Roasted black beans are the best easy healthy snack! Crunchy and spiced with cumin and garlic, they’re plant based…and hard to stop eating. You know crispy roasted chickpeas? These crunchy salty bits have become popular as a healthy snack, and they’re now sold packaged at stores and airports alike. So why not try the same idea with black beans? Meet our new very favorite snack: roasted black beans! Make up a big batch and you will fall in love with this irresistible crunchy plant-based snack. Alex and I can’t stop eating them…and neither can our 3 year old Larson. The might not be the most photogentic snack (just what are those?), but they’re absolutely delicious. Crispy roasted black beans: an easy healthy snack! Why make crispy roasted black beans? So many reasons. Isn’t it hard to find easy and healthy snacks? Alex and I often opt for roasted salted nuts and dried fruit, but sometimes that gets a little boring. (Truth.) We are big salty snack people over here, so salty snacks that are healthy too? Perfection. Here’s why you should add these to your repertoire: They’re healthy, vegan and gluten free. Made simply with olive oil, black beans and […]
What do you get when you mix tangy, spicy Korean kimchi into an ultra creamy, white cheddar mac and cheese? A downright delicious dinner, that’s what!
Mac ‘n cheese aficionados: this one’s for you! Quite possibly the creamiest mac and cheese EVER (thanks to a super secret sciency ingredient), we’ve added spicy kimchi for a unique take on a comfort food classic.
Kimchi mac and cheese.
Mac and kim-cheese.
Get it?
I crack myself up sometimes.
But this pun-derful recipe is more than just a clever name. While it may have originated there, when we made our first test batch we were blown away by the combination of tangy, spicy kimchi and creamy white cheddar cheese. It’s simply unreal.
That said, this recipe did not come together easily.
I have a thing about texture, and especially when it comes to mac ‘n cheese, the texture is paramount to my ultimate enjoyment.
Most mac ‘n cheese recipes start out with a flour roux; this is how I’ve always made it (and indeed my past mac ‘n cheese recipes have done just that) but for whatever reason this time I just wasn’t satisfied.
Roux-based cheese sauces have a tendency to get somewhat pasty, a texture that really isn’t ideal when you’re craving an ultra creamy mac ‘n cheese.
I tried changing proportions of flour and cheese. I tried different kinds of cheeses. I compared baked vs stovetop versions. Either I’d have a thick cheese sauce that maybe stayed creamy for 5 minutes before going pasty, or a thin and watery one; there was no perfectly creamy middle ground.
Then I discovered a secret ingredient that is nothing short of magic.
Here’s the best simple guacamole with the perfect flavor! Creamy, savory and perfectly balanced, you’ll hear a chorus of “Wow’s” every time you serve it. Guacamole is like potato salad and coleslaw: everyone has their family favorite recipe. And this simple guacamole is ours. It’s a home run every time! When we serve it, a chorus of “Wow’s” fill the room. (Really. Not hyperbole!) What makes it so great? It’s classic and has the perfect balanced flavor: perfectly savory, creamy, and tangy. Serve it up with tortilla chips and your guests — and you — won’t be able to stop eating it. What’s in the best simple guacamole? Alex created this easy guacamole recipe and man is it good! One of our favorite Mexican restaurants in town closed (sadly), and they had the best guacamole on the planet. This one reminds me of theirs! It’s just the right balance of flavors. Here’s what you need for this simple guacamole: 3 ripe avocados: The avocados must give when you squeeze them. If they’re firm, don’t even consider using them here! White onion: White onion has the most authentic Mexican flavor Ripe roma tomato: Again, make sure it’s fresh and ripe! Cilantro: […]
This easy chili baked potato recipe works for weeknights or family dinners for a crowd! This trick lets you cook the potatoes in half the time. What’s for dinner? Yes, it’s a struggle for all of us! Alex and I have found it’s especially difficult when feeding a crowd. But here’s a solution that’s a perfect dinner for a crowd: chili baked potatoes! Bake up some potatoes, top them with chili and all the fixin’s, and it’s an easy dinner everyone can enjoy. Chili is a hearty match for fluffy potatoes, and really: who doesn’t love a baked potato bar with all those fun toppings? This recipe is gluten-free and vegan, so it fits a variety of diets around the table. Here’s how we make them: with our trick for baking the potatoes quickly! How to make chili baked potatoes Chili baked potatoes is a truly easy concept: make chili, bake potatoes, serve! It’s a great option for entertaining, like a big family dinner. Alex and I served this to a group of 12 people for a dinner party, and it went over very well! Everyone loved the toppings, and it made our pot of chili feed more people! Here […]
These easy mini frittatas are just what you need for a quick nutritious breakfast or lunch! Filled with pecans and veggies, make them ahead to grab and go. This post was created in partnership with the American Pecan Council. All opinions are our own. Looking for nutritious breakfast or lunch ideas? Aren’t we all. Many readers have been asking us for quick nutritious recipes for busy mornings and office desk lunches. So Alex and I put our heads together and came up with a new trick: mini frittatas! Basically a muffin made of egg, they’re easy to meal prep and grab as you’re headed out the door. Refrigerate or freeze ’em, and you can eat off them all week. The best part: they’re so tasty! They’re filled with colorful veggies and crunchy pecans for added protein and nutrients. Why make mini frittatas? So many reasons. What’s so great about these pecan mini frittatas? Alex and I had never made them before, but they’re now part of our easy breakfast and lunch recipe staples! They’d also work for a fancy brunch. When you’re hangry, they’re the perfect snack. (Or to satisfy a cranky child…or spouse. You get it!) Some great things about […]
Ultra soft matcha infused sugar cookies with an unexpected surprise inside: a pocket of sweetened black sesame paste for a savory richness that you’ll absolutely adore.
