Potato Spinach Artichoke Soup

Like a creamy spinach artichoke dip but make it a soup. Extra silky and chunky packed with gold potatoes, leeks, chopped up artichoke hearts and as much baby spinach as your heart desire. Healthy and nutritious dairy-free, gluten free and of course vegan.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword spinach artichoke soup

Prep Time 10

Servings people

Calories 346kcal

Author Florentina

Ingredients

1 medium leek
2 lb gold waxy potatoes (cleaned + diced into small cubes - 1/2 inch or so)
15 oz can artichoke hearts (you can double it if you like)
5 cups water
2 bay leaves
1.2 bunch fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dry thyme)
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
5-6 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves grated
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 x 2 inch piece Kombu seaweed optional but reccommened

Cashew sour cream

1 cup raw cashew pieces soaked
1/3 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
1/3 cup water

Instructions

MAKE THE SOUR CREAM: Soak the cashew pieces in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain then blend in your Vitamix (or powerful blender) with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup water until silky smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
1 cup raw cashew pieces soaked, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup water
Slice the leek in half lengthwise then chop. Add it to a bog bowl of cold water and agitate the water to rinse off any sand and dirt trapped in between the layers. Allow to sit for a few minutes, all the dirt will sink to the bottom while the clean leeks will float on top.
1 medium leek
Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the leeks directly into the pot. Sautee with a pinch of salt until all the moisture has evaporated.
1 medium leek
Add a drizzle of olive oil and continue cooking until the leeks start to get a little color. Stir in the onion and garlic powders, thyme, bay and kombu seaweed.
2 bay leaves, 1.2 bunch fresh thyme sprigs, 1 Tbsp onion powder, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 2 x 2 inch piece Kombu seaweed
Add the diced potatoes and water and bring to boil. Season with a teaspoon of salt and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked through. Transfer a couple of ladles of the soup and potatoes to a powerful blender and process until silky smooth. Add back into the soup pot.
2 lb gold waxy potatoes, 5 cups water
Drain the artichoke hearts and roughly chop them. Add them to the soup together with the nutritional yeast and chopped spinach. Simmer until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the grated garlic and simmer for another 20 seconds or so just to tame its sharpness.
15 oz can artichoke hearts, 5-6 cups baby spinach, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 3 garlic cloves
Remove the soup from heat and discard the thyme sprigs and bay.
Stir in 1/3 of the sour cream. Taste and adjust seasonings with more sea salt to taste. Add more sour cream as desired or serve on the side for everyone to add extra.

Video

Notes

Potatoes - make sure to use a waxy potato variety, they hold together nicely without turning into mush and they blend beautifully to add silkiness to the soup.
Artichokes - I used a 14 oz can of artichoke hearts drained and rinsed well then roughly chopped. You can most definitely double this amount if you like.
Spinach - any fresh spinach works here, I love to roughly chop it up first even when using baby spinach. Sometimes I even run it in the food processor for a finer chop in which case I can double the amount just to be extra nutritious.
Kombu - this dry seaweed adds fantastic umami flavor to soups and stews and I love using it since I cook with water not store bought veggie stock. It is highly recommended but if you don't happen to store this ingredient in your pantry then by all means still make the soup without it or sub with about 1 tablespoon of veggie bouillon.

Nutrition