My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

Soups, Stews, & Chili

Crock Pot Potato Soup…A Bowl Full of Comfort

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Is there anything more comfortable that curling up on the couch with a warm bowl of soup? Maybe sitting near a campfire with a bowl of chili and a dozen of your closest friends but I’m more of a couch girl.

I’m also fond of potatoes, so this Crock Pot meal brings me to my happy place.

This may be the easiest soup I’ve ever made. My teenage daughter LOVED it. In fact, she may even put up a fight for the last bowl of Potato Soup.

This recipe is made from pantry and veggie staples that I always have on hand. I don’t think it’s possible to mess up this recipe. If you are short on time cook the Potato Soup on the stove instead of in the Crock Pot. You won’t be disappointed.

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Ingredients

  • 6 medium potatoes washed and cut into bite sized chunks (I left skin on)
  • 4 cups of water
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper to taste

Do

  1. Place all ingredients into a Crock Pot.
  2. Set to low for about 6 hours, or high for 4 hours.
  3. Once everything is soft you can enjoy as is with a little salt and pepper or mash with a potato masher until it reaches a smooth consistency for a creamy soup. An immersion blender will do the job even faster.

Crock Pot Potato Soup

Serve

This soup is perfect to help you warm up on a chilly day; a truly guilt-free comfort food. It can also be served with a side salad or a sandwich for a bistro worthy lunch.

Unsuspecting omnivores will think this contains milk and cheese but they would be wrong.

This soup makes four servings.

Update: Lindsey left a comment that she made this soup in the Instant Pot, cooking for 4 minutes. She said the quick release was messy but it was really good. Thanks Lindsey. 

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Texas-Style Chili

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Meatless and gluten-free chili

Chili may be one of the best meals for a crisp autumn day. Even though it isn’t really all that crisp here in Arizona it still makes a very tasty meal. I’ve mention before that I grew up in Texas so we don’t take our chili lightly, the spicier the better. 

With this recipe I rein in the spices but feel free to add more (or less) to suit your taste buds. Sometimes I’ll make it mild then scoop some out for my kids then add more spices to the remainder for my husband and I.

vegan chili

 

If you are new to a plant-based diet this recipe is perfect because you don’t notice anything is missing.

inredients in pan vegan chili

Very Vegan Chili (Texas Style)

Ingredients

  • 3 cans of beans OR about 6 cups of cooked beans, any variety
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 can diced tomatoes OR about 3 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can diced green chili’s OR your choice of fresh peppers, we like jalapenos
  • 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  • Chili powder to suit your tastes. Some people use 1 or 2 Tbsp. I use 1/4 to 1/2 cup but most people can’t handle that.
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • salt
  • pepper

Do

  1. Add beans, diced onion, tomatoes, peppers, and tomato sauce to a large sauce pan and cook until onions, peppers, and tomatoes are cooked.
  2. Add spices to suit your individual taste preferences.
  3. Heat until extra liquid, if any, has cooked out.

Serve

This meal is great on a cool day, it is hearty and filled with fiber. Cornbread or crackers make a great accompaniment. Perhaps my favorite way to enjoy chili is on a baked potato. This recipe also freezes well so make a big batch and save some for a rainy day.

This recipe also works great in the Crock Pot but since the beans are already cooked it can be made on the stove fairly quickly.

vegetarian chili 3 600x401

 

For more great recipe ideas check out my Recipe Page or follow me on Pinterest.

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Taco Soup

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When the weather is cold, this plant-based Taco Soup will warm you up! This hearty, comforting recipe tastes good enough to serve to guests or enjoy any day of the week.

This plant-based diet approved Taco Soup is perfect all year long. If you need a vegan and gluten-free soup recipe try this one!

A few years ago we had dinner with friends (HI Kara!) and they made Taco Soup for us. It was good and easy to make. It was made with about 5 different cans of veggies and ground beef and dairy. This is my much healthier take on that recipe using fresh ingredients instead of canned,  when possible.

Don’t worry if you have to use canned though. This soup will still be delicious and much healthier than anything you would get through a drive thru.

In some ways, it reminds me of my Texas-Style Chili recipe. The corn, avocado and cilantro really set it apart though. Once you make this one, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make it a part of your weekly meal plan. I’d kind of forgotten about it in favor of newer recipes but it’s about to make a come back.

