Meatless Friday: Warm and Filling Potato Soup

It's still pretty frigid where I live in the Midwest, and I know many parts of the country are dealing with snow, when they are not accustomed to such winter weather. We've had a few glimpses at spring -- just enough for my daffodils to start sprouting -- but it always goes back to cold and snowy after those glimpses. I always say it's not spring until you see chipmunks, and I haven't seen any yet.

Cooking a pot of soup always warms me up -- just thinking of a hot steaming bowl. There's the added bonus of the ambient heat coming from the pot on the stove. I believe, especially during Lent, we think "fish" on Fridays and though it's tempting to go pick up a fish dinner, or even enjoy a nice piece of salmon or shrimp, it's not very penitential, is it? Soup is good and warming, but by no means a luxury.

This recipe is a basic cream of potato soup with a little zip. If you don't like a little spice, cut back, or cut out, the cayenne pepper. The recipe served four adults with little leftovers, so double it if you have big eaters.

Copyright 2016 Barbara Stein. All rights reserved.

Cream of Potato Soup

1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
5 T. butter
4 T. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. whole milk
3 potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. mustard powder
1/2 t. celery seed
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. seasoning salt
1/4 t. ground cayenne pepper                                                                                                                                                                                                        1 t. vegetable bouillon powder                                                                                                                                                                                                            salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook onion, celery, and carrots in butter until soft but not browned. Add garlic and cook for just a minute, until it's fragrant. Add parsley. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add broth slowly, stirring as you add.

Add milk, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, celery seed, thyme, seasoning salt, cayenne pepper and vegetable bouillon powder. Allow to simmer and thicken, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are cooked through, approximately 25 minutes. During cooking, break up potatoes with the back of a spoon.

Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a tossed salad or bowl of applesauce.

You can find all our Meatless Friday featured recipes here.

Copyright 2016 Barbara Stein