We’re calling it – the official start of soup season.
For the next six months or so, we are fully committed to making and eating as much comfort food as possible. And, for us, one of the ultimate comfort foods is soup.
Right now, we are all about the comfort of creamy soups and hearty chowders. When we go in – we go all in. The problem with most creamy soups is that they are, obviously, cream-based. We’ve already switched to non-fat in our lattes, so this is a bit of a conundrum for us. Well, it was a conundrum until we discovered how to get that thick, creamy texture we crave, but without a single drop of cream.
The secret is oats. We know. You’re shocked.
Oats, or specifically the beta-glucan in oats, can turn a soup made with low-fat milk into something that you would swear is made with cream. If we didn’t see what went into it, we would too. Our Creamy Vegetable Soup is so rich and velvety that you are going to want to make it again and again.
And you can, because once you have the basic recipe down you don’t ever have to make the same soup twice. We added corn and green beans to ours, but there’s no reason you couldn’t add broccoli or cauliflower or kale or asparagus or mushrooms… you see where we’re going here? Our Creamy Vegetable Soup can easily become your Cream of Anything Soup.
Our soup starts as most good soups do – with a mirepoix (finely diced carrots, celery and onions). Once the mirepoix has been gently sautéed to release the sweetness of the vegetables, we add garlic and, you guessed it, oats. Just a half-cup of oats is enough to thicken five cups of liquid and add the rich, silky texture of cream, but without all the fat. Once the milk has been added, you can go crazy and make this soup your own.
Corn and bacon chowder? We like how you think.
Soupe crémeuse aux légumes
Chassez le froid hivernal avec un bol de soupe de légumes crémeuse et faible en gras. L'avoine épaissit la soupe et ajoute du fibre supplémentaire.
Ingrédients
- 1 c. à s. d'huile de canola (15 ml)
- 1 petit oignon en dés
- 1 céleri branche, haché finement
- 1 grande carotte en dés
- 1 c. à s. de beurre (15 ml)
- 1 gousse d'ail
- 1/2 tasse de flocons d'avoine roulés (125 ml)
- 1 tasse de bouillon de légumes (250 ml)
- 1 tasse de maïs frais ou congelé (250 ml)
- 1 tasse de haricots verts coupés, frais ou surgelés (250 ml)
- 4 tasses de lait faible en gras (1000 ml)
- 1/2 c. à c. de thym séché ou quelques brins de frais (2,5 ml)
- 1/2 c. à c. de sel (2,5 ml)
- poivre noir fraîchement moulu, au goût
Instructions
- Chauffer l'huile dans une casserole à feu moyen-vif.
- Faire sauter l'oignon, le céleri et la carotte jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient ramollis.
- Ajouter le beurre, l'ail et l'avoine et cuire, en remuant, environ une minute pour faire griller l'avoine.
- Ajouter le bouillon et remuer jusqu'à ce qu'il soit presque absorbé.
- Incorporer le maïs, les haricots verts, le lait, le thym, le sel et le poivre.
- Porter à ébullition et cuire à découvert pendant 5 minutes.
- Retirer du feu, goûter et rectifier les assaisonnements.
- Laisser reposer 5 minutes et remuer avant de servir. (La soupe continuera à épaissir.)
- Remarque: si vous avez utilisé du thym frais, n'oubliez pas de retirer les tiges avant de servir!