Rich, creamy and full of flavor...dinner doesn't get much more cozy than this vegan beer cheese soup! You'd never guess this deliciously indulgent soup was dairy free.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, chopped
- 1 ½ cups diced carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 ½ cups diced celery (about 3 medium celery stalks)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (12 ounce) bottle brown ale
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 2 cups vegetable broth, divided
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed, and drained
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar based hot sauce (such as Tobasco or Crystal)
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ medium baguette, cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt to taste
- Chopped fresh chives
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place it over medium heat.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then add the leeks, carrots and celery.
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Cook the veggies, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften up, about 10 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook it for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Sprinkle the flour into the pot. Stir it well to form a paste that coats the veggies. Continue stirring and cooking the mixture for about 2 minutes.
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Stir the beer and thyme into the pot. Raise the heat and bring the beer to a simmer.
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Cook the beer and veggies at a low simmer for about 5 minutes, until the liquid reduces by about half, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to prevent the veggies and flour from sticking.
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Stir in 1 cup of the broth. Raise the heat and bring the liquid back up to a simmer.
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Allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft.
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While the soup simmers, prepare the croutons. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Stir the olive oil, garlic, and smoked paprika together in a large bowl.
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Add the bread cubes and stir well to coat them with the mixture.
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Arrange the bread cubes on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with salt.
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Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake the croutons until lightly browned and crispy, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
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When the soup has finished simmering remove the pot from the heat.
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Place the cashews into the bowl of a food processor with ¼ cup of the remaining vegetable broth.
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Blend the cashews to a smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, and drizzling in additional broth as needed.
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Ladle about half of the veggies from the pot into the food processor bowl, and then blend them with the cashew mixture until smooth.
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Add the cashew-veggie mixture to the pot, along with any remaining vegetable broth. You can also thin the soup with extra broth or water if you'd like.
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Stir in the nutritional yeast, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and mustard.
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Place the pot back over medium heat and bring it back up to a simmer while stirring.
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Once it gets to a simmer, remove the pot from the heat.
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Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Be generous with the salt — it will help make the soup taste cheesy.
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Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chives and croutons. Serve.
This soup is great topped with tempeh bacon. Just stir together, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and1 teaspoon liquid smoke. Cut an 8 ounce package of tempeh into ½ inch cubes and marinate them in the soy sauce mixture for 30 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the tempeh and cook for about 10 minutes, until browned and crisp.