Vegan Clam Chowder
While you can't beat a solid New England cup o' clam chowdah, sometimes you don't want a giant dairy bomb. Or you don't have clams! Enter this vegan clam chowder, with shiitake mushrooms, white beans, and loaded with veggies.
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup cashews soaked for at least 2 hours
- 1 cup white beans either freshly cooked or low-sodium from a can
- 2 cups vegetable broth low-sodium
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced medium
- 4 medium carrots peeled, sliced into ¼ inch thick half moons
- 4 stalks celery sliced ¼ inch thick
- 10 oz shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and cut into ¾ inch chunks
- ¾ teaspoon salt more to taste
- Fresh black pepper
- 1 to 2 nori sheets finely chopped (roll up and thinly slice)
- 3 cups vegetable broth low-sodium
Add at the end
- 1 cup white beans either freshly cooked or low-sodium from a can
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- Juice from one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat a large stock pot over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil with a pinch of salt for roughly 10 minutes until carrots are softened and onion is translucent.
- Drain cashews, and add them to the blender with white beans, 2 cups of veggie broth, and cornstarch. Blend for about 5 minutes, depending on strength of blender, until fully creamy and smooth. Set aside.
- Add mushrooms to cooked onion, carrots, and celery. Cook briefly, for about 3 minutes, just until mushrooms are softened but they still retain their texture.
- Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, nori and remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth, then cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Stir in the cashew cream and gently heat, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, until nicely thickened. Add the tomato paste, remaining 1 cup of white beans, and lemon juice and taste for salt and seasoning. Adjust water to your liking for consistency, maybe an additional cup to thin it out if it's too chunky for you. Serve with a slice of sourdough bread, some oyster crackers, or saltines.
Notes
I like to make a double batch and freeze portions for later use.
When you re-heat leftovers, you might need to add a bit of water if it's too thick.
When you re-heat leftovers, you might need to add a bit of water if it's too thick.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!