This plant-based diet approved Taco Soup is perfect all year long. If you need a vegan and gluten-free soup recipe try this one!

If you are not into cilantro, you can leave it out. I know some people really dislike cilantro but I love it. Cilantro and lime are my peanut butter and jelly.

This soup is full of fiber so it will keep you full!

This plant-based diet approved Taco Soup is perfect all year long. If you need a vegan and gluten-free soup recipe try this one!

Taco Soup

This made about 4 servings and is very filling. It is also a very forgiving soup, if you are missing one or two ingredients go ahead and make it or substitute something in. It is a little difficult for small children to eat, as most soups are, but it isn’t too spicy if the jalapeno seeds are removed. I like to garnish this with fresh avocado.

 

 

Taco Soup
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Ingredients
  • ½ cup water for de-glazing pan
  • ¼ onion - diced (I used red onion)
  • ½ bell pepper diced (I used red bell pepper)
  • 1 tomato - diced ( I removed seeds too)
  • 1 jalapeno - diced ( I removed seeds too but you can leave them in for a spicy soup)
  • 2 cups cooked pinto beans
  • 2 cups cooked black beans
  • 1½ cups (or 1 can) of corn
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
  • cilantro to taste ( I used a handful, chopped)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
  1. Add diced onion and bell peppers to pan, stirring regularly. If they begin to stick add a 1-2 Tbsp of water to pan to de-glaze.
  2. Cook, remembering to stir and de-glaze as necessary until onions are translucent and peppers begin to soften.
  3. Add tomatoes and jalapeno peppers, cook until soft.
  4. Add beans, corn, 2 cups of water and tomato sauce then simmer.
  5. Taste then add spices and nutritional yeast a little at a time until desired "spiciness" is reached.
  6. Add cilantro last then allow to cool before eating.

Minestrone Soup

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One of the best and easiest soups I’ve had since adopting a plant-based diet is Minestrone Soup.

One of the great things about making plant-based Minestrone Soup is that you don’t really have to make all that many changes from your typical recipe.  Plus, you can easily adapt it based on what you have on hand.

I like to use my Dry Veggie Broth Mix in this recipe. If you haven’t tried the broth mix yet you are missing out!

Minestrone Soup is the perfect year round soup. It's meatless, vegan and gluten-free when using GF noodles.

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Enchilada Soup

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Back in the days before I transitioned to a plant-based diet I made a really savory Chicken Enchilada Soup. It was soooo good. People would come from miles around, OK my friend Sarah would drive a few miles to eat this soup. I love this soup!!!

Plant-Based gluten-free Enchilada Soup.

The problem was it contained a ton of not so healthy ingredients. I was determined to make it healthy without compromising the flavor. 

Enchilada Soup

Enchilada Soup
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
  • 6 cups veggie broth
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cups cooked beans (I use 1 can black beans and 1 can pinto beans)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned our fine)
  • 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup organic corn
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • salt, pepper and nutrional yeast to taste (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bring veggie broth to a simmer in a large pot.
  2. Add onions, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, corn and rice.
  3. Add tomato sauce and let simmer.
  4. Let this cook until onions are translucent and flavors have had a chance to meld. I like to let it simmer for an hour or so.
  5. Season with chili powder, cumin and any other seasonings.

This is especially good with crushed tortilla chips and nutritional yeast added to the individual bowl. If you like to use a faux sour cream add a dollop to your bowl. Try not to eat right out of the pot when you’re putting leftovers away. That is just bad manners. This made enough soup for maybe 6 bowls, but you will want seconds. Double (or triple) the recipe for a large family.  

This soup is very forgiving. If you are missing an ingredient go ahead and made it. I make it all the time but when I’m out of corn or green chilies it still tastes great. 

My husband kept going on and on about how great this soup is, how it reminds him of soup his mom made when he was a kid, how amazing I am; OK I threw that last part in there but it is not uncommon for him to say that. 

Enchilada Soup

Don’t  you just want to dive in that bowl and swim around? Well you would if you tasted it. 

If you love this soup be sure to try it’s grain-free counterpart, Taco Soup!