Poll of the Day > Dear Dr. Foxx, and cooking PotDers, how do you make vegetable soup?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm planning on making a straightforward, good soup this weekend, and would like any suggestions you could make.

I'm planning on making some mushroom stock (with some herbs that I need to figure out), then adding potatoes, carrots, and celery for the soup itself. Then adding some olive oil on top, and salt and pepper because I'm not a monster.

@Doctor_Foxx
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Throw some salt in there and boom you got soup.

I tend to undersalt my stuff, so I'll go just a little bit more than I normally do. I still don't want to ruin the soup, it's just I need to add more than a few shakes from my can of salt.
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Don't forget onion.

Your best bet is to make a vegetable broth from the celery, carrots, onions, garlic, salt and pepper. You can add some aromati herbs now or later.

You can now use this to make any number of soups.
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Don't use celery with mushrooms - they're competing flavours.

I'd do it scalloped potatoes style, although you're not making scalloped potatoes... I just mean the style.

Grate a (half?) small potato into your mushroom stock (to act as a thickener) and then cube a big potato. Boil the mushroom stock and grated potato with some chopped green onions and chives and stir until thickened.

Meanwhile, lightly fry the potato cubes... not too much, just a little to get some crunch. Toss the potatoes into the soup and boil/stir frequently until very creamy. Then add your diced carrots (so they're hot, but still crunchy)
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Oh f***, yeah I have a whole bunch of onions I can throw in. Thanks, I would have totally forgotten that.

I do want to stick to a mushroom stock though, I don't get to eat them a lot since my gf doesn't like the texture, but she's out this weekend, so I get to fart around and make whatever I want.
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Crockpot Vegetarian Garden Vegetable Soup with Pesto (Panera Copycat)
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
2 cans of diced tomatoes (14.5oz each), undrained
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2lb fresh green beans, ends cut off and chopped
2.5oz fresh baby spinach (about 3 big handfuls)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced (1 cup)
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/4-1/2 cup pearled barley (not quick cooking)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
1 bay leaf
4 cups vegetable broth *not needed until day of cooking
6 tablespoons pesto (store-bought or homemade) *not needed until day of cooking

Directions
Add all ingredients to your crockpot (except pesto).
Cook on low setting for 8 hours or until vegetables are soft.
Remove bay leaf.
Spoon into bowls and top with pesto.

Yo add some barley or lentils to that soup and it would be pretty good. I'd suggest bay leaves as well with the combination you have.

Last night I made soup with whatever vegetables I had kicking around, it was great. Onion, carrot, celery, cauliflower, potato, added some lentils and made dumplings

Mmmm



That's not even the best soup i made this week. I made a blended broccoli, cauliflower, and potato soup with lentils and it was the best
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I prefer thicker soups, which is why I recommended the grated potato (or potato starch) as thickener
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I could have sworn that bay leaves were mostly for tenderizing meat.
Are they good for just all soup-related stuff?
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Mmmm, thick soup is good. Would flour also work for thickening it?
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Lokarin posted...

I prefer thicker soups, which is why I recommended the grated potato (or potato starch) as thickener

If you blend in cooked vegetables or potatoes with the broth it works better. Or make dumplings. It thickens your soup right up.

shadowsword87 posted...

I could have sworn that bay leaves were mostly for tenderizing meat.
Are they good for just all soup-related stuff?

I've never used them for tenderizing meat. Only for flavoring food liquids. It's good for many stocks. Some people don't like the flavour and they are wrong

shadowsword87 posted...

Mmmm, thick soup is good. Would flour also work for thickening it?

Better would be to make a roux, fully blend in broth, then add all ingredients

I used roux to thicken my creamy soups
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Oh, hot peppers, yes or no for vegetable soup?
I like the idea of it, but I haven't seen it before.
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shadowsword87 posted...

Oh, hot peppers, yes or no for vegetable soup?

I use them as a garnish gladly not as a stock item
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I think I'll add just a touch of red pepper flakes to the soup itself, I really have come around to spicy things and just making it work.
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shadowsword87 posted...

