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Wintertime is always quite dull. After Christmas, it feels like it’s time for spring, but we’re looking at about 3 more months of cold and moody weather. The only thing that keeps my spirits up is tasty comfort food. This hearty one-pot soup is just that.
Cheap but tasty
This soup calls for a handful of ingredients we all have in our pantry. We’re looking at the most basic vegetables and spices. So how come this soup is so hearty and tasty? Well, it’s all about the right ingredients in the right amounts.
I don’t usually calculate how much my dishes cost. I know they’re not expensive because I follow my motto: “Affordable and accessible ingredients.” But it was quite interesting when I calculated the cost of this one-pot soup. It made me think about calculating the cost all the time.
To answer your burning question: this soup feeds 4 people and costs a bit less than 1€ per person.
Amongst the ingredients, there’s a vegan “sausage” – not just any sausage but a special wholesome one made by Grashka Mountain food brand. It’s made of buckwheat and with very little processing which makes it a healthy choice. It’s not cheap, though. We’re only using a third in this recipe and even with that, the cost is below 1€ per person. As this sausage is an ingredient you can miss out on, without it the soup costs even less. Crazy, right?
Sausage or no sausage, this soup is thick and comfy, full of fibre, protein, and taste.
What makes this hearty one-pot soup so good?
When cooking without animal products, you must know how to bring that multi-dimensional umami flavour out of food.
Using enough salt is surely the number 1 thing. Not too much and not too little, but just enough. I recommend adding little by little until you reach that sweet spot (or should I say salty spot).
Next up are textures. We can’t really taste textures but texture plays an enormous role in how much we like a certain food. We’re using potato and yogurt for creaminess, carrots, and peas for that bite, and leek for added texture. Sausage imitates meat, but only by adding more taste; it also adds something to bite into for sure.
Last but not least would be herbs and spices. Knowing what brings out that yum factor is crucial. For soups and one-pots of traditional European taste, those would be marjoram, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, savory (satureja), sweet and smoked paprika, and caraway. I’m not adding onion and garlic to this list, but they are just as important; especially garlic. We’re using marjoram, black pepper, and thyme as those are easy to find and broadly used.
Why do we love this soup?
-> It’s cooked in one pot which means less clean-up
-> Packed with taste and texture, it’s perfect for cold winter days
-> Easy to make and cooked quickly it’s great for week-night meals
Ingredients for hearty one-pot soup
We’ve talked a bit about those but let’s get to the business properly. Here’s a full list:
Garlic: We’re not using onion in this case but only garlic and leek. It’s a different combo and in my opinion almost better than onion+garlic. Garlic is also my favourite taste so there’s no soup, stew, or sauce without it.
Leek: It’s taste reminds us of garlic and onion as it’s quite strong and lingers on for a while. Cooking makes it gentler. While onion is very basic, leek offers another dimension of taste which adds to the taste of the whole soup.
Carrots: Slightly sweet, they add their mild taste to this one-pot soup. Carrots are a classic in many soups and stews, because of their colour and their taste.
Potatoes: Almost no taste there, but they offer us their natural starchiness. We’re not thickening this soup up the traditional way (which includes white flour), but instead using potatoes with all their fibre and starch, adding richness but nothing unhealthy.
Peas: Every good stew needs protein and peas offer just that. Their slightly sweet taste also adds something special to the taste of the whole soup.
Salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme: I’ve talked about these a bit further up. They’re used in classic soups and stews, so why not use them in vegan versions, too, ay? They’ll create a lovely umami flavour and add dimension to the harmony of tastes.
Coconut yogurt: or any other plant yogurt you love. This one will add creaminess, lightness, and freshness to otherwise rich soup.
Vegan sausage (Buck by Grashka): If you’re using one, use the one you like and the one that complements soups and stews well with its taste and spices. Grashka’s Buck is what I’m using, but if you can’t get your hands on one of those, use the one you love.
That’s that for the ingredients. See, nothing complicated and nothing scary. What’s even better is that the preparation is as simple as the ingredients if not even simpler.
Wanna pin this recipe?
If you’re looking for more hearty vegan meals, here are some ideas for you:
-> Curry Noodle Soup for those who love Indian fusion
-> Oriental Lentil Soup for those who love Arabic tastes
-> Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Mushroom Sauce for those who love traditional eats
-> Pumpkin Ragu with Stuffed Pasta Shells for those who want a bit of a challenge
For even more recipes, check my Lunch section on the blog.
Are you recreating any of my recipes? Don’t forget to take a photo and tag me on Instagram @littlekitchenvibes
Hearty One-Pot Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 200 g leek
- 200 g carrots
- 500 g potatoes
- 1 can peas approx. 400 g
- vegan sausage
- 2 tbsp coconut yogurt or aother plant-based yogurt
- 2 tsp salt
- ⅓ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1 tsp thyme
Instructions
- Chop garlic. Clean the leek and cut it into slices. Peel carrots and cut them into slices or half-moons. Peel potatoes and cut them into 1.5x1.5 cm pieces.
- Cut vegan sausage into slices. If you're using Grashka's Buck, use ⅓ and cut slices into quarters (like pizza slices). If you're using a different sausage, cut it into pieces that fit you best.
- Warm up olive oil and sautée garlic for about a minute. Add the sausage, if you're using it, and sautée for another 2-3 minutes so that sausage gets a lovely golden colour.
- Next, add leek and sautée for a bit so that it softens, then add carrots and potatoes. Pour in the water, just enough to cover all the ingredients.
- Add salt, stir, and cover with a lid. Bring it to boil.
- Then add black pepper, marjoram, and thyme. To get more aroma out of the herb, crush them between your fingers or palms before adding them to the pot. Stir again, cover, and let it simmer over low to medium heat until potatoes soften.
- Once potatoes are cooked, add strained peas. If you want this one-pot soup to be thicker, simply mash a few pieces of potatoes with a fork against the wall of the pot. Potatoes are starchy and act as a lovely thickener.
- In the end, add coconut yogurt to the soup for freshness and even more creaminess. Serve it with a piece of bread.
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