SOUPS
Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup
Classic Tuscan White Bean Soup
Classic Tuscan White Bean Soup with Egg
Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup with Parsley-Sage Pesto
Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices
Turkish Tomato, Bulgur, and Red Pepper Soup
French Onion Soup with Gruyère Croutons
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup
Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup
Watercress and Shiitake Mushroom Soup with Tofu 
Celeriac, Fennel, and Apple Chowder
STEWS
Vegetable Tagine with Chickpeas and Olives
Caribbean-Style Swiss Chard and Butternut Squash Stew
CHILIS
Roasted Poblano and White Bean Chili
Butternut Squash Chili with Quinoa and Peanuts
RECIPE EXTRAS
For more soups, stews, and chilis, see Chapter 9.
FAST (45 minutes or less total time)
Photos: Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup; Chickpea Curry; French Onion Soup; Butternut Squash Chili with Quinoa and Peanuts
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works Pureed cauliflower soups tend to be loaded with cream and thickened with flour, rendering them leaden. But thanks to cauliflower’s unique qualities, we were able to create a smooth and creamy soup without the addition of dairy or other ingredients to dull the nutty, sweet flavor of this vegetable. We added the cauliflower to simmering water in two stages to bring out both the grassy flavor of lightly cooked cauliflower and the sweeter flavor of longer-cooked cauliflower in our soup. A modest amount of curry powder, sautéed onion, and leek gave the soup a delicious flavor profile. To complement the curry, we stirred in ½ cup of canned coconut milk—just enough to add some creamy flair—and a touch of lime juice. Finally, we browned some cauliflower florets to use as a flavorful garnish. Be sure to thoroughly trim the cauliflower’s core of green leaves and leaf stems, which can be fibrous and can contribute to a grainy texture in the soup.
1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for serving
1 leek, white and light green part only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
1½ teaspoons table salt
1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
4½ cups water
½ cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
1. Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem. Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; slice core thin and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of ½-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium- low heat until shimmering. Add leek, onion, and salt and cook, stirring often, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in ginger and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, sliced core, and half of sliced cauliflower. Increase heat to medium- high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower and simmer until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl and season with salt to taste.
4. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds. Return pureed soup to clean pot and bring to brief simmer over medium heat. Off heat, stir in coconut milk and lime juice and season with salt to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual bowls with browned florets and scallions and drizzling with extra oil.
PLANT POWER
CAULIFLOWER
Cauliflower contains a unique fiber composition that makes for a silky puree. All vegetables have both insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber remains intact even after cooking, but the soluble kind fully breaks down during cooking, which contributes viscosity to a dish. Cauliflower has a leg up on other vegetables in that it has very little fiber overall, and half of it is soluble. This means that cauliflower is easily pureed into a velvety soup with no cream at all.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works This recipe delivers a creamy, smooth bean soup in less than an hour. Using canned beans (rather than dried) gave us a great head start, since they are already uniformly soft. We briefly simmered canned great Northern beans and their seasoned canning liquid with softened aromatic vegetables and herbs. Heating the beans caused their moderate level of starches to hydrate, which made the soup creamy but not stodgy. Blending the beans with some of the vegetable broth helped their skins break down so that the puree was completely smooth. Herb oil and crispy capers were quick-to-make but impressive garnishes that complemented the relatively neutral soup base with vibrant color, flavor, and texture. Use a conventional blender here; an immersion blender will not produce as smooth a soup. Do not drain or rinse the beans; their liquid contributes to the soup’s flavor and body. Because the salt content of canned beans varies from brand to brand, season to taste at the end of cooking.
Herb Oil and Crispy Capers
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup capers, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Soup
¼ cup refined coconut oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup chopped onion
1 small celery rib, chopped fine
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, sliced
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans great Northern beans
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
½ teaspoon lemon juice, plus extra for seasoning
1. For the herb oil and crispy capers Combine oil and capers in medium bowl (capers should be mostly submerged). Microwave until capers are darkened in color and have shrunk, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Using slotted spoon, transfer capers to paper towel–lined plate (they will continue to crisp as they cool); set aside. Reserve caper oil.
2. For the soup Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, garlic, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add beans and their liquid and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium- low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through and just starting to break down, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and discard thyme sprigs.
3. Process bean mixture in blender on low speed until thick, smooth puree forms, about 2 minutes. With blender running, add 1 cup broth and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Increase speed to high and continue to process until oil is incorporated and mixture is pourable, about 1 minute.
4. Return soup to clean saucepan and whisk in remaining 1 cup broth. Cover and bring to simmer over medium heat, adjusting consistency with up to 1 cup hot water as needed. Off heat, stir in lemon juice. Season with salt and extra lemon juice to taste.
5. Stir parsley and basil into reserved caper oil. Drizzle each portion of soup with herb oil, sprinkle with capers, and serve.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Sometimes the simplest recipes get overcomplicated as more and more versions appear. Case in point: carrot-ginger soup, whose namesake flavors often get elbowed out with the addition of other vegetables, dairy, or even fruits. For a fresh, clean-tasting soup, we decided to go back to the basics. With a combination of cooked carrots and carrot juice, we were able to achieve well-rounded, fresh carrot flavor. Using a mixture of grated fresh ginger and crystallized ginger gave us bright, punchy ginger flavor with a moderate kick of heat. Finally, for a silky-smooth texture, we added a touch of baking soda to help break down the carrots and ginger, producing a perfectly creamy soup. We finished with some simple garnishes of chopped chives and plant-based (or dairy) sour cream to provide texture and tang. In addition to these accompaniments, serve the soup with Classic Croutons (this page), if you like.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
¼ cup minced crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
4 cups water
1½ cups carrot juice, divided
2 sprigs fresh thyme
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
Chopped chives
Plant-based sour cream or dairy sour cream
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions, crystallized ginger, fresh ginger, garlic, salt, and sugar. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in carrots, water, ¾ cup carrot juice, thyme sprigs, and baking soda. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently until carrots are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Discard thyme sprigs. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return pureed soup to clean pot and stir in vinegar and remaining ¾ cup carrot juice.
4. Return soup to brief simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with chives and sour cream.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works What’s the secret to our creamy sweet potato soup’s deep, earthy-sweet flavor? Keeping the skins in play: Making good use of the vegetable trimmings rather than simply throwing them out adds greater flavor and minimizes food waste. We peeled the potatoes and reserved one-quarter of the skins. Before simmering and pureeing the peeled potatoes, we coaxed out more natural sweetness by soaking them in hot water, which allowed their starches to turn into pure sugar. Pureeing the reserved potato peels right along with the softened potatoes added earthy depth to the natural sweetness of the potato flesh—a contrast we reinforced with a little brown sugar and a touch of cider vinegar. A sprinkling of minced chives to finish added a pop of green color and a delicate oniony flavor.
¼ cup refined coconut oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, sliced thin
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4¼ cups water
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ¼ inch thick, ¼ of peels reserved
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons table salt
½ teaspoon cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon pepper
Minced fresh chives
1. Melt oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallot and thyme and cook until shallot is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add water, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Remove pot from heat, add sweet potatoes and reserved peels, and let stand uncovered for 20 minutes.
