Four roasted heads of garlic make this soup super garlicky, slightly sweet, and completely decadent. I like to add chopped kale for some texture and chew, but feel free to swap it out for another dark leafy green, such as spinach or omit it altogether.
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cook Time – 1 hour
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
For the Roasted Garlic
4 heads garlic
4 tsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper
For the Soup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 cup raw cashews (see note)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
4 cups shredded kale, tough ribs removed
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Roast the garlic: Slice off just the tops of the garlic bulbs so that the cloves are revealed inside. Place all four bulbs open side up on a large square of foil. Pour 1 tsp. oil over each bulb, and sprinkle each with a little salt and pepper. Wrap them up in the foil, place on a baking sheet, and roast for 40 minutes until the cloves are very soft. Allow the garlic heads to cool so you can handle them more easily.
3. Make the soup: In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, until they soften and begin to brown. Add the broth, water, cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the cashews are softened.
4. Working in batches, carefully transfer the soup to a blender, being careful not to overfill the blender so that it doesn’t erupt. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and add to the blender as well. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Alternatively, an immersion blender will work in a pinch, but I generally prefer a standing blender as it usually does a better job of blending the cashews into a smooth cream.
5. Return the soup to the pot, add the kale, and bring to a simmer. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the kale has softened. Serve hot.
Allow the soup to cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months. You can also roast the garlic ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to six months. Defrost before adding to the soup. This way, the soup will be super quick to prepare.
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Excerpted from Craving Vegan by Sam Turnbull. Copyright © 2023 Sam Turnbull. Photographs by Tanya Pilgram. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House CanadaLimited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