The black sesame proves to be a perfect foil to the saccharine sweetness of the sugar cookie: it’s nutty and sweet, but also slightly savory at the same time (and the result is downright amazing.)
I mean, these two ingredients were made for each other, united with a bit of sugar into a practically perfect union. The subtle grassiness of the matcha and the roasted nuttiness of the black sesame is a unique flavor combination that is sure to raise some eyebrows, but trust me on this one: it works.
I played around with a few different filling options before settling on black sesame, including raspberry jam and a raspberry cream cheese filling, plain white chocolate, as well as 3 different black sesame mixtures.
While the raspberry jam filling was quite tasty (I didn’t care for the cream cheese), I ultimately felt the raspberry was too strong a flavor that overpowered the matcha.
The black sesame, on the other hand, complemented the matcha perfectly without overpowering it. Perfection!
(The white chocolate was probably my second favorite but considering I already did that in a stuffed chocolate cookie I decided I needed some variety).
Here’s a monthly Mediterranean diet meal plan! It’s got lots of recipes and inspiration, planning ideas, and a meal planning calendar download.
Need healthy food to cook this month? We’ve got answers. Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I have spent years honing our method for how to eat healthy meals every day, not just here and there. We made it our MO, wrote a cookbook called Pretty Simple Cooking, and have devoted our careers to helping connect people to healthy recipes. But how to do you do it…every day?
Here’s our new 28 day Mediterranean diet meal plan, designed to do exactly that! The goal of this plan is to help you make a sustainable practice of cooking and eating healthy food at home. In the process, we hope you’ll become inspired and find a handful of recipes you’ll make again and again. (If you like: Subscribe to our newsletter for new weekly recipes.)
Is this Mediterranean diet meal plan right for you?
This Mediterranean diet meal plan is right for you if you eat a variety of foods but want to focus on veggies. This meal plan includes fish, shellfish, vegetarian, and plant based / vegan recipes. If you eat exclusively vegetarian or vegan, choose from one of the following meal plan options:
If you have a very specific diet or health condition, consult a medical professional to understand whether these recipes are right for you.
What makes our Mediterranean diet meal plan different?
One problem with standard meal planning calendars and weekly meal plans is that they offer no flexibility. Many meal plans call for cooking something new every day of the week. They’re overwhelming with the amount of food prep! Many also don’t account for your schedule: what if Monday nights I have a weekly meeting where I eat dinner? Or this Friday night I’m going out with friends?
Here’s what makes our Mediterranean diet meal plan different:
It focuses on dinner ideas. Dinner is the main meal where Alex and I cook and get the majority of our nutrients for the day. Our approach is this: Go big on dinner. Go super simple on breakfast and lunch. At the bottom of the meal plan you’ll find lists of healthy breakfast ideas, snack ideas, and lunch ideas.
The approach: Pick 3. Each week, we offer 3 healthy dinner ideas. You can make them on any day that week! This encourages you to customize the ideas based on your schedule and particular tastes, and to eat up leftovers.
Repeat your favorites! Offering only 3 dinner ideas encourages you to make dinner ideas you liked from previous weeks.
What if this meal plan doesn’t work for me?