2. Add sugar, salt, vinegar, and pepper. Bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until potatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Discard thyme sprigs. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 45 to 60 seconds. Return soup to clean pot. Bring to simmer over medium heat, adjusting consistency if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, topping each portion with sprinkle of chives.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works This simple, deeply satisfying soup uses nearly every part of the vegetable—root-to-leaf cooking, so to speak. Similar to cauliflower, kohlrabi is particularly low in overall fiber, so it tends to blend up beautifully into velvety soups and purees. We started by cooking the mild-flavored kohlrabi in an aromatic base of coconut oil or butter, onions, and vegetable stock and then blending it all up. Tasters loved the smooth texture but wanted even more kohlrabi flavor. Switching from broth to water helped to highlight the delicate flavor of the vegetable, but to really amplify the brassica flavor, we added a bit of dry mustard. (Brassicas like kohlrabi belong to the mustard family and share the same aromatic compounds that give mustard its characteristic zing.) To give more richness and body to the soup, we added a bit of plant-based milk to this base. For textural variation, we even cooked the kohlrabi greens in the soup at the end, which added a welcome element of contrast. Macadamia nuts and chives sprinkled on top made a crunchy garnish. If your kohlrabi comes without its leaves, you can substitute 4 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces.
¼ cup refined coconut oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
1¼ teaspoons table salt
4 pounds kohlrabi with leaves, kohlrabi trimmed, peeled, and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups), leaves stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 cups water, plus extra as needed
1 cup plant-based milk or dairy whole milk
1½ teaspoons dry mustard
⅓ cup salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts, chopped coarse
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1. Melt oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in kohlrabi pieces, water, and milk and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until kohlrabi is tender (paring knife should slip easily in and out of pieces), 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1½ cups kohlrabi to bowl. Continue to cook soup, covered, until remaining kohlrabi is very tender and easily breaks apart when poked with paring knife, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in mustard.
3. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Return soup to now-empty pot and bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Add kohlrabi leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and vibrant green, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in reserved cooked kohlrabi. Adjust consistency with extra hot water as needed. Season with salt to taste. Sprinkle individual portions with macadamia nuts and chives before serving.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Chicken noodle soup is often thought of as the ultimate comfort food, so we took it as a personal challenge to create a robust plant-based version that anyone would be excited to make. Veganizing this deeply savory classic seemed daunting, but we actually found it totally achievable with a pantry-friendly combination of broth and noodles. To replace the chicken, we chose chickpeas; we liked the creamy texture, neutral flavor, and heartiness they added to the soup—and the fun phonetic similarity between the two ingredients wasn’t lost on us. We sautéed onion, carrots, and celery to infuse our soup with flavor, but this broth still lacked the soul-satisfying comfort of chicken noodle. We tested various go-to plant-based flavor enhancers ranging from miso paste to porcini powder before settling on a unanimous favorite: Umami-packed nutritional yeast turned our soup from ordinary to one that reminded us of Grandma’s. Simmering the chickpeas, sautéed aromatics, and broth together before adding the noodles fully developed the soup’s flavor while also creating a creamy texture in the beans.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
2 celery ribs, sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
2 ounces (½ cup) ditalini pasta
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast, thyme, and bay leaves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in broth and chickpeas and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until flavors meld, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in pasta, increase heat to medium-high, and boil until just tender, about 10 minutes. Off heat, discard bay leaves and stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Sweet, spicy, and smoky flavors are all carefully balanced in this luscious black bean soup. Because the beans are so prominent here, we used dried beans, which released flavor and texture into the broth as they cooked. Usually we soak dried beans overnight to soften their skins and promote even cooking, but since getting some blown-out beans actually contributed to the thick texture we wanted, we skipped this step. To enhance the savory elements, we added dried porcini mushrooms and bay leaves to the simmering liquid. Aromatic onions, celery, and carrot, plus cumin and red pepper flakes, rounded out the flavors. Dried beans tend to cook unevenly without soaking, so be sure to taste several beans to determine their doneness in step 1. You can prepare the soup ingredients while the beans simmer. Garnishes are essential for this soup, as they add not only flavor but also texture and color. Serve with lime wedges, minced fresh cilantro, diced red onion, and diced avocado.
Beans
1 pound (2½ cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
5 cups water, plus extra as needed
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
Soup
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped fine
3 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons lime juice
1. For the beans Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Bring to boil, skimming any impurities that rise to surface. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until beans are tender, 1¼ to 1½ hours. (If after 1½ hours beans are not tender, add 1 cup more water and continue to simmer until beans are tender.) Discard bay leaves; do not drain beans.
2. For the soup Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, and carrot and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic, cumin, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and cooked beans with their cooking liquid and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium- low and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
4. Puree 1½ cups beans and 2 cups liquid in blender until smooth, about 1 minute, then return to pot. Whisk cornstarch and water together in bowl, then gradually stir half of cornstarch mixture into simmering soup. Continue to simmer soup, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. (If at this point soup is thinner than desired, repeat with remaining cornstarch mixture.) Off heat, stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Serves 8 to 10
Why This Recipe Works Acquacotta is one of Italy’s great traditional soups, originating in Tuscany but now found in various renditions around that country. Our version features creamy cannellini beans (canned for convenience), faintly bitter escarole, tender fennel, and chopped tomatoes. Though “acquacotta” translates as “cooked water,” a name that reflects its humble peasant origins, we amped up the flavor by using vegetable broth and a soffritto, a mixture of sautéed onion, celery, and garlic. We thickened the broth with the bean canning liquid and served our finished soup in the traditional Tuscan way: ladled over toasted and seasoned country bread, turning a humble vegetable soup into a hearty one-bowl meal. If you would like to use cheese, we prefer the robust flavor of Pecorino Romano here. And if you would like to try another traditional version of acquacotta that incorporates egg yolks to further thicken and enrich the soup, see the variation.
Soup
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon table salt
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups vegetable broth
1 fennel bulb, 2 tablespoons fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained with liquid reserved, beans rinsed
1 small head escarole (10 ounces), trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese (optional)
Lemon wedges
Toast
10 (½-inch-thick) slices thick-crusted country bread
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon table salt
Pinch pepper
1. For the soup Pulse onion, celery, and garlic in food processor until very finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer onion mixture to Dutch oven. Add tomatoes and their juice to now-empty processor and pulse until tomatoes are finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses; set aside.
2. Stir oil, salt, and pepper flakes into onion mixture. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until light brown fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is very thick and rubber spatula leaves distinct trail when dragged across bottom of pot, 9 to 12 minutes.
3. Add broth and fennel bulb to pot and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until fennel begins to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in beans and escarole and cook until fennel is tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir reserved bean liquid into soup. Stir in parsley, oregano, and fennel fronds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. For the toast Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place bread on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until bread is deep golden brown.
6. Place 1 slice bread in bottom of each individual serving bowl. Ladle soup over toasted bread. Serve, passing Pecorino, if using, and lemon wedges separately.
Classic Tuscan White Bean Soup with Egg
In step 4, whisk 2 large egg yolks with reserved bean liquid before stirring into soup.
Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup with Parsley-Sage Pesto
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works This rustic version of butternut squash soup more than holds its own as a meal. Instead of the usual creamy pureed style of butternut squash soup, we opted for something a little different, featuring chunks of squash paired with creamy cannellini beans to give our soup some heft and plenty of varying textures. Since we were wrangling the squash, we chose canned cannellini beans for greater convenience. Because the bulb portion of the squash is difficult to cut into cubes that will cook evenly, and because it naturally cooks faster than the denser neck portion, we cut the bulb into wedges, cooked them in the broth until they were soft, and then mashed them to make a “squash stock” that gave our soup base body and flavor. We then cooked the neck portion, cut into chunks, in this stock. A swirl of parsley-sage pesto, which we quickly made in the food processor, lent just the right bright, fresh herbal finish. You can substitute our Vegan Pesto (this page) for the pesto in this recipe.
Parsley-Sage Pesto
½ cup walnuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup fresh sage leaves
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
Soup
1 (2- to 2½-pound) butternut squash, peeled
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
5 tablespoons refined coconut oil or unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1. For the pesto Pulse walnuts and garlic in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add parsley and sage. With processor running, slowly add oil until incorporated. Transfer to bowl, stir in salt, and season with pepper to taste; set aside.
