My savory vegetable potage is a throwback to the French soups I grew up eating (and loving). I’m all about serving food that looks somewhat fancy – but causes zero hassles in the kitchen. Rustic root vegetables, simmered and pureed is my idea of a refined soup that is much greater than the sum of its parts. From cutting board to dinner table in a half-hour.
My mom is staying with me in Tokyo for a couple of months. And she wasn’t here for more than a couple of days before she requested I make my vegetable potage. Turns out, after a few evenings of soba ankake and savory miso soup, she was ready for the hearty French fare she grew to love during the years we lived in Quebec. We’re both crazy for a blended veggie soup that looks fancy on the table, but smacks with rustic, homey flavors. So I grabbed a crusty French baguette and made an extra huge batch of soup, thinking we’d have leftovers. Guess I underestimated everyone’s appetite. Ben and my mom made sure it was ALL gone that night.
Vegetable potage (potage aux légumes) is a simmered French vegetable soup that is pureed until it takes on a thick, smooth consistency. I use a hand blender – but it works in a food processor as well. Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes and leeks are my go-to for this recipe.
Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Olive Oil: I use this to quickly sauté the aromatics. A good, first press olive oil imparts a grassy, peppery fragrance to the soup.
- Garlic, Ginger and Celery: These are my main aromatics. Fresh ginger in particular introduces a slow, shimmering heat without making it spicy. And I love nothing in the world more than the smell of pan fried garlic.
- Leek: Leeks add sweetness. Chop just the white part – and a tiny bit of the light green. The dark green bits are much too hard and won’t cook in time.
- Vegetable Broth
- Potatoes and Carrots: I use carrots for sweetness and potatoes for silky heft.
- Salt and Pepper
Ingredient Variations
I always give myself a lot of leeway when making soup. This makes it easy when I’m running low on a particular ingredient – or think something else might taste better. Here are a few can’t miss pivots.
Use white onion instead of leeks. While leeks are sweeter, chopped white onion is a good stand in. Just be sure to chop and sauté the white onion until translucent before making the soup.
Use less ginger (or leave it out). Ginger is the only remotely spicy element in this soup. And, while it isn’t fiery by any means, it hits some people wrong.
Change the broth. If keeping it vegan isn’t a priority, chicken broth would make a great, savory alternative to the veggie broth.
How To Make It
- Start the aromatics in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat.
- Assemble, boil, simmer. Add the broth, carrots and potatoes to the pot. Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer. See the recipe card below for timing.
- Puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in a food processor) until smooth.
- Season and serve. Simple salt and pepper to taste.
Expert Tips
Be sure to wash each layer of the leek. Leeks are similar to green onions in that there are multiple layers. And I’ve found that leeks from the grocery store often times have grit hiding between those thick layers. So I always give them a rinse. A good way to open them up is to slice the tip off, then run a sharp chef’s knife down the middle lengthwise. I then wash under cold water, fanning out the layers until they are clean.
Cut the potatoes and carrots into (roughly) equal sizes. Sure, it’s a blended soup. But I simmer it to cook the vegetables first. If the potatoes are all generally the same size, they’ll cook evenly – and I won’t be trying to blend a rogue chunk of undercooked potato. Same idea with the carrots.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftover potage in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 4 days. I like to store mine in single serving containers for easy reheating.
Reheat in the microwave – or in a soup pot on the stovetop – until hot. But I like eating leftover vegetable potage cold, right out of fridge as well. Your choice.
* Potage can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen leftovers overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave.
* While freezing this vegan recipe is safe, thawed pureed potatoes sometimes have a gummy, pasty texture. I’ve had good luck freezing this recipe as leftovers, but YMMV.
What I Serve With Vegetable Potage
My favorite thing in the world is a crusty loaf of French bread alongside this blended soup. And the other night, I went the extra mile and a made a cheese tartine, omg. But, when I want to fill the menu out (while sticking with the spirit of French soups), I go with salads and sandwiches. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Cucumber Sandwiches With Tzatziki Sauce
- Nicoise Salad
- Avocado Toast
- Chopped Salad With Avocado and Endive
- Tempeh Katsu Sandwich
And check out these other hearty soup and stew recipes: navy bean soup, fish stew, potato and onion miso soup, vegetarian split pea soup, creamy mushroom curry, edamame vichyssoise, slow cooker pinto beans, doenjang jjigae, Tuscan bean soup
Frequently Asked Questions
The vegetables have to simmer to cook prior to blending. Chopping the potatoes and carrots means they’ll cook more quickly than whole vegetables. And chopping in uniform sized chunks means everything will cook evenly.
Yes! But you may want to blend the soup in a few smaller batches. A blender full of hot soup is a weapon. Limit the blender jar to half-full and always fasten the lid.
Yes to both. 100% vegan and gluten free as written. As always, people with wheat allergies will want to read the label on their vegetable broth to make sure it isn’t processed in a facility that also handles wheat.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Vegetable Potage
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegetable potage looks fancy and tastes like it simmered for hours – but it’s actually a rustic blended vegetable soup I take from cutting board to dinner table in just over 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the aromatics: In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and swirl it to evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic, ginger, celery and leek, and stir. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Boil the soup: Add the broth, potatoes, and carrots and stir. Turn the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Turn the heat down to a bubbling simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender.
- Puree the soup: Turn the heat off and use an immersion blender to blend the vegetables until the soup is smooth. You can also transfer the soup to a regular blender and blend until smooth. You might need to do this in batches.
- Season and serve: Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 173
- Sugar: 9.5g
- Sodium: 920mg
- Fat: 5.7g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29.9g
- Fiber: 5.2g
- Protein: 2.7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