It’s possible this meal plan might not work for you – and that’s ok! This meal plan might provide too much flexibility for you. There might not be enough options. Or, you might not like the style of these recipes. This meal plan is not for everyone, but it’s an outline of how Alex and I cook on a weekly basis.
Run out of dinner recipes? We’ve got hundreds! Here are some places to browse:
Download: Mediterranean diet meal plan spreadsheet
To make our Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan tangible, we’ve created a downloadable meal planning calendar for you! It’s our Meal Plan spreadsheet, where you can copy in your meal planning ideas for each week. Simply download the spreadsheet and then copy in the links to the recipes for each week below. Here’s the download!
Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan
Before you start: here’s how to use our Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan!
Pick at least 3 dinner ideas. Alex and I don’t cook every night! We make enough for leftovers and eat them throughout the week, sometimes re-purposing them in new ways. For this meal plan, pick 3 days that you want to cook dinners. Fill in the other days with eating leftovers, “clean out the fridge” meals, or allowing for meals out. If you need more healthy dinner ideas for that week: pick another one of our other Dinner Recipes, or our 28 Day Healthy Meal Plan and 28 Day Pescatarian Meal Plan.
Fill in breakfast, lunch, and snacks ideas. We like to keep breakfast, lunches, and snacks SUPER simple. If possible, things that don’t use recipes are great: like carrots and hummus, English muffins with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit. Doing this, we save our cooking energy for dinner.
Copy the links into your Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet. Using a spreadsheet makes things much more tangible than just using a list! Once you’ve taken stock of what nights you’ll have time to cook, fill in your dinner ideas accordingly. We suggest filling out the meal plan on the weekend (Sundays seem to be good for many people).
Read the meal prep planning notes. Below each week of healthy dinner ideas, we’ve included some meal prep planning notes to help with ways to make ahead or prep in advance.
Dinner Ideas Week 1
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 1! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
Salmon: If using frozen salmon, make sure to refrigerate the night before. It’s an easy recipe so not much can be made in advance. (The caper butter could be, but you’ll have to re-melt it anyway.) You can make the quinoa in advance and refrigerate: wait to mix it with the pesto until the day of serving.
Couscous Bowls: You can make the tahini sauce and chickpeas in advance and refrigerate until serving. You could make the couscous in advance, but it cooks so fast it works the day of. For gluten-free, substitute quinoa or rice. You could make a big pot of quinoa and use it in the Salmon, Couscous Bowls, and Shrimp Couscous. Of you’re serving with couscous, you could make extra if you’re planning to make the shrimp.
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo: Make the sauce in advance and refrigerate until serving. Reheat and serve with fresh cooked pasta for a quick and easy meal. Make the salad while the pasta boils.
Shrimp & Couscous: This one is lightening fast. If you’re using frozen shrimp, throw it in the refrigerator the night before. If you have leftover couscous or quinoa from the above meals, it will be even faster.
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 2! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1
Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
Sheet Pan Dinner: Chop the veggies in advance, then just pop them in the oven the day of serving. Or, you can roast them in advance and just reheat in a 350 degree oven until heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. You also can make the rice or quinoa in advance and reheat prior to serving.
Lentil Sloppy Joes: Cook the lentils in advance, then make the sauce the day of. Even better, make the entire filling in advance (it tastes better as it sits). If you’re serving with Pickled onions, make those in advance too.
Nicoise Salad: This classic French salad has lots of components, but they can all be made ahead! Make the hard boiled eggs, beans, potatoes, and lemon vinaigrette in advance and refrigerate until serving. Make sure to let the dressing come to room temp before serving.
The classic French Nicoise Salad is 100% Mediterranean diet.
Dinner Ideas Week 3
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 4! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1 or 2
Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
Shrimp Marinara: If you’re using frozen shrimp, throw it in the refrigerator the night before. You can use purchased marinara sauce or make the Easy Marinara in advance. For the arugula salad, use store-bought boiled beets for easiest prep.
Lentil Soup: You could make the entire soup in advance and refrigerate: it saves well. (Leftovers also freeze well.) Or you could chop the veggies in advance to speed up prep.
Chickpea Burgers: These save well! Make the entire burger in advance and refrigerate or freeze until serving. Consider making a double batch. You can also make the shiitake bacon in advance. For gluten-free, serve without the bun or on a salad with tahini sauce drizzle.
*Pick at least 3 dinners to cook at home and copy them into your Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet on the days for Week 4! On days you’re not cooking, use up leftovers or do “clean out the fridge” meals, and allow for meals out.