2. For the soup Cut round bulb section off squash and cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds, then cut each half into 4 wedges.
3. Bring squash wedges, broth, water, ¼ cup oil, and soy sauce to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer vigorously until squash is very tender and starting to fall apart, about 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and use potato masher to mash squash, still in broth, until completely broken down. Cover to keep warm; set aside.
4. While broth cooks, cut neck of squash into ½-inch pieces. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened and tomato paste is darkened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add squash pieces, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add squash broth and bring to simmer. Partially cover and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Add beans and their liquid, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing pesto separately.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works When cooked properly in soup, lentils should have a delicate, firm-tender bite and deep, earthy flavor. We achieved that goal here, but the real revelation is their partner, the escarole. While escarole is common enough as a soup ingredient, recipes typically call for a long simmering time after it’s added. Here we stirred it in toward the end of cooking so that the leaves retained much of their sturdy chicory character and flavor. The optional Parmesan rind adds some umami, but of course you may omit it. We prefer lentilles du Puy (French green lentils) or brown lentils for this soup; black will also work, but don’t use red or yellow (note that cooking times may vary depending on the type of lentils you use).
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
1 celery rib, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
6 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
4 cups vegetable broth, plus extra as needed
3 cups water
8 ounces (1¼ cups) lentilles du Puy or brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
2 bay leaves
½ head escarole (8 ounces), trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
Vegan Parmesan Substitute (this page) or grated dairy Parmesan
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt and cook until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and parsley and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth; water; lentils; tomatoes and their juice; Parmesan rind, if using; and bay leaves and bring to simmer. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Discard Parmesan rind, if using, and bay leaves. Stir in escarole, 1 handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual portions with extra oil and serve, passing grated vegan Parmesan substitute separately.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Green or brown lentils are the more conventional choice when making lentil soup, but this version of lentil soup uses colorful, quick-cooking red lentils, which are mashed into a rustic, textural puree after cooking. To start, a spice mix of coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne brought warm complexity in minutes as we bloomed them in our pot after sautéing an onion. Tomato paste and garlic completed the base before the addition of the lentils, and a mix of vegetable broth and water gave the soup a full, rounded character. After only 15 minutes of cooking, the lentils were soft enough to be pureed simply with a whisk. A generous dose of lemon juice brought all the flavors into focus, and a drizzle of spice-infused oil and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro completed the transformation of commonplace ingredients into a richly flavored yet wholly comforting soup.
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups vegetable broth, plus extra as needed
2 cups water
10½ ounces (1½ cups) red lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried mint, crumbled
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in coriander, cumin, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in broth, water, and lentils and bring to vigorous simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are soft and about half are broken down, about 15 minutes.
3. Whisk soup vigorously until broken down to coarse puree, about 30 seconds. Adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt to taste. Cover and keep warm.
4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Off heat, stir in mint and paprika. Serve soup, drizzling individual portions with 1 teaspoon spiced oil and sprinkling with cilantro.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Both mushrooms and barley pack unique, robust flavors that can shine on their own or bring out the best in others. In this case, make that “each other.” A richly flavored soup punctuated with pieces of meaty mushroom and nuggets of chewy barley, this combo is just the thing to take the bite out of a cold winter’s night. The trick here was getting the earthy savoriness of the mushrooms to peacefully coexist with the sweet nuttiness of the barley. We found that although vegetable broth worked well, our deeply flavored Umami Broth was the perfect bridge to join these ingredients together harmoniously. Carrots complemented the sweetness of the barley, garlic enhanced the mushrooms, and thyme was another flavor bridge. If cremini or portobello mushrooms are unavailable, use white button mushrooms, though the soup won’t be as flavorful. You can also use a combination of white button mushrooms and cremini or portobello mushrooms.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 pound portobello mushrooms, stemmed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
9 cups Umami Broth (this page) or vegetable broth
½ cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cremini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until mushrooms have softened and browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir in carrots and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in broth, barley, thyme, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer and cook until barley is tender, about 50 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Many soups hailing from the Mediterranean and Middle East are intriguing because they are often enriched with good-for-you grains that fill you up—perfect for a plant-based dinner. A case in point is this Turkish tomato and red bell pepper soup that incorporates bulgur. We started by softening the red peppers and onion before creating a solid flavor backbone with garlic, tomato paste, white wine, dried mint, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. For additional smokiness and umami flavor, canned fire-roasted tomatoes did the trick. When stirred into the soup, the bulgur absorbed the surrounding flavors and gave off some of its starch, which created a silky texture. Since bulgur is so quick-cooking, we stirred it in toward the end of cooking, giving it just enough time to become tender. A sprinkle of fresh mint gave the soup a final punch of flavor. When shopping, don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which has a much longer cooking time and will not work in this recipe.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
¾ cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed
⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers, onion, salt, and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, dried mint, paprika, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and begin to break apart, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, water, and bulgur and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until bulgur is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual bowls with mint.
Serves 6 to 8 
Why This Recipe Works Chicken may seem integral to classic tortilla soup (known in Mexico as sopa Azteca), but this deeply flavorful version made us change our outlook. By breaking down tortilla soup into its three main components—the flavor base (tomatoes, garlic, onion, and chiles), the stock, and the garnishes (including fried tortilla strips)—we found that we could make a compelling plant-based version. Typically, the vegetables are charred on a comal (griddle) and then pureed and fried. We made a puree from smoky chipotles in adobo sauce, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeño and then fried the puree in a small amount of oil. We then added vegetable broth along with cilantro and oregano (a substitute for the Mexican herb epazote). For hearty protein, we used black beans. To garnish, we oven-toasted lightly oiled tortilla strips. For a spicier soup, reserve, mince, and add the jalapeño ribs and seeds. Serve with diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, and lime wedges, if desired.
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into ½-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Pinch plus ⅛ teaspoon table salt, divided
2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large white onion, quartered
½ jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
8 cups vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
8 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 sprig fresh oregano
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon oil, spread on rimmed baking sheet, and bake, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with pinch salt and transfer to paper towel–lined plate.
2. Meanwhile, process tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, garlic, and chipotle in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add pureed tomato mixture and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has darkened in color and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, beans, cilantro sprigs, and oregano sprig, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Cook until flavors meld, about 20 minutes.
4. Off heat, remove herb sprigs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place some tortilla strips in bottom of individual bowls and ladle soup over top. Serve, passing remaining tortilla strips separately.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works It’s hard to imagine this bistro classic without molten cheesy toast floating on a rich and savory beef broth. But imagine we did, and we guarantee our vegan version is every bit as satisfying. Like the beefy version, this is a bit of a project, but we broke it down into parts. First, the broth: We turned to our Umami Broth, full of glutamate-packed ingredients that gave us deeper flavor than regular vegetable broth. Next, the croutons: We knew melted plant-based cheese would be a disappointing sub for the traditional Gruyère. Instead, we tossed cubes of baguette in a mixture of oil, nutritional yeast, miso, mustard, and vinegar and then baked them, giving us crisp-on-the-outside and chewy-on-the-inside bits of bread with the rich, nutty, tangy flavors of aged cheese. (The croutons were so delicious on their own we were afraid we might not have any left for the soup!) Finally, we turned to our favorite, almost hands-free method of caramelizing onions: baking them in the oven, thus mini-mizing the time needed to tend to them on the stove. No longer just in our imagination, our dream was realized—no cheese or beef needed. That being said, if you would like to use Gruyère, see the variation. We prefer yellow onions in this recipe; do not use sweet onions (Vidalia or Walla Walla). The Dutch oven will be completely full when you add the onions, but they will shrink in volume significantly.
