Veggie Pot Pie Soup
Ok, let’s be honest for a second here.
Social media is giving me a full-fledged anxiety attack.
Not all social media. Really, it’s just Facebook. Instagram is full of beautiful pictures of food and beaches, I deleted my Twitter over a year ago, and Snapchat…just kinda sits there because I’m tired of seeing selfies with that stupid dog face filter.
Yeah, there’s a limit on how many of those you can post before they stop being cute and start being full-on weird. The only thing worse would be if it were a cat face. Ick.
So, back to my problems with Facebook. There’s a lot of oversharing that goes on with Facebook. It used to be annoying things, like “Going to the park, probably gonna watch TV after.” Remember those times? Why didn’t we know how blessed we were with that ridiculous mediocrity?
Now the whole world has gone crazy. Now what’s normal is no longer normal. Now rumors fly faster than bullets and the truth finds some way to get lost in between them. Is there going to be a Muslim registry? Is Brexit still going forward? Is the wall with Mexico ever going to happen? WAIT – you were distracted, you almost missed the new pipelines that got approved to go through what remains of America’s wilderness!
Honestly there are so many cringe-worthy things that make me fear for the safety of myself and my fellow man, and it’s hard to keep track of them all. Going on Facebook is an exercise in over-stimulation, where there’s more things to be outraged about than there is time to be outraged about them. EVENTUALLY IT JUST FEELS LIKE EVERYONE IS SCREAMING LIKE THIS AND TRYING TO TRICK YOU INTO THINKING THEIR PROBLEM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
Cue the panic attack.
With all of this terribleness swirling in the atmosphere, sometimes you just need a nice, warm hug. It’s even better if the hug is a physical thing, and even BETTER if you can eat it. Ok fine, it’s soup. The answer to all of life’s stress is soup.
What’s more comforting than a chicken pot pie? It’s the perfect warm dish for a cold-weather day, and is a hearty and filling addition to any meal. But sometimes, you just don’t feel like making a crust or preheating the oven or baking it for an hour or trying to scoop it onto your plate in one go. I get it, cooking can be hard.
Which is where this soup comes in. It’s just like having your classic chicken pot pie, but with half the mess in half the time. What’s even better, is that I made this vegetarian for a friend of mine, and it was so easy! I’ve been wanting to eat less meat myself, because being vegetarian is a great way to lower your carbon footprint. I’d never like to go full veg because some things are just incomparable (barbecued eggplant will never hold a candle to barbecue chicken, and I refuse to give up my barbecue), but I’d definitely be down to having way more vegetarian meals in my life. This is a good start, because you don’t miss ANYTHING by leaving out the meat. Ok, there’s less protein, but the comfort, substance, and flavor are all still there. You could easily add some vegetarian protein by adding broccoli, nuts (maybe? I’ve never heard of nuts in pot pie but there wasn’t a man on the moon either until someone thought to try it so… go wild), or some tofu. Pair it with a nice crusty loaf of whole grain bread, and you’ve got yourself a comforting bowl of wholesome goodness.
So next time the world gets to be a bit too much (basically any time you look at the news), whip up a bowl of this, sit on the couch with a blanket over your head, and binge-watch the most wholesome show you can find on Netflix. There’s a Norwegian series called Slow TV that’s basically just calming scenes with music in the background – it’s guaranteed to make you feel like a granny, but at least you’ll be a calm granny with low blood pressure. Worth it, tbh.
Veggie Pot Pie Soup
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
- 1 can sliced carrots (or 1 cup of fresh carrots, chopped)
- 1 15 oz can vegetable broth
- 2 cups Russet potatoes, diced (about 2-3 potatoes)
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
- 1 can peas (or 1 cup fresh/frozen)
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 6 Tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat. Sautee the onions, carrots, and celery for about 3 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, press the veggies down into the broth (making extra sure the potatoes are all covered with liquid), and cover. Cook 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the peas.
- While the soup simmers on low, melt the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook the roux, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes. While whisking, slowly pour in the milk and whisk quickly to smooth out any lumps. Season with more salt and pepper if you wish, then bring the mixture to a boil (still stirring constantly!) It should be thickening nicely. Once it's boiling, remove from heat, stir in the cream, and then add it to the soup. Stir the soup well to mix all ingredients and incorporate the cream mixture.
- Remove the bay leaf, and serve with warm crusty bread.
Notes
- A bay leaf is that thing that Chipotle customers freaked out on Twitter about. If you need a good laugh, check it out here. Don't be like Chipotle. Remember to remove the freakin' bay leaf.
- This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy's recipe here (which is the version with chicken in it if you really can't give that up).
- Because I'm now fully incapable of eating dishes without any spice, I poured a bunch of red pepper flakes on my bowl. If you're cooking for people that can handle a little spice, I fully recommend adding them to the overall batch - but that's just me.
- A lot of recipes call for vegetables to be peeled, including the original of this recipe. However, vegetable skins provide a lot of fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. Unless the sight of a potato skin makes you want to absolutely gag, I recommend leaving them on your potato pieces. It's healthier and adds a good bit of texture to the soup.