Make again! 1 or 2 favorite dinner ideas from Week 1, 2 or 3
Leftovers from above*
Meal Plan Prep Notes
Salmon: If using frozen salmon, make sure to refrigerate the night before. You can make the lemon dill sauce in advance and refrigerate. The broccoli comes together quickly and you can make it while the salmon bakes.
Curry: This one is quick to put together, but you could chop the veggies in advance and refrigerate. Make the Basmati Rice in advance. To reheat: place in a pan with a splash of water and simmer until it’s heated through and moist.
Tuscan Soup: This soup is pretty quick to whip up, but you could chop the vegetables in advance and refrigerate to save a few minutes on prep.
Here are lots of simple ideas for healthy Mediterranean diet breakfasts! Pick any of these to eat throughout the week and copy them into your Meal Plan spreadsheet. We’ve offered quite a bit of options to account for your breakfast tastes and style. Do repeats as much as you’d like!
Lunches can be hard, especially if you’re eating at your desk! Again, our philosophy for lunches is: keep them very simple, without a recipe if possible. Pick any of these to eat throughout the week and copy them into your Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan spreadsheet.
We’d love to hear your feedback on this Mediterranean diet meal plan: let us know in the comments below (or click the heart below). And let us know if you have any questions!
The Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel walked the recent Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco for three days, armed with their professional expertise and earlier predictions for Top 2020 food trends, to select eight notable specialty food and beverage Show trends.
The Winter Show Trendspotter panel included: Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, analyst, Mintel; Monifa Dayo, consultant, chef, The Supperclub; Andrew Freeman, founder, af&co.; Illyanna Maisonet, Puerto Rican Food Columnist; Chef Tu David Phu, Top Chef Alumni, TDP Enterprises LLC; Wendy Robinson, buyer, Market Hall Foods; Leith Steel, Carbonate; Bryant Terry, author, educator, and Chef-in-Residence at the Museum of the African Diaspora SF (MoAD).
Regional Cuisines of Asia. Sauces, seasonings, instant noodles, and snacks reflecting the foods and ingredients of Asia’s varied regions were in the spotlight at the Winter Show.
Oat Milk Takes Dairy-Free Center Stage. Dairy alternatives continue to grow, with oat milk dominating as new products were introduced in cheeses, creamers, butters, confections, and RTD beverages.
Plants as Plants. As one of its Top Trends of 2020, the Trendspotter panel predicted a renewed consumer interest in whole fruits and vegetables as part of a plant-based diet and that trend was visible at the Winter Show.
Prebiotic-Rich Functional Beverages. According to SFA’s annual State of the Specialty Food Industry research, functional beverages are part of the overall rise in popularity of specialty beverages that is helping spur specialty sales. Beverages with prebiotic benefits specifically, emerged at the Winter Show.
Sparkling and Global Teas. From antioxidant-rich and digestive-friendly varieties, to products based on indigenous tea leaves, new teas and tisanes are widespread.
Charcuterie and Deli Meat Makeover. From grass fed, to plant based, to traditional preparation methods, charcuterie and deli meats were prevalent.
Mocktail Culture. Mocktails, or ingredients for nonalcoholic beverages that offer sophisticated alternatives to alcohol, were on display.
Sustainability-Driven Product and Packaging Development. More food products are working to build a stronger future for their community and the planet, whether through plant-based foods, regenerative agriculture, upcycled ingredients, or sustainable packaging.
A perfect vegetarian (vegan even!) main dish, these tofu lettuce wraps are so satisfying, you won’t even miss the meat!
Crunchy butter lettuce with rice noodles and flavorful baked tofu, drizzled with a spicy peanut sauce so good you’ll want to slather on everything.
Lettuce wraps are always satisfying, and this recipe proves that to be true even without the meat.
They check all the boxes in a perfect weeknight dinner recipe: easy, flavorful, and healthy (now that’s a trifecta that’s not easy to achieve!)
Taylor has a reputation for his peanut sauces (I believe one of our earliest published versions he humbly titled “Taylor’s Kick Butt Peanut Sauce” if that tells you what he thinks of his saucy-skills).
One issue I’ve discovered with peanut sauces is their sensitivity to heat. If you’ve ever tried to saute tofu or vegetables in a peanut sauce you probably know what I mean: once it hits the hot pan the sauce separates into a curdled, greasy mess. Why recipes still call for you to do this is beyond me.
Instead, we opted not to cook the tofu or noodles in the peanut sauce, rather save it for a generous drizzle on top of the finished wrap. This way you preserve the luxuriously smooth texture of the peanut sauce, while still coating your mouth with sweet, spicy, nutty flavor.
