Potato Soup for Lent (Vegetarian)

For Ash Wednesday, I really wanted to serve potato soup for dinner, but did not want to use chicken broth because of our Ash Wednesday fast from meat. I also did not want to make potato-cheese soup because we were having grilled cheese sandwiches along with the soup, and that would just be cheese overload. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

I made my own homemade vegetable broth for the first time ever, and it turned out surprisingly good. It worked perfectly to make a hearty, robust tasting potato soup. I plan on keeping veggie broth on hand throughout Lent to use in various recipes that I would otherwise use chicken or beef broth.

Potato Soup - Vegetarian, for Lent

4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 TBSP butter

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups strong, homemade vegetable broth*

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place peeled, chopped potatoes in a medium saucepan and fill with water. Bring to boil over high heat; then, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Stir and saute until vegetables caramelize, about 10-15 minutes.
   
3. Add drained potatoes and saute for about 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Use a potato masher to partially mash potatoes and vegetables.
4. Ladle half the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Add pureed soup back into remaining soup. Heat thoroughly. Can leave on warm stove burner if not serving immediately. 
   
   
   

*Homemade vegetable broth: Place nonstarchy vegetables such as bell peppers, celery, carrots, garlic, and onions, in a big pot and cover vegetables with water (only about 1/4-1/2 inch over the top of the vegetables). Use all of the parts of the vegetable - skins, leaves, stems, etc. No need to chop the vegetables. Add plenty of salt, some pepper (or peppercorns), dried parsley (or fresh, if you have it), and 1 or 2 bay leaves. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Allow to cool, then strain broth into a storage jar and discard cooked vegetables.