Soup
4 pounds onions, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick through root end
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ teaspoons table salt, divided
2½ cups water, divided
½ cup dry sherry
6 cups Umami Broth (this page)
6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
Umami Croutons
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon white miso
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon distilled white vinegar
⅛ teaspoon table salt
6 ounces baguette, cut into 1-inch pieces (5 cups)
1. For the soup Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine onions, oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in Dutch oven. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume). Remove pot from oven and use wooden spoon to stir onions, scraping any browned onions from sides of pot. Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1¼ to 1½ hours longer, stirring onions and scraping up any browned bits from bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour. (Onions, prepared through step 1, can be cooled in pot and refrigerated for up to 3 days before proceeding.)
2. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium heat. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits on bottom and sides of pot until onions are well browned, 10 to 15 minutes (reduce heat to medium-low if onions brown too quickly). Stir in ½ cup water, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until water mostly evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until sherry mostly evaporates, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, pepper, sugar, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 cups water. Bring to simmer, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. For the croutons While soup simmers, whisk oil, nutritional yeast, miso, mustard, vinegar, and salt together in large bowl. Add baguette and, using your hands, massage oil mixture into bread. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, 13 to 15 minutes. (Croutons may be stored in airtight container for up to 1 day.)
5. Divide soup evenly among individual serving bowls and top with croutons. Serve.
VARIATION
French Onion Soup with Gruyère Croutons
For croutons, omit nutritional yeast, miso, mustard, and vinegar; increase salt to ¼ teaspoon and add ¼ teaspoon pepper. After baking croutons in step 4, remove croutons from oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. Arrange six 12-ounce ovensafe crocks on second rimmed baking sheet, then divide soup evenly among crocks and top with croutons. Sprinkle 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese evenly over croutons and bake until Gruyère is melted and soup is bubbly around edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
Why This Recipe Works Traditional North African tagines—fragrant, spiced stews of vegetables, beans, dried fruits, and slowly braised meats—are long-simmered affairs with myriad ingredients. But emphasizing the vegetables and skipping the meat makes this tagine fast enough for any weeknight without sacrificing flavor. We used canned chickpeas for speed, and microwaving the potatoes and carrots before adding them to the pot streamlined the process even further. Some tagines call for a laundry list of individual spices; we used garam masala, plus paprika. Green olives, golden raisins, and lemon emphasized Moroccan flavors. We prefer our homemade Garam Masala (this page), but you may use store-bought. Serve with couscous or rice.
1 pound red potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
4 (3-inch) strips lemon zest, sliced into matchsticks, plus 2 tablespoons juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
3 cups vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
½ cup pitted green olives, halved
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1. Combine potatoes, carrots, 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper in bowl, cover, and microwave until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and lemon zest and cook until onion begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, and garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add microwaved potatoes and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to coat with spices. Stir in broth, chickpeas, olives, and raisins. Cover and simmer gently until flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works We love leek and potato soup whether it’s smooth and elegant or it’s chunky and hearty, as it is here. In a rustic version, we want big bites of tender potatoes, but too often the soup ends up more like a chowder, with potatoes that are flaking and falling apart. To prevent that, we found that low-starch red potatoes were the best option, because they held their shape and didn’t become waterlogged during cooking. Removing the pot from the heat toward the end of cooking allowed the potatoes to finish cooking through in the hot broth without becoming overcooked or mushy. To infuse our soup with the delicate flavor of the leeks, we sautéed a hefty 5 pounds of leeks to deepen their flavor, cooking them until they were tender but not falling apart so that there would still be bites of leeks in our rustic soup. Garlic, thyme, and a couple of bay leaves were all we needed to round out the flavors of this simple, country-style soup. Leeks can vary in size. If yours have large white and light green sections, use fewer leeks.
6 tablespoons refined coconut oil or unsalted butter
4–5 pounds leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced 1 inch thick, and washed thoroughly (11 cups)
½ teaspoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups vegetable broth
2¼ cups water
2 bay leaves
1¾ pounds red potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch pieces
1. Melt oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in leeks and salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender but not mushy, 15 to 20 minutes (do not brown). Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Increase heat to high and gradually stir in broth and water. Stir in bay leaves and potatoes, cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and let sit, covered, until potatoes are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
1. Trim and discard root and dark green leaves.
2. Cut trimmed leek in half lengthwise, then slice into pieces sized according to recipe.
3. Rinse cut leeks thoroughly using salad spinner or bowl of water to remove dirt and sand.
Serves 4
Why This Recipe Works The meaty taste and texture of eggplant combined with a potent combination of spices (cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, and Aleppo pepper) makes for a satisfying vegetable soup that comes together quickly on any weeknight. We diced the eggplant and browned it before setting it aside. Adding more olive oil to the Dutch oven, we bloomed the spices, garlic, and ginger in it. Then we cooked the broth and spices together until the flavors melded. We added the eggplant back in off the heat and also stirred in a generous amount of baby kale to bring pleasant chewiness, peppery flavor, and bright color. Sliced almonds added a delicate crunch, cilantro lent freshness, and the tang of Greek yogurt made for a rich, nuanced topping. A finishing sprinkle of Aleppo pepper gave us a pop of bright red color. If you can’t find Aleppo pepper, you can substitute ½ teaspoon paprika mixed with ¼ teaspoon minced red pepper flakes.
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1¼ pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
¾ teaspoon ground dried Aleppo pepper, divided
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1½ cups water
2 ounces (2 cups) baby kale, chopped coarse
½ cup plant-based Greek yogurt or dairy whole Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1. Heat ¼ cup oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and deeply browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Combine garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and garlic mixture to now-empty pot and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
3. Off heat, stir in kale and eggplant along with any accumulated juices. Let sit until wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dollop each portion with 2 tablespoons yogurt and sprinkle evenly with almonds, cilantro, and remaining ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper before serving.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works Taking our inspiration from the many eastern Mediterranean dishes that pair eggplant with tomato, we developed this supersatisfying soup in which we pureed the two for a wonderfully creamy result. We found we could skip the common prep task of salting, rinsing, and drying the eggplant before cooking since we would be pureeing it. We left the skin on for deeper eggplant flavor, diced the eggplant, and broiled it to develop some smoky char. To build our soup, we started with the usual aromatics (onion and garlic) and added the flavorful North African warm spice blend ras el hanout (plus some extra cumin), which gave the soup a complexly spiced base. Looking to obtain a subtle sweetness without sugar, we added ¼ cup of raisins, which, once pureed, also gave our soup body. And we reserved some broiled eggplant pieces to add to the pureed soup for a pleasantly chunky texture. Lemon juice provided brightness, a sprinkling of almonds contributed a pleasant crunch, and cilantro added freshness. We prefer our homemade Ras el Hanout (this page), but you may use store-bought.
2 pounds eggplant, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra for serving
1 onion, chopped
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1½ teaspoons ras el hanout
½ teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth, plus extra as needed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup raisins
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Toss eggplant with 5 tablespoons oil, then spread on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil eggplant for 10 minutes. Stir eggplant and continue to broil until mahogany brown, 5 to 7 minutes; let cool on baking sheet. Set aside 2 cups eggplant.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, salt, and pepper and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, ras el hanout, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, tomatoes, raisins, bay leaf, and remaining eggplant and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until eggplant is softened, about 20 minutes.
