left by the wayside. However, I’m encouraged knowing and seeing so many friends and colleagues who are making it happen in various seasons in life!
Amen, girl!! I think self-doubt is a really good indicator of aspirations too. The thing I doubt the most – my blog – (will they like this recipe? what if no one has coconut flour? why would I even bother posting this recipe??) is what I dream the biggest about. I dream of having my own cookbook, my own vegan + organic snack line…. I have so many dreams!! And reading this post today was a great encouragement that I should keep dreaming :) :)
I love this — especially your inner monologue here! I think from the surface it’s hard to realize the amount of those types of doubts and fears go into posting things online, so thanks for calling that to light! These dreams are fantastic — I’d love to hear more about this vegan + organic snack line!
Great post Sonja!!!
I strongly believe that if we really work hard to achieve, what we dream. We can make that happen.
BTW this soup sounds healthy and delicious… :)
★★★★★
Thank you, Puja! I couldn’t agree more.
Boy oh boy, I needed to read this post this morning! I almost got emotional at my desk reading this because I have these thoughts all.the.time. and it can start to feel a little isolating. “It’s easy to feel like we’ve been left behind, that everyone else has figured out their dreams or passions in their teens or early 20’s.” <— Yes! This! All the time. There are two different paths I could see myself going down and I just don't know what the next right step is. That would be a great conversation with God. I think one of my biggest fears is that I'll never get to the point where I feel like I've finally found a career, and instead I'll just be plugging away at a job. Anyways, thanks for this post…so many feelings!
Oh this makes me glad to know that this hit a chord! I’d love to hear more about what paths you are looking at. Feel free to email me at acouplecooks@gmail.com — would love to connect over this.
I needed to read this today. The self-doubt can be crippling, especially in this world of social media and constant comparison. That’s when I need to step back and remember that I AM ENOUGH. Just as I am. And I am fully capable.
I love how truthful your posts always are – you’re a constant inspiration :)
UGH, agree! It’s a definite constant battle. So glad this came at the right time for you! I wrote a post on the inner critic a while back too — not sure if you saw that one but it is related (https://www.acouplecooks.com/2015/09/food-the-inner-critic-embracing-health-instead-of-negativity/).
And thank you so much for the kind words — that means a lot!
Thank you for this post; it’s so hard when everyone around me knows exactly what they want to do with their life and I just have no idea.
As far as the recipe – my mum makes a similar soup, but she always puts broccoli in too and it’s delicious! I always think it’s such an underrated vegetable.
Yes! I agree! Any ideas on what you’d do if you could do ANYthing in the world, all day long? I’d love to hear more (I love geeking out on this stuff)!
Ugh, I have no idea – that’s the whole problem! If I could do anything at all… I’m a total bookworm. But reading all day isn’t exactly a viable life decision :(
I’m a strong believer that figuring out what we’re naturally drawn to can help us to find the right path! Not that it will lead us to the “perfect” life or a profession that is stress-free or problem-free, but toward a realistic good fit. Feel free to email me more at acouplecooks@gmail.com if you’d like to continue with a more in-depth conversation on this! :)
Rosie, have you ever seen the movie About Time? It’s my current favorite movie. Rachel McAdams’ character plays a girl named Mary and Mary’s job is to be a reader for a publishing house. I always thought that sounded like the coolest job :)
How fun, Elyse — I love that dream job idea for Rosie! PS Haven’t seen the movie, but putting it on the list :)
I haven’t seen the film either but definitely will – it sounds great. As for the job – that would be my absolute dream!
Love this :) And that quote – totally got me emotional (in a good way) this morning on the way to work.
And the site looks GORGEOUS.
Thank you so much, Erica! Glad to get those emotions going before a long day, haha! :) Have you read The War of Art? I think you’d enjoy it.
You literally read my mind – I bought the book this morning hahaha. I’ll let you know what I think, I’m excited to check it out!!
I love this post! And the site looks SO good!
Thank you so much, Brooke!
What a great way to incorporate more veggies into a delicious soup!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
This looks delicious. As for dreams, mine right now is to use my restaurant training to teach people how to cook and eat better. We’ve had a lot of knowledge lost or specialized in the past few year, and for as trendy as food and cooking is becoming there’s still a lot of people who have never learned and want to. It’s a long term dream, I think, but I’m excited to see how it unfolds.
LOVE this dream, Allyson! We have the same dream but with no restaurant training :) We’d love to hear more about how this dream progresses. Feel free to email acouplecooks@gmail.com with more deets!