Serves 6
Total time: 40 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes
See those sets of footprints in the snow? Now notice where one set disappears? That was when soup was carrying you.
It’s January (again? wtf!) in the midwest. The Christmas lights are coming down (well, they should be anyway), the Valentine’s hearts have not yet appeared, and the New Year’s Resolutions are just beginning to wobble. The only thing that’s keeping society from falling to pieces is soup!
Invite a friend over, break some bread (olive sourdough spoken here), and inhale big bowlfuls of comfort like this one. Chewy rice and succulent chickpeas, fragranced with rosemary, thyme and celery, pulled together by luscious cashew cream. And of course I throw in a little kale at the end for good measure. I chose lacinato because it holds its bite, but you, of course, can use whatever you like! Some green onions on top add another whiff of of flavor and even a hint at Springtime, which — hard to believe — is just around the corner. I promise.
Notes
~ If — for whatever reason — you don’t want to use cashew cream, unsweetened plain almond or soy milk will work. It doesn’t get as creamy, but it’s still yummy! Just please double and triple check that it’s unsweetened, or it’ll be awkward tasting.
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
3/4 cup rice, rinsed (see note about rice)
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, diced chunky
5 cups vegetable broth
1 24 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 3 cups)
4 cups chopped kale
Thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
Directions
Add rice, celery and carrots and then pour in the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and let cook for about 15 more minutes, until rice is cooked and carrots are tender.
Add the cashew cream and kale, and simmer until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 more minutes. You may need to add water to thin the soup if it seems too thick. Taste for salt and seasonings and let sit for 10 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry. Serve topped with green onions.
It thickens as it cools, so if you have leftovers, just thin with a little water when you reheat.
Made this the other night and it was TO DIE FOR! Am sending it to family to make! yummmm
My 25 year old daughter and I have been vegan since October 2012…I have made lots of new recipes…she told me this is her favorite soup….yay Isa !!! Have 4 of your cookbooks and am on this website all the time. Thanks for all you do !!!
Tried it. And it was excellent. The cashew cream is transformative! Making it again for a gluten-free dinner.
yummy. so good on a cold night. i tried the better than boullion brand and loved it. I love that I can make exactly what i need and not waste a half box of broth. My cashew cream didn’t get very creamy even in my food processor. Was still tasty.
This is such a winner recipe. It is so easy to throw together. I have made this so many times in the last few weeks since the post… everyone who has tasted it has asked for the recipe and is surprised there is no dairy in it. As far as the cashews go… if you forget to soak overnight, yes you can lightly boil them (you’ll notice them start to turn a bit grey looking when they are ready). The only thing about boiling or microwaving them is that your cashew is no longer “raw”. It still works for the recipe, but you are loosing the raw nutrients that the cashews provide. For those seeking a fair cost on great quality nuts and dried fruit should check out nuts.com. Their shipping costs are minimal and it usually arrives the next day.
Loved this recipe! Rustic and slurptastical! This was the dish that finally got me to eat KALE!!! I subbed farro for the rice (cuz I’m so freakin bored of rice) which worked really well… until it turned my leftovers to mush :(. If anyone goes the farro route, I’d recommend cooking it separately and adding it in when serving. Thanks from the bottom of my tastebuds, Isa!
I am always looking for something different. I will definitely try this one.
This soup was perfect a perfect winter meal. I’m in love!
Amazing as usual Isa, you never disappoint!
This recipe is great! Everyone wanted seconds and there was enough to feed five people multiple bowls! Thanks for sharing!
Just made this on a very snowy day here in Denver. Used freshly made chickpeas that had been cooked with chiles. Omitted the rice and served over quinoa. Yum!
I’m not a soup person, but this was an absolutely phenomenal dinner for us– and lunch the next day! We don’t like celery, but everyone left us with tons after a super bowl party and we had to use it up. This was the perfect, most delicious recipe to pick! Thanks so much!
Fantastic hearty soup! 😀 This is destined to become an excellent staple soup for me.
This soup is amazing! Wow. Thank you so much Isa for such a wonderful, comforting dish.
It is snowy and cold in Colorado today and I wanted something cozy and comforting for dinner. I knew I would find it on your website. I found this recipe and it must be fate, because I have everything at home just waiting to become this awesome looking soup! Thanks for the great recipes, as always!
So very yummy!!
Just made this tonight and it was so good! I had some leftover cauliflower I added in and it was a great addition (if I do say so myself). I can always count on your recipes to be delicious and worth the effort to make 🙂
This soup is SO good!
Lawdy lawdy lawdy, I just made this and it was outrageous(ly good)! Added some smoked chili powder b/c I add it to everything and it makes everything a fiesta. Yum!
I think this is the most delicious thing I have put in my mouth.
ZOMG AMAZING! Just made this today for lunch. Cleared the blustery blues right up!