3. Discard bay leaf. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Return soup to clean saucepan and stir in reserved 2 cups eggplant. Heat soup gently over low heat until hot and adjust consistency with extra hot broth as needed. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, sprinkling individual bowls with almonds and cilantro and drizzling with extra oil.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Different versions of this classic Moroccan lentil soup, known as harira, can be found all over North Africa. It’s always full of warm spices and fresh herbs, and it may be bulked up with chickpeas or fava beans, pasta or rice, tomatoes, hearty greens, or sometimes even lamb, beef, or chicken. Our recipe carefully streamlines the ingredient list and technique to deliver all the bold North African flavors you’d want from a legume-based harira in just a fraction of the time. Lentils are quick-cooking to begin with, and using canned chickpeas instead of dried saved about 2 hours of cooking time. Paring down the number of spices to just the must-have additions made it a dish most people can prepare without a special trip to the market. Using large amounts of just two herbs made for quicker prep and a more efficient use of fresh ingredients. Finishing the dish with fresh lemon juice helped focus all the flavors. We like to garnish this soup with a small amount of our homemade Harissa (this page), a fiery North African chili paste. Alternatively, look for harissa at large supermarkets.
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup minced fresh cilantro, divided
½ cup minced fresh parsley, divided
8 cups vegetable broth
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup orzo
4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup cilantro and ¼ cup parsley and cook for 1 minute.
2. Stir in broth, chickpeas, and lentils; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and gently simmer until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes and pasta and simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chard and continue to cook, partially covered, until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, remaining ¼ cup cilantro, and remaining ¼ cup parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Light and fresh yet substantial enough to serve for dinner with some crusty whole-grain bread, this soup makes delicious use of tender green vegetables of the new season, including asparagus, baby spinach, and peas. Since these vegetables by their very nature are delicate in flavor and texture, we realized that we would need to build a rich, flavorful broth using sturdier vegetables; namely, the classic trio of onion, carrot, and celery, with a little extra help from leek and fennel. Chopping all of these into small pieces and sweating them in the Dutch oven to soften them caused them to release their flavors more quickly into simmering vegetable broth (which we also boosted with aromatics including garlic and herbs). Then we strained this liquid and essentially poached our spring vegetables in the full-flavored broth. If you can find new red potatoes, use those; regular red potatoes also work fine. A sprinkle of chopped tarragon brought even more fresh spring flavor to our soup.
Broth
2 onions, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
1 celery rib, minced
1 leek, white and light green part only, chopped fine, and washed thoroughly
1 bulb fennel, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon table salt
7 cups vegetable broth
2 black peppercorns, crushed
5 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
Soup
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, and washed thoroughly
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut on bias into 1-inch lengths
3 ounces (3 cups) baby spinach
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
1. For the broth Combine onions, carrot, celery, leek, fennel, garlic, oil, and salt in Dutch oven. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring often, until vegetables have softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in broth, peppercorns, parsley, and thyme. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium- low and simmer until flavors meld, about 15 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
2. For the soup Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Add potatoes and leeks and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until all vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in spinach, peas, and tarragon, cover, and let sit until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Tuscany’s signature salt-free bread is a ubiquitous staple, eaten more frequently than pasta or rice. Leftover or stale bread is never thrown away, and so throughout history, this desire not to waste food has inspired the creation of many Tuscan recipes using leftover bread—including soup. On paper, pappa al pomodoro is a tomato-bread soup finished with basil; in the pot, the ingredients meld to form a fragrant porridge-like stew that feels downright luxurious. We knew that picking the right type of tomato and processing it properly would be key. We tested every manner of canned tomatoes and pureed them, but this resulted in an acidic slurry that was just too tomatoey. However, fresh tomatoes were wan if not perfectly ripe. For an all-season soup, we returned to canned; as it turned out, it wasn’t the tomatoes but our handling of them that was giving us inferior results. Chopping canned whole tomatoes (which we liked for their sweetness), rather than pureeing them, worked much better, giving us a soup with a balanced profile and texture. To mimic stale bread, we simply put it in the oven at a low temperature until it dried out and crisped up.
6 ounces rustic Italian bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 red onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon table salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups vegetable broth
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped coarse
½ cup chopped fresh basil
Vegan Parmesan Substitute (this page) or grated dairy Parmesan
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Arrange bread in single layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and tomatoes and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tomatoes are softened, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in bread, pressing on cubes to submerge in liquid. Cover and cook until bread is softened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk soup vigorously until bread is completely broken down and soup is thickened. Stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual portions with extra oil and serve, passing vegan Parmesan substitute separately.
Serves 8
Why This Recipe Works Thai coconut soup is velvety and rich with a coconut flavor that’s balanced by aromatic heat and fresh-tasting add-ins. As in many Southeast Asian dishes, a lively contrast of ingredients and flavors is essential: Fragrant lemongrass, pungent fish sauce (in this case, fish sauce substitute), fiery chiles, tart citrus juice, peppery ginger, sharp garlic, and aromatic herbs combine to create a tantalizing dish. While chicken is traditionally used to bulk up this soup, we opted for tofu, along with meaty shiitake mushrooms and crunchy snow peas. Thai red curry paste packs a spicy punch along with floral, fruity flavors, and it’s a convenient way to incorporate ingredients such as Thai chiles, galangal, and makrut lime leaves. We sautéed the shiitake mushrooms at the start along with the aromatics to deeply infuse the soup with their flavor, and we waited until the last 5 minutes of cooking to heat the tofu and snow peas through, which preserved their delicate texture. With a final garnish of cilantro leaves, sliced scallion greens, and lime wedges, this soup was ready to enjoy. Not all brands of red curry paste are vegan, so read labels carefully.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed to bottom 6 inches and minced (3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
4 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
6 cups vegetable broth, divided
3 tablespoons Fish Sauce Substitute (this page)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 ounces snow peas, strings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin on bias
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk ½ cup broth into pot, scraping up any browned bits.
2. Stir in remaining 5½ cups broth, fish sauce substitute, and sugar and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
3. Stir in coconut milk, tofu, snow peas, and lime juice and bring to simmer. Cook until tofu is warmed through and snow peas are just tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with cilantro, scallions, and lime wedges.
FLAVOR BOOSTER
Store-bought curry paste conveniently provides a wallop of authentic Thai flavor—rich herbal notes, complexity, and heat—in one little jar. Red curry paste combines a number of hard-to-find authentic Thai aromatics—including galangal (Thai ginger), red bird’s eye chiles, lemongrass, and makrut lime leaves. Green curry paste is made from fresh green Thai chiles, lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and other spices. Be sure to read labels, since not all brands are vegan.
Serves 4
Why This Recipe Works This simple, speedy weeknight curry using pantry ingredients plus a few fresh ones punches far above its weight in terms of flavor payoff. It can be made with any number of different vegetables, but we wanted to keep it easy, so we cut up a generous amount of green bell peppers and added a minced jalapeño to bring a little spiciness to the green pepper vibe. We sautéed the bell peppers first until they were starting to brown and then added the jalapeño, garlic, ginger, and curry powder to bloom briefly in the hot oil. In went the chickpeas, tomatoes, and coconut milk, and after a quick simmer, dinner was served. To make this curry spicier, add the seeds from the chile. Serve with rice.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1½ teaspoons table salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers, salt, and pepper and cook until bell peppers are beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add jalapeño, garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and their juice, and coconut milk and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until bell peppers are tender and flavors meld, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works This simple and quick Chinese-inspired soup starts with our deeply flavored Umami Broth, but amps up its flavor even more by simmering it with fresh shiitake and dried porcini mushrooms, rice wine, and aromatics including scallions and ginger. We added pieces of firm tofu at the end of cooking, just long enough to warm them through. Generous handfuls of bright green watercress, also stirred in at the end, add a fresh, peppery finish.
14 ounces firm tofu, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 scallions, white and green parts separated, whites minced and greens sliced thin
4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced
¼ cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
4 cups Umami Broth (this page) or vegetable broth
3 ounces watercress (3 cups), large stems removed
2 tablespoons soy sauce, plus extra for seasoning
1. Spread tofu on paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 20 minutes. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add scallion whites, ginger, and garlic and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in shiitake and porcini mushrooms, cover, and cook until mushrooms have softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and continue to simmer, uncovered, until flavors meld, about 10 minutes. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat broth before continuing with recipe.)
