White Bean Creamy Vegan Artichoke Soup
Thick, rich, and creamy, this vegan artichoke soup is made with white beans, canned artichokes, and given flavor from some sage and freshness from parsley. It’s quick and easy to make, and doesn’t require you to have a lot of ingredients around. This simple soup is perfect when served with a crusty bread (a little sourdough slathered in garlic butter would be phenomenal), and garnished with crispy sage leaves.
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All About Artichokes
Around where my partner’s mother lives in California, the coast is lined with fields of artichokes. In that climate they can be grown year-round, and the roadside is peppered with signs for deep-fried artichokes, 10 for $1 artichokes, and the annual Castroville Artichoke Food and Wine Festival (fun fact- Marilyn Monroe was the first crowned artichoke queen!).
Artichokes are a collection of flower buds, and grow on a type of thistle. The exterior “petals” are fibrous, and only a small amount of flesh can be scraped off the bottom of them. But at the center of the artichoke, you’ve reached the meat of the issue- what’s commonly called the artichoke heart. They have a rich, and distinctive flavor- I almost think of it like a cross between a brussel sprout and an olive. They have a decent amount of fiber and protein, as well as being a power-house of nutrients. They are particularly high in vitamins A, K, folate, magnesium, and potassium but also contain many other vitamins and minerals at lesser levels. They are also fairly low in calories and are said to be the most antioxidant rich of all the commonly domesticated vegetables.
Artichokes can be cooked whole by boiling them, steamed, roasted, baked, stuffed, fried, and sauteed. Honestly, with all the petals that need to be cooked and scraped away, or thrown away, I tend to just choose canned artichoke hearts most of the time.
Looking for Creamy Vegan Soups? Try one of these!
- Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Garlic Toasts
- Cream of Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Soup
- Roasted Carrot, Garlic and Rosemary Soup
- Creamy Roasted Romaine Soup (Vegan)
- Kabocha Squash Soup with Sunflower Seed Cream
- Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup with Poblano
- One-Pot Green Curry Noodle Soup
How to Make Vegan Artichoke Soup
This is one of those soups that works to leverage some simple, pantry items and elevates them with some fresh herbs. The first flavors we get going are some garlic, onion, fresh sage, nutritional yeast (for a bit of cheesiness), and red pepper flakes, which are sautéed in olive oil. Next the artichokes go in- we used canned, not marinaded artichoke hearts. We didn’t want to use the marinaded ones, as they add other flavors to the mix, and the artichoke is a little harder to taste. Frozen would work well, if that’s what you can find. Add a little vegetable broth, let it simmer for a few minutes, and you’re ready to move on. Transfer the mix to a blender, along with a can of white beans (drained), and a healthy amount of parsley. Blend until smooth, and add salt and pepper. At that point, bring it back to the stove and heat it up a little.
While optional, crispy sage leaves make a delicious and beautiful garnish to this soup. Use a little olive oil, heat it up, and add the sage leaves. Cook for a few seconds, flip, and cook some more. When you take them off the heat and after they cool, they should be crumbly and crisp.
White Bean Creamy Vegan Artichoke Soup
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 5 leaves of fresh sage, plus more if making crispy sage garnish
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 14 oz. can artichokes, drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 15.5 can white beans, or 1¾ cups cooked white beans, drained
- ½ cup chopped and packed parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-large pot, and bring to a medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant. Chop up your 5 sage leaves, and add them to the pot, along with the garlic. After another couple minutes, add the nutritional yeast and red pepper flakes, mix it up, and throw in the artichoke hearts. Mix, to coat them in the spices, and add the vegetable broth. Bring to a light simmer.
- Add the beans and parsley to a blender, and pour in the vegetable broth with all the ingredients in the pot. Blend until smooth, and then return to the stove. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat until at the desired temperature. Serve warm.
- If you do want to add a crispy sage garnish, heat a little oil in a skillet. Add whole sage leaves in a single layer, and after 20 seconds or so flip. Cook for a few more seconds, remove from the heat, and sprinkle with salt.
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