Love, love, love this soup! My Ninja pureed those cashews into milk in 15 sec flat! For the kids (or anyone who loves decadence.. added a vegan pie crust and it is the best damn pot pie ever!
Cried laughing reading the intro Isa, as I do with all your cookbooks.
amazing! i subbed cabbage for the kale because i had it in my fridge. my husband and i decided it was more like a chowder than a soup and it would also probably be a great filling for a pot pie.
thanks again Issa for another amazing recipe that will be a regular item in our household!
looks yummy, make my saliva drippin 🙂 and the season was right too for a hot soup. Also, its great to use Better Than Boullion, its vegan right? I really tempted to make it, but i’m a poor chef. By the way, do you guys have any idea what to substitute garlics? It seems that my stomach can’t handle it too well. Time to check the spices on my spice rack
This is the best soup ever. Just finished eating a bowl with some vegan cornbread. I’m stuffed. Didn’t have uncooked rice so I added leftover brown rice. Didn’t have celery so I added celery seeds. Didn’t soak my cashews. Just nuked them for 3 minutes. Someone suggested putting this in a crust. Yes. Next time
just made this and I love it. Makes me never miss creamy soups again, cashews all the way!
Ok, so I just discovered this website for the first time a couple of days ago, after finishing the eye-opening book “Skinny Bitch.” I am now happily following a mostly vegan diet, and this soup (or “almost” this soup) was the first recipe I tried from this site. I did have to make some substitutions, because I only had fresh rosemary instead of dried, quinoa instead of rice, and I used several tablespoons of tahini because I didn’t have cashews on hand. But it was so freaking amazing, I woke up thinking about it this morning. I can’t wait to finish this batch, so I can make it again with the cashew cream!
This is the kind of food that makes me so happy to be a vegan! A perfect meal for a cold late spring night. Used fresh rosemary and thyme, just a little less than the recipe called for. Turned out great!
My name for this is THE GREATEST SOUP EVER! I make it with short grain brown rice that I’ve already made in my rice cooker. No one else in the house wants to eat it so I get it all to myself. YUMMMM!!!!!
Don’t know if I ever posted how great this recipe is before but it doesn’t matter since I can’t say it enough. This kind of food makes me feel very connected to the planet. It is just perfect. I cook only once a week and make enough to freeze 6 extra meals so I now eat this once a week. I just love it.
Made this today for the second time and it is just as delicious as the first time! I love it as a soup/stew, but I it will be even better as leftovers after it thickens up and becomes sort of like a rice casserole. Can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
Best soup I’ve ever eaten. Seriously. Rich and creamy. Replace the rice with potatoes and add corn, and one would think it’s clam chowder. Thanks for this recipe!!!!
Woohoo!
I really loved this soup. I made it in order to use up kale from our garden, but it will now become a favorite. My better half does not like ‘soup,’ so I added the amount of water/stock indicated–not additional. The result was nice and thick, so I told him it was a ‘stew.’ He gladly ate it 3 days in a row.
The only modifications I made were to add red pepper flakes and use brown rice. Next time, I may add some chopped serranos since we like spicy food. I appreciated the earlier comment about pre-cooking brown rice for 30 minutes which meant that I could follow the recipe as written and not have to make adjustments in the cooking time.
Great recipe, Isa! I’ve already sent it to several friends.
I just made this, and it’s amazing!!! I doubled the recipe, and it filled approx. 11 pint-size jars. So I’ll be eating this all week and freezing some too!
PS, I used wild rice, and it was perfect.
This is really delicious – and so simple. I used the Better than Bouillon no-chicken paste instead of broth, used large onion, and added more more cashews to make it more creamy. Non-vegans will love this, too!
When it gets cooler out I make a pot of soup once a week and eat it for lunch every day. I came across this recipe and read the reviews and saw people saying it was the best soup they’ve ever had and thought, “for reals??” I mean, I’ve had a lot of soup. Yeah, they weren’t wrong. This shit’s good. Real good.
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I use “better than bouillon” instead of broth and add a diced portabella mushroom cap when sauteing the onion, but other than that follow the directions as stated.
Well….I use Better Than Bullion too!
Hmmm… Would it make a difference if I boil the cashew nuts. Also, some white rices turn out spongier than others (absorb more or less water) so exactly what type of rice did you use?
I probably used basmati, but any long grain white rice will do, besides super sticky ones (sushi, arborio, etc)
awesome! one of the quickest I have ever made! I add frozen kale and it’s still good. I’m sure it makes a difference, but if its so tasty with frozen one, I bet its even better with fresh! cant wait for next time:) Thanks, Isa!
This is my very favorite soup! I can eat it every day. My kid loves it too. I’ve used spinach instead of kale a lot of times, just because I tend to always have some in the fridge for smoothies.