3. Stir in watercress, soy sauce, and tofu and simmer until tofu is hot, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with scallion greens, season with soy sauce and pepper to taste, and serve.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works Our ideal ramen involves a big hearty bowl of steaming noodles in a powerful, complex broth; we were thrilled to discover that we could achieve this in a vegan ramen just as effectively as we have done with pork versions. We added kombu, a Japanese seaweed, to aromatics, water, and vegetable broth; supplementing the kombu with shiitake mushroom stems and soy sauce provided a triple hit of umami. Mirin, a sweet Japanese rice wine, rounded out the savory profile. Finally, red miso lent smoky complexity and body. Instant ramen noodles are handily vegan and maintained good chew. (We threw away the seasoning packet.) We stirred in delicate shiitake caps until they were just cooked. Bean sprouts provided crispness, and sliced scallions and toasty sesame seeds topped things off. A sprinkling of shichimi togarashi (a common Japanese spice mix) is lovely on the ramen; look for it in the international aisle of the supermarket.
4 ounces (2 cups) bean sprouts
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 onion, chopped
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
4 cups Umami Broth (this page) or vegetable broth
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved, caps sliced thin
¼ cup mirin
½ ounce kombu
2 tablespoons red miso
12 ounces dried ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded
Table salt for cooking ramen
2 scallions, sliced thin on bias
1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds
1. Combine bean sprouts, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil, and vinegar in small bowl; set aside. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in broth, 4 cups water, mushroom stems, mirin, kombu, and remaining soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until flavors meld, about 1 hour.
3. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much broth as possible; discard solids. Wipe saucepan clean with paper towels and return strained broth to now-empty saucepan. Whisk miso into broth and bring to gentle simmer over medium heat, whisking to dissolve miso completely. Stir in sliced mushroom caps and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute; season with salt to taste. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add ramen and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain noodles and divide evenly among individual bowls. Ladle soup over noodles, garnish with bean sprouts, scallions, and sesame seeds, and serve.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works We harvested from many branches of the plant world to develop this incredibly satisfying chili. Since meat adds depth in different ways, we sought multiple ways to replace it. For bulk, we used a mix of beans along with bulgur. Dried beans developed great flavor with the long simmer; we brined them first to prevent blowouts. A combination of umami-rich ingredients—tomatoes, dried shiitake mushrooms, and soy sauce—added savoriness. Walnuts are high in flavor-boosting glutamates; when we ground some and stirred them in, they contributed richness and body. For the dried chiles, we chose ancho and New Mexican, toasted them until fragrant, and then ground them. We also incorporated fresh jalapeño into the tomato mixture. You can substitute chili powder for the dried chiles; grind the shiitakes and oregano and add them to the pot with ¼ cup chili powder in step 4. We recommend a mix of at least two types of beans, one creamy (such as cannellini or navy) and one earthy (such as pinto, black, or red kidney). When shopping, don’t confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which has a longer cooking time and will not work here. For a spicier chili, use both jalapeños. Serve with your favorite toppings.
Table salt for brining beans
1 pound (2½ cups) assorted dried beans, picked over and rinsed
2 dried ancho chiles
2 dried New Mexican chiles
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped coarse
4 teaspoons dried oregano
½ cup walnuts, toasted
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1–2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and chopped coarse
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 pounds onions, chopped fine
1¼ teaspoons table salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
⅔ cup medium-grind bulgur
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 4 quarts cold water in large container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread anchos and New Mexican chiles on rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant and puffed, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate, let cool for 5 minutes, then remove stems and seeds. Working in batches, grind toasted chiles, mushrooms, and oregano in spice grinder until finely ground.
3. Process walnuts in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl. Process tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapeño(s), soy sauce, and garlic in food processor until tomatoes are finely chopped, about 45 seconds.
4. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, stir in ground chile mixture and cumin, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans and 7 cups water and bring to boil. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Stir in bulgur, walnuts, tomato mixture, and reserved tomato juice. Continue to cook, covered, until beans are fully tender, about 2 hours. Remove pot from oven, stir well, and let sit, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro before serving.
PLANT POWER
STARCHES
Both beans and bulgur contain a lot of natural starches, so we capitalized on that to create great body in our Ultimate Vegan Chili. After we took the chili out of the oven, we gave it a vigorous stir and then let it rest for 20 minutes. This stirring helped to release the plant starches from the beans and the bulgur. This starch then clustered around the fat droplets in the chili, preventing them from coalescing and helping to create a thick, velvety emulsion that never left an unappealing slick of oil on top of the chili.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works This speedy, family-friendly weeknight chili is a win-win for everyone, especially for those who are trying to reduce their meat intake but who still appreciate the flavor and texture of meat. To create a chili that feels familiar (nostalgic, even) using plant-based meat, we built aromatic flavors from onion, garlic and red bell peppers (which we chopped coarse for a heartier texture) before cooking the plant-based beef just until no longer pink (cooked beyond medium, it started to toughen up and turn chewy). Chili powder, cumin, and oregano brought intense earthy fragrance, while chipotle chile brought smoky heat. Canned kidney beans were a reliable shortcut—saving time with no sacrifice in flavor or texture—and added plenty of heartiness. Tomato sauce brought just the right amount of sauciness, and chopped canned whole peeled tomatoes added tomato texture without tasting raw or being overly chunky. Use the lesser amount of chipotle chile if you prefer a milder level of spiciness. We prefer Impossible Burger in this recipe; see this page for more information. Load this up with all your favorite chili toppings.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1–2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
12 ounces plant-based beef (this page)
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained, juice reserved, and chopped fine
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in plant-based beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes and reserved juice, tomato sauce, and water, and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chili thickens slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works Fresh chiles take center stage in this white bean chili, with a trio of poblanos, Anaheims, and jalapeños providing the complexity we were looking for. We broiled the poblanos and Anaheims to develop depth and smokiness and kept the jalapeño flavor bright by simply sautéeing them. Processing some of the roasted peppers with a portion of the beans and broth thickened the chili. We broiled fresh corn kernels to add a toasty, caramelized element to them and then simmered the cobs in the chili to extract even more flavor, removing the cobs and adding the broiled kernels at the end of cooking. To make this chili spicier, add the seeds from the chiles. If you can’t find Anaheim chiles, add two extra poblanos and one extra jalapeño. Serve with plant-based or dairy sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges, if desired.
5 poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
3 Anaheim chiles, halved lengthwise, stemmed, and seeded
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs and cobs reserved
2 onions, cut into large pieces
2 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, divided
4 cups vegetable broth, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon table salt
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed
4 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Toss poblanos and Anaheims with 1 tablespoon oil and spread, skin side up, on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil until chiles begin to blacken and soften, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Transfer broiled chiles to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam until skins peel off easily, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel poblanos and Anaheims, then cut into ½-inch pieces, reserving any accumulated juice.
2. Meanwhile, toss corn kernels with 1 tablespoon oil, spread evenly on foil-lined baking sheet, and broil, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes; let cool on baking sheet.
3. Pulse onions and jalapeños in food processor to consistency of chunky salsa, 6 to 8 pulses; transfer to bowl. In now-empty food processor, process 1 cup cannellini beans, 1 cup broth, and ½ cup chopped roasted chiles and any accumulated juice until smooth, about 45 seconds.
4. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion-jalapeño mixture and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and salt and cook until tomato paste begins to darken, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in pureed chile-bean mixture, remaining roasted chiles, remaining cannellini beans, pinto beans, and corn cobs. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently until thickened and flavorful, about 40 minutes.