This arugula beet salad is the perfect easy side dish! It features vibrant beets, toasted walnuts, and a zingy citrus vinaigrette dressing.
Here’s a green salad idea that’s flavorful and versatile: arugula beet salad! It features jewel-toned roasted beets with baby arugula, all covered in a zingy citrus vinaigrette. Add thin-sliced shallots and toasted walnuts, and it tastes sophisticated with minimal effort. Shhh: here’s our secret! Alex and I made this with those precooked beets you can find in many stores these days. Usually we roast our own…but it saved a massive amount of time. Either way: this salad needs to be part of your side dish repertoire!
What’s in this arugula beet salad?
This arugula beet salad recipe is an exercise in essentialism. What is absolutely essential to a beet salad, and what can we live without to keep it simple? Alex and I played around with a few variables for this salad, and came up with classic flavor combinations that taste incredible. Beets, citrus, and walnuts are a classic combo: but they taste better than expected every time. It’s plant based (WFPB), so there’s not even a need for cheese. Here’s what’s in this salad recipe:
Beets: Tender, vibrant beets steal the show! See below on various ways to cook them.
Baby arugula: Baby is a must! It’s feathery and tender, the perfect salad base.
Citrus vinaigrette: This Citrus Vinaigrette is made with both orange and lemon for double the zing.
Toasted walnuts & sliced shallot: Walnuts bring protein and crunch! Shallots bring in a savory note.
Orange zest: The icing on the cake, it adds an extra tang and visual element.
Ways to cook beets (& an easy shortcut!)
Here’s the thing: Alex and I are beet purists. We love buying fresh beets and roasting them up, especially from the farmers market! But in the past few years, we’ve noticed packaged pre-cooked beets are pretty easy to find in our local grocery. Cut out 1 hour of roasting time? Yes, please! If you’re not able to find pre-cooked beets, it’s still nice to whip up your beets ahead of time and refrigerate until serving. Here are the ways you can prepare your beets:
Pre-cooked packaged (0 minutes!): Pre-boiled packaged beets make this salad a breeze! If you can find them in your local grocery, they’re worth snagging a package.
Instant Pot beets (25 minutes): The next fastest way to cook beets is in your Instant Pot! Go to Instant Pot Beets.
Oven roasted beets (1 hour): The classic way to prepare beets is to bake them! Roast them in advance and refrigerate for easiest prep. Go to Oven Roasted Beets.
Baby arugula is a must!
Use baby arugula for this beet salad. Don’t even think about standard arugula! Here’s how to know the difference:
Baby arugula: Baby arugula is tender, with a mild flavor and a fluffy texture. It’s usually sold in bags or boxes. Make sure it looks just like the arugula in the photo.
Standard arugula: Standard is much larger and is usually sold in bunches. It has a much stronger peppery flavor, and sometimes the stems are tougher. It’s not as good for a salad like this one: but it would be good sauteed.
You can find baby arugula in lots of mainstream groceries here in the US! It’s also available at farmers markets. As a rule of thumb: if it is sold as a bunch, stay away.
A citrus dressing you’ll want to put on everything
This zingy citrus salad dressing is where it’s at! It’s got fresh lemon juice, orange juice, and orange zest, and it’s perfectly balanced. Alex and I originally made it for this fennel orange salad, and it’s so refreshing we want to use it on everything! Here are a few tools that are helpful for working with citrus:
Use a juicer for juicing. A juicer is helpful for citrus to quickly juice it and keep the seeds out. (Anytime we try it with our hands, we get seeds in whatever we’re making!) The juicer we use works great.
A microplane or grater. A microplane makes quick work of zesting. If you don’t have one, use a grater. Smaller zesters that are more like bar tools don’t work as well here.
Use cooked packaged beets for the easiest prep. Or cook the beets using the instructions in Oven Roasted Beets or Instant Pot Beets. Slice the beets into bite sized pieces.
In a small skillet, toast the walnuts over low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and toasted. Thinly slice the shallot.
Place the greens on a plate. Top with the sliced shallot and walnuts. Drizzle with dressing and serve.
Notes
*Cook time assumes starting with pre-cooked beets since it varies based on cooking methods. Packaged boiled beets are the quickest! If you do cook your own beets, oven roasting takes about 1 hour and Instant Pot takes about 25 minutes.
This broccoli potato soup is intensely creamy, satisfying, and 100% plant based! It’s an easy healthy soup that everyone loves.