I think I'll add just a touch of red pepper flakes to the soup itself, I really have come around to spicy things and just making it work.

That should be fine. I like chili paste in some of my soups.

What kind of mushrooms are you using for your stock?

For herbs I'd really suggest things that are like rosemary and thyme, maybe use leek instead of garlic and onion. Goes great with mushrooms and that's my pro soup move, leeks. Just make sure you really wash them. I mean really
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Doctor Foxx posted...

What kind of mushrooms are you using for your stock?

I don't actually know, I figured I would just wander around the grocery store until something said it would be good. Or it's the first thing I saw.

Doctor Foxx posted...

For herbs I'd really suggest things that are like rosemary and thyme, maybe use leek instead of garlic and onion. Goes great with mushrooms and that's my pro soup move, leeks. Just make sure you really wash them. I mean really

I've never really eaten/cooked leeks before, so it wasn't on my radar.
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shadowsword87 posted...

I don't actually know, I figured I would just wander around the grocery store until something said it would be good. Or it's the first thing I saw.

Ahh. You can buy premade mushroom stocks now. I'd suggest using some soaked and rinsed dried shiitake for flavor

Also look for Better Than Bouillion paste in a jar near where things like OXO are sold. It's great. They make several vegan kinds and just a bit adds layers of flavors imo.
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Doctor Foxx posted...

Ahh. You can buy premade mushroom stocks now. I'd suggest using some soaked and rinsed dried shiitake for flavor

I got time this weekend! I'm going to spend a good half-day to actually boil down my stock and make my soup.
I'll take a look for some shiitake though, my asian market is on point for a lot of stuff, I should find it.

Doctor Foxx posted...

Also look for Better Than Bouillion paste in a jar near where things like OXO are sold. It's great. They make several vegan kinds and just a bit adds layers of flavors imo.

I already got a jar of powdered bouillon, so I will pass on your vegan temptations.
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shadowsword87 posted...

I already got a jar of powdered bouillon, so I will pass on your vegan temptations.

This shit is way better it's not even a contest you'll throw your powder away

And you can get it non vegan too. But the veggie kinds are great. It's a sad surprise when all vegetable soups are made with meat broth
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Doctor Foxx posted...

This s*** is way better it's not even a contest you'll throw your powder away
And you can get it non vegan too. But the veggie kinds are great

All right, I'll get it and use it the next time I make stuffing.

Doctor Foxx posted...

It's a sad surprise when all vegetable soups are made with meat broth

Yeah, that just sort of feels like a s***y thing.
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that's just flavour logic. You make veggie soup in beef stock and beef stew in veggie stock....

But on the vegan angle, they do offer vegan vegetable stock - it is weird that veggie stock does have some meat product in it
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I like to make my own homemade broth using fresh vegetable bones
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Doctor Foxx posted...

all vegetable soups are made with meat broth

Lokarin posted...

it is weird that veggie stock does have some meat product in it

All of the vegetable broths I buy, are meat free.
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You can also make tasty veggie broth with just onions, celery, and carrots/leeks
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SunWuKung420 posted...

Doctor Foxx posted...

all vegetable soups are made with meat broth

Lokarin posted...

it is weird that veggie stock does have some meat product in it

All of the vegetable broths I buy, are meat free.

I'm talking about what other people make. People, and restaurants, use chicken stock for vegetable soup surprisingly often. Or they use it with rice. Or potatoes. I buy things that are animal product free
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I know you guys really care, but I do have the mushrooms, but I made brauts and stuffing today.
Soup tomorrow.
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shadowsword87 posted...

I know you guys really care, but I do have the mushrooms, but I made brauts and stuffing today.
Soup tomorrow.

Even if you didn't make soup, hopefully someone learned to make soup from this topic.
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Throw vegetables into steaming hot water

???

Profit

Oh yeah, most of the time when people talk about cooking, soup is basically never mentioned.
I'm happy to help people just remember it.
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TheWorstPoster posted...

Throw vegetables into steaming hot water

???

Profit

It's true
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