5. Discard corn cobs. Stir in broiled corn kernels and let heat through, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in scallions, cilantro, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works This stick-to-your-ribs African-style butternut squash chili features bold spices, a hefty amount of garlic and ginger, and aromatic coconut milk. It gets its silky body from a combination of blended peanuts and squash, which we roasted with chopped onions until both the squash and the onions started to char around the edges, giving the chili incredible flavor. We pureed a portion of the roasted vegetables with the dry-roasted peanuts to create a rich, smooth base. We sautéed sweet bell pepper and spicy jalapeño and briefly bloomed the warm spices before adding in the liquid. A combination of diced tomatoes and coconut milk made a creamy but bright broth, and nutty quinoa added heartiness and a subtle pop of texture. We like the convenience of prewashed quinoa; rinsing removes the quinoa’s bitter protective coating (called saponin). If you buy unwashed quinoa, rinse it and then spread it out on a clean dish towel to dry for 15 minutes. To make this chili spicier, add the seeds from the chile. Serve with hot sauce.
3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (9 cups)
2 onions, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon table salt, divided
1¼ teaspoons pepper, divided
5 cups water, divided, plus extra as needed
¾ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped, divided
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup prewashed white quinoa
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss squash, onions, ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Spread vegetables in even layer over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast vegetables, stirring occasionally, until tender, 45 to 50 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through roasting.
2. Process ½ cup roasted vegetables, 2 cups water, and ¼ cup peanuts in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper, jalapeño, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt and cook until peppers start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, and remaining ¾ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, coconut milk, quinoa, and remaining 3 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in pureed vegetable mixture and remaining roasted vegetables and let heat through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust consistency with additional hot water as needed. Serve, sprinkling individual bowls with cilantro and remaining ½ cup peanuts.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Since black beans are the focal point of this chili, we decided to start with dried beans. Often we brine dried beans in salted water before cooking to avoid having some of the beans burst open during cooking. For this chili, however, we thought that some exploded beans would actually add a textural dimension that we wanted, so we skipped the brining. After blooming spices and sautéing chopped white mushrooms and aromatics in oil (which gave the chili meaty texture and flavor), we added the beans along with broth and water and cooked them in the oven until tender and well seasoned. Whole cumin seeds and chipotle added depth and smokiness, and, surprisingly, toasted mustard seeds added a pungency and complexity that tasters loved. A sprinkle of minced cilantro brightened the dish. We strongly prefer the texture and flavor of mustard seeds and cumin seeds in this chili, but you can substitute ½ teaspoon dry mustard and/or ½ teaspoon ground cumin, added to the pot with the chili powder in step 3. We also prefer our Everyday Chili Powder (recipe follows), though you may use store-bought. Serve with lime wedges, plant-based sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or finely chopped onion.
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and broken into rough pieces
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
9 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons chili powder
2½ cups vegetable broth
2½ cups water, plus extra as needed
1 pound (2½ cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
2 bay leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup minced fresh cilantro
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped and uniform in size, about 10 pulses.
2. Toast mustard seeds and cumin seeds in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in oil, onion, and processed mushrooms, cover, and cook until vegetables have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until vegetables are browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, water, beans, sugar, baking soda, and bay leaves and bring to simmer, skimming as needed. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 hour.
4. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bell peppers and continue to cook in oven, covered, until beans are fully tender, about 1 hour. (If chili begins to stick to bottom of pot or is too thick, add water as needed.)
5. Remove pot from oven and discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Makes ½ cup
This balanced all-purpose powder is mild but has perceptible smoke and heat. We prefer the robust flavor of Mexican oregano, but you can substitute any dried oregano.
2 ounces (7 to 8) dried New Mexican chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (1½ cups)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Working in batches, process New Mexican chiles, cumin seeds, and oregano in spice grinder until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Stir in paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. (Chili powder can be stored in airtight container for up to 1 month.)
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Italy’s ciambotta is a ratatouille-like stew chock-full of vegetables that makes for a hearty and comforting one-bowl meal. We wanted to avoid the sorry fate of most recipes, which end in mushy vegetables drowning in a weak broth. In order to optimize the texture of the zucchini and peppers, we employed a skillet to cook off their excess water. To create a flavorful, umami-enhanced broth, we embraced eggplant’s natural tendency to fall apart and cooked it until it completely assimilated into a thickened, tomato-enriched sauce. Finally, we found that a potent (and cheese-free) version of pesto, with both basil and oregano, olive oil, plenty of garlic, and red pepper flakes, provided the biggest flavor punch when added near the end of cooking. We love this with crusty bread for sopping up all the saucy broth.
Pesto
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup fresh oregano leaves
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Stew
12 ounces eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons table salt, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2¼ cups water, divided
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 red or yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup shredded fresh basil
1. For the pesto Process all ingredients in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
2. For the stew Toss eggplant with 1½ teaspoons salt in bowl. Line surface of large plate with double layer of coffee filters and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread eggplant evenly over coffee filters and microwave until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, 8 to 12 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add eggplant, onion, and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until eggplant browns, about 2 minutes.
4. Push vegetables to sides of pot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and tomato paste to clearing and cook, stirring often, until brown fond develops on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water and tomatoes and their juice, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and gently simmer until eggplant is completely broken down and potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add zucchini, bell peppers, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet. Add pesto to clearing and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir pesto into vegetables and transfer to bowl. Off heat, add remaining ¼ cup water to skillet and scrape up browned bits.
6. Remove Dutch oven from heat and stir in vegetable mixture and water from skillet. Cover and let stew sit for 20 minutes to let flavors meld. Stir in basil, season with salt to taste, and serve.
NOTES FROM THE TEST KITCHEN
FREEZING AND REHEATING SOUPS, STEWS, AND CHILIS
Soups, stews, and chilis make a generous number of servings, making it convenient to stock your freezer with leftovers so you can reheat them whenever you like. To freeze them correctly, first you’ll need to cool the pot. As tempting as it might seem, don’t transfer the hot contents straight to the freezer or refrigerator. This can increase the fridge’s internal temperature to unsafe levels for all the other food. Letting the pot cool on the countertop for an hour helps the temperature drop to about 75 degrees, at which point you can transfer it safely to the freezer. For faster cooling, you can divide the contents of the pot into a number of storage containers to allow the heat to dissipate more quickly, or you can cool it rapidly by using a frozen bottle of water to stir the contents of the pot.
To reheat soups, stews, and chilis, we prefer to simmer them gently on the stovetop in a sturdy, heavy-bottomed pot. And note that while most soups, stews, and chilis store just fine, those that contain pasta or dairy (plant-based or traditional) do not—the pasta turns bloated and mushy, and the dairy curdles as it freezes. Instead, make and freeze the dish without including the pasta or dairy comp-onent. After you have thawed the soup, stew, or chili and it has been heated through, you can stir in the uncooked pasta and simmer until just tender, or stir in the dairy and continue to heat gently until hot (do not boil).
Serves 4
Why This Recipe Works Inspired by an earthy, spicy Caribbean stew that pairs the local callaloo leaves with squash in a rich, coconut-infused broth, we set out to create a plant-based version (it traditionally includes pork). We found that Swiss chard was a good alternative to replicate the earthy, slightly citrusy notes of the callaloo leaves. A combination of fresh chile and cayenne pepper gave the stew a robust heat that balanced the sweetness of the butternut squash. A handful of recipes called for a few dashes of Angostura bitters, an aromatic alcohol infused with herbs and citrus. While not a must, the bitters gave the stew a uniquely authentic flavor. We pureed a small portion of the stew to give it a thick consistency and bright green color, while leaving most of the greens and squash in large bites. You can substitute delicata or carnival squash for the butternut squash if you prefer. To make this stew spicier, add the seeds from the chile.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
4 scallions, minced
½ teaspoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
Pinch cayenne pepper
3½ cups vegetable broth
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)
1 pound Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup canned coconut milk
Angostura bitters (optional)
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onions, scallions, and salt and cook until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, habanero, thyme, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in broth and squash, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce to gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in chard and continue to simmer until squash and chard are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in coconut milk and bring to brief simmer.
