Name: Two-Potato Soup with Vegan Bacon
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Plant-based
Ingredients: 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes; 6 medium or 4 large golden potatoes; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, chopped; 2 vegetable bouillon cubes; 2 to 3 cups plain unsweetened nondairy milk, or as needed; 2 teaspoons yellow mustard; 2 teaspoons barbecue seasoning blend (see Note); 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds, plus more for topping; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley; 5- to 6-ounce package vegan bacon, or 1 recipe Sweet and Savory Tempeh Strips (see link to recipe in Notes)

Combining sweet potatoes with golden potatoes in a soothing soup like this one is pure comfort. But peeling and dicing six to eight potatoes is enough to give me pause. So I’ve made the process easier by microwaving the potatoes first. That makes the peels easy to slip off and pretty much eliminates the need to chop, resulting in a delicious and two-potato soup embellished with vegan bacon that’s ready quickly.

Since this is a very vegetable-centric soup, the addition of plant-based bacon (make your own tempeh strips or use packaged vegan bacon) makes this soup more of a centerpiece of a meal. If you need something extra, a leafy wrap or a simple salad are good choices for accompaniments.

Yield: 6

Two-Potato Soup with Vegan Bacon

Here's a delicious and easy two-potato soup embellished with vegan bacon that’s ready quickly.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
6 medium or 4 large golden potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
 2 to 3 cups plain unsweetened nondairy milk, or as needed
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
2 teaspoons barbecue seasoning blend (see Note)
1 cup vegan cheddar shreds, plus more for topping
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
5- to 6-ounce package vegan bacon, or 1 recipe Sweet and Savory Tempeh Strips (see link to recipe in Notes)

Instructions

Microwave the sweet potatoes until easily pierced with a knife. Do the same with the golden potatoes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Speed up the process by immersing the potatoes in a bowl of ice water.
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until lightly browned.
Add 2 cups of water plus the bouillon cubes and bring to a slow boil.
Once the potatoes and sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off. Break into large chunks and add to the soup pot. Reach in with a potato masher to mash the potatoes as much as you’d like, leaving some chunks for texture.
Add enough nondairy milk for a fluid but fairly thick consistency. Stir in the mustard, barbecue seasoning and vegan cheese shreds and return to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the homemade tempeh bacon or heat up the prepared tempeh bacon according to package directions. When done, cut into small bits.
Season with salt and pepper and serve. Top each bowlful with tempeh bacon, fresh herb, and extra vegan cheese shreds.