Hold onto your hats! Here’s a creamy broccoli potato soup that will blow your mind. (We hope.) It’s impossibly creamy, whole food plant based (WFPB), and it tastes like the coziest bowl of comfort. And it’s 100% made of veggies! How’s that for amazing? This easy and healthy soup is vegan and gluten-free, so it works for a variety of diets. But it tastes like an elevated version of broccoli cheese soup from a can (you know the one). Here are all the secrets to making this crowd-pleaser…everyone will ask for the recipe.
What’s in this broccoli potato soup?
This a vegan broccoli soup, but it looks legit cheesy, doesn’t it? This recipe was born out of an idea to make the dairy-filled version. But then I sat back and thought about how my stomach would feel after eating a rich, creamy soup. Is there broccoli potato soup that’s creamy andplant based? Oh yes, it can be done. Here’s what’s in this soup:
Yukon gold potatoes make for a creamy base
Cashews achieve a rich, shiny texture
Frozen broccoli makes for the easiest soup possible (embrace it!)
Onion & garlic add big flavor
Dried thyme & dill add just the right herby punch
Veggie broth, white wine vinegar & Dijon mustard round out the broth
Frozen broccoli makes it fast and easy!
Frozen vegetables don’t make a lot of appearances in Alex and my recipes. Every single broccoli recipe on this website uses fresh broccoli. BUT! In a broccoli potato soup like this one, you want the broccoli to be basically overcooked: super tender, so it melds into the texture of the soup.
So why use fresh broccoli when frozen is already cooked? Frozen veggies still retain most of the nutrients you’d find in the fresh version since they are flash-frozen. Use any type of frozen broccoli: this recipe calls for a 1 pound bag.
Want to use fresh broccoli? Here’s how.
Got fresh broccoli on hand and want to use it here? Go for it! Here’s what to do:
Chop it: Chop the broccoli into small florets. You’ll need 4 cups.
Steam it (& cook longer): Steam it like in our Best Steamed Broccoli recipe, but cook it several minutes longer than the recipe specifies. You’ll want it very tender, not crisp tender. This simulates the texture of frozen and what you’ll need for this soup. Also leave out any seasoning, since you’ll add salt as part of the soup recipe.
The trick to making broccoli potato soup creamy?
There are a few tricks, really! Here’s what makes the impossibly creamy base of this tasty broccoli potato soup:
Yukon gold potatoes: Cooking up potatoes and then blending them with spices helps to make a super creamy body of the soup. But they’re nothing without…
Cashews: Cashews are the trick to making recipes creamy without dairy! (Here are all our favorite creamy cashew recipes.) They add a richness and shine to the broth, so they cannot be omitted here. If you have a nut allergy, we’d recommend trying some of our other soup recipes instead. The cashew trick is just too good here! Using only potatoes would result in a dull and blander soup.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, cashews and potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer (not a boil), and simmer about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and falling apart when poked with a fork.
Meanwhile, run the frozen broccoli under hot water to thaw it. Chop it into smaller florets as necessary. All packages are different, so make small bite-sized florets the size you’d like for a soup. You can chop the broccoli stems off and keep them in the soup as well. Place the broccoli in a bowl and mix it with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a bowl and black pepper. Peel and grate the carrot into long strips (we used a handheld julienne shredder).
When the potatoes are tender, use a ladle to transfer everything to a blender. Add the thyme, dill, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and another 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Hold the top tight and blend everything for a minute or two until fully creamy. (This quantity just fits in a standard blender.)
Pour the creamy soup back into the pot and add the broccoli and carrot. Simmer about 5 more minutes until the broccoli is cooked through. Taste and add additional salt as necessary (we added 1/4 teaspoon more).
Notes
*If you’re cooking fresh broccoli, here’s how to simulate frozen: Cut it into very small florets. Then steam it but cook it a few minutes longer so that it’s very tender (not crisp tender as indicated in the recipe). Leave out any seasoning, since you’ll add salt as part of the soup recipe.
This broccoli potato soup is pure comfort food! Here are a few more of our comfort food favorites:
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie Here’s the very best vegan shepherd’s pie! The hearty veggie and lentil filling contrasts fluffy potatoes in this stunning plant based dinner recipe.
Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo WOW! This tastes decadent, but the creamy sauce is filled with healthy plant based ingredients. An easy dinner in under 30 minutes!
Ultimate Vegan Chili Bursting with flavor, this one’s seriously delicious and totally plant based. Dollop with vegan sour cream and load with toppings!
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