3. Process 2 cups stew in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds; return to pot. Season with salt and bitters, if using, to taste, and serve.
Serves 6
Why This Recipe Works Homely-looking celeriac (known more commonly as celery root) is a year-round staple in supermarkets, but most cooks walk right by it. That’s a shame, because this knobby tuber boasts refreshing herbal flavors with notes of anise, mint, mild radish, and celery. Its creamy (rather than starchy) texture makes it the perfect choice for a hearty vegetable chowder. To further enhance its anise flavor, we sautéed a chopped fennel bulb along with big pieces of onion. For a sweet, fruity counterpoint, we added some grated apple. Chunks of tender red potatoes bulked up the chowder. For a bright citrus note, we simmered a strip of orange zest in the broth. To get the perfect amount of body, we pureed 2 cups of the chowder with a modest amount of plant-based creamer (or dairy heavy cream) and then stirred the puree back into the pot. Finally, we stirred in minced fresh fennel fronds to brighten the finished chowder.
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil or unsalted butter
1 onion, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 fennel bulb, 1 tablespoon fronds minced, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ teaspoons table salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
1½ cups water
1 celery root (14 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and shredded
1 bay leaf
1 (3-inch) strip orange zest
¼ cup plant-based creamer or dairy heavy cream
1. Melt oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, fennel pieces, and salt and cook until vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and cook until nearly evaporated, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in broth, water, celery root, potatoes, apple, bay leaf, and orange zest and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently until stew is thickened and vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Off heat, discard bay leaf and orange zest. Puree 2 cups chowder and creamer in blender until smooth, about 1 minute, then return to pot. Stir in fennel fronds, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
1. Trim slice from top and bottom of celery root, then stand root on flat bottom.
2. Starting from top, carefully cut away tough outer skin in strips.
Serves 6 to 8
Why This Recipe Works Originally a Lenten dish served throughout Louisiana, green gumbo, or gumbo z’herbes, starts similarly to other gumbo, with a dark oil-flour roux providing thickening power and toasty, nutty richness. But what’s added next sets this stewy dish apart from its seafood- and meat-filled Creole and Cajun cousins: greens, and lots of them. In developing our own version, we found recipes with up to 13 different greens, from turnip tops to parsley and carrot greens to more familiar standbys like collards and kale. To streamline an already-long ingredient list, we found that we could trim down our greens to just two types: a mix of heartier greens (collards, mustard greens, or kale) and softer greens (spinach or Swiss chard) for a nice balance of chew and silkiness (but feel free to experiment with the greens you have on hand). To balance the earthiness of the abundant greens, we amped up the spice and smoke with cayenne and smoked paprika, echoing the smokiness of gumbos that include smoked meats. While it’s not traditional, we loved the texture and heartiness that additional vegetables—okra, green beans, and black-eyed peas—brought, and a finishing splash of vinegar added just the right brightness. While we prefer frozen okra in this recipe, you can use fresh okra; choose pods that are 3 inches or shorter, and salt them to reduce sliminess (see variation). You can use frozen spinach instead of fresh; if your package is less than 12 ounces, you can make up the difference with the heartier greens. Serve over rice.
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2¼ teaspoons table salt, divided
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 cups water
12 ounces collard greens, mustard greens, or kale, stemmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen cut okra
1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed
12 ounces curly-leaf spinach or Swiss chard, stemmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
2 scallions, sliced thin (optional)
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using rubber spatula, stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is color of peanut butter, 2 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux has darkened to color of milk chocolate, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
2. Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, paprika, and cayenne. Cover, and cook, stirring frequently until vegetables have softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Stir in collards 1 handful at a time, okra, and remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until greens are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in black-eyed peas; spinach, 1 handful at a time; and green beans and simmer until green beans and spinach are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and additional vinegar to taste. Sprinkle with scallions, if using. Serve.
VARIATION
Substitute 4 ounces trimmed fresh okra for frozen okra. Before starting step 1, toss trimmed okra with ¼ teaspoon salt. Let sit for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. Rinse well, then cut into 1-inch pieces; set aside until ready to use in step 3.
Serves 4 to 6
Why This Recipe Works Mapo tofu is a spicy Sichuan classic and popular menu choice in Chinese restaurants, traditionally containing minced or ground pork or beef. Our vegan rendition is equally bold in flavor, with a balanced spiciness and a complex sauce. We started with cubed soft tofu, poached gently in salted water to firm up the cubes and help them stay intact in the braise. For the sauce base, we used plenty of ginger and garlic along with four Sichuan pantry powerhouses: Asian broad bean chili paste, fermented black beans, Sichuan chili powder, and Sichuan peppercorns. A small amount of finely chopped mushrooms brought umami depth. In place of the chili oil often called for, we used a generous amount of vegetable oil, extra Sichuan chili powder, and toasted sesame oil. We finished the dish with just the right amount of cornstarch to create a velvety texture. If you can’t find Sichuan chili powder, an equal amount of Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru) is a good substitute. In a pinch, use 2½ teaspoons ancho chile powder and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. If you can’t find fermented black beans, you can use an equal amount of fermented black bean paste or sauce or 2 additional teaspoons of Asian broad bean chili paste. Serve with white rice.
2 cups water
½ teaspoon table salt
½ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
12 scallions
28 ounces soft tofu, cut into ½-inch pieces
9 garlic cloves, peeled
1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into ¼-inch rounds
⅓ cup Asian broad bean chili paste
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
½ cup vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon Sichuan chili powder
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, or oyster mushrooms, trimmed
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1. Microwave water, salt, and dried mushrooms in covered large bowl until steaming, about 1 minute. Let sit until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms in fine-mesh strainer, reserving liquid; set aside soaked mushrooms and return liquid to large bowl.
2. Place peppercorns in small bowl and microwave until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Let cool completely. Once cool, grind in spice grinder or mortar and pestle (you should have 1½ teaspoons).
3. Using side of chef’s knife, lightly crush white parts of scallions, then cut scallions into 1-inch pieces. Place tofu and scallions in bowl with reserved mushroom liquid and microwave until steaming, 5 to 7 minutes. Let sit while preparing remaining ingredients.
4. Process garlic, ginger, chili paste, and black beans in food processor until coarse paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add ¼ cup vegetable oil, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon peppercorns and continue to process until smooth paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer spice paste to bowl.
5. Place reserved soaked mushrooms and fresh shiitake mushrooms in now-empty processor and pulse until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses (do not overprocess). Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and mushroom mixture in large saucepan over medium heat, breaking up mushrooms with wooden spoon, until mushrooms begin to brown and stick to bottom of saucepan, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl.
6. Add remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and spice paste to now-empty saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until paste darkens and oil begins to separate from paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently pour tofu with mushroom liquid into saucepan, followed by hoisin, sesame oil, and mushroom mixture. Cook, gently stirring frequently, until dish comes to simmer, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk soy sauce and cornstarch together in small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with remaining peppercorns, and serve. (Mapo tofu can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)
FLAVOR BOOSTER
These reddish-brown husks are neither peppercorns nor are they related to chiles. They’re the dried fruit rinds of the Chinese prickly ash tree. Sichuan peppercorns have a lemony tartness and a piney aroma, but they are best known for the unique tingling sensation they produce on the lips and tongue, thanks to a compound called hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, which acts on receptors that usually respond to touch. The peppercorns don’t actually cause our skin to vibrate, but they send signals to the brain that we interpret as vibration or numbing; some people also perceive these signals as heat.