Ok …. truth. This was NOT supposed to be a Creamy Potato Mushroom Chowder…. at all!
This was SUPPOSED to be a copycat of Oregon’s famous “Mo’s Clam Chowder”, and the wife .. with brutal honesty said : Not only did it not LOOK like Clam Chowder….
It didn’t even TASTE like Clam Chowder! Ouch!
But …… it was way BETTER than any Chowder she’s ever had!
Well alrighty then! And she’s right – this really IS good!
Creamy Potato Mushroom Chowder | Brand New Vegan
Ask any Oregonian and they’ll tell you a stop at Mo’s is pretty much mandatory on a trip to the beach.
Mo’s is a chain restaurant here in Oregon known for their famous Clam Chowder.
My version is a Creamy Potato Mushroom Chowder, chock full of carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. I also used 2 different kinds of Mushrooms and a Dairy Free Cream Sauce that is out of this world good with a secret ingredient that may just surprise you.
So grab your Tabasco and maybe some Saltines and let’s show those east coast boys we can make a pretty mean Chowdah too.
Creamy Potato Mushroom Chowder
Let’s start with the soup base.
First, we’re going to need to soften up some Cashews for the Cream Sauce. This takes awhile so start this early – preferably 4 hrs or so before you plan on cooking – overnight is even better. Add very hot water to cover 1/3 cup Unroasted Cashews and set aside.
Now we’re going to chop and sauté a Yellow Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Stalk of Celery, and 2 Russet Potatoes in ½ cup of Veggie Broth. We really want to let this cook awhile to soften up the carrots and potatoes.
Once the onion has softened up a bit and turned translucent – 5 minutes maybe – we’re going to add 8oz of chopped Baby Bella Mushrooms and about 4oz of sliced Shiitake Mushrooms. You could use Oyster Mushrooms as well – they’re both kind of meaty and chewy like clams.
Let that continue to simmer, adding additional veggie broth as needed to prevent sticking, until the mushrooms have reduced in size and the veggies are becoming tender.
Now add in 2 ½ cups of additional Veggie Broth, 1 Tbs of Ketchup, ¼ tsp of Liquid Smoke, and an entire sheet of Nori Seaweed. I got the idea for using Nori Sheets from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her New England Glam Chowder Recipe at Post Punk Kitchen.
Roll the Nori up in a tube and slice thinly – I used Kitchen Shears to make it easier. Then chop up the ribbons as small as you like and add them to the soup. You could also add some Kelp Flakes which I found in my bulk seasoning section of my grocery store to get a more ‘fishy’ flavor.
Let that simmer and let’s grab our blender and make the Cream Sauce.
Dairy Free Cream Sauce
In a small pot, cover about 2 cups of Cauliflower Florets with cold water and boil until softened.
Yep this is the SECRET INGREDIENT to our super creamy cream sauce! And you can’t taste the Cauliflower at all once we’re done.
Once softened, add the cauliflower to the blender along with the strained cashews, 1 cup Vegetable Broth, 1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 Tbs Corn Starch, 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and 2-3 cloves of Garlic.
Blend on high until it’s smooth and creamy.
Creamy Potato Mushroom Chowder | Brand New Vegan
Before we go on, take a taste of the soup veggies. If they’re soft and tender we’re good to go. Otherwise let that continue to simmer until the veggies are done.
Once the veggies are ready, stir in the Cream Sauce and mix well.
To thicken our Potato Mushroom Chowder – whisk 1 Tbs of Cornstarch with 1 Tbs of Almond Milk and stir that into the soup. It should start to thicken immediately.
Right before serving, stir in 1-2 Tbs of Lemon Juice and 1 Tbs of dried Parsley.
This is now one of my wife’s FAVORITE recipes, so be sure and let me know what you think. Funny how I intended one thing and ended up with something entirely different.
Oh well – happy mistakes!
Enjoy!
- 1/3 cup Cashews
- 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
- 1 cup Almond Milk (unsweetened)
- 1 Tbs Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Pepper
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
- 1 med Onion (diced)
- 2 med Carrots (sliced)
- 2 stalks Celery (diced)
- 2 Russet Potatoes (diced)
- 8 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms (sliced)
- 4 oz Shiitake Mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth (low sodium)
- 1 Nori Sheet (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbs Ketchup (or Tom Paste)
- 1/4 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1-2 Tbs Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbs Dried Parsley
- 1 Tbs Corn Starch
- 1 Tbs Water
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Soak Cashews in hot water at least 4 hrs - set aside
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Saute onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes in 1/2 cup broth until onion has softened
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Add mushroom and continue to simmer until reduced
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Add remaining broth, ketchup, liquid smoke, and Nori and mix well
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Continue simmering while making Cream Sauce
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Boil cauliflower florets in cold water until softened - about 5-10 minutes
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Add cauliflower to blender along with drained cashews
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Add remaining sauce ingredients to blender and blend on high until smooth
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Once veggies in soup base are soft and tender, stir in cream sauce
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Mix well while stirring in the Lemon Juice
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Whisk Cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add to soup to thicken
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Garnish with Parsley
Diana
Wow! Just made this for dinner tonight. Delicious. Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be making this again. Yum yum.
Diana
Can I freeze this? Diana
Sharon
Should I try to keep the water that the cashews are soaking in as hot as possible throughout the soaking period? Thanks so much for any input.
Chuck Underwood
I wouldn’t worry about that. Just soak them as long as you can and it should turn out very creamy.
Emma Steiger Johnston
Yes.
Richard Beebe
This soup is very delicious. Can’t stop eating it out of the pot!
Emma Steiger Johnston
All Broth are different. Would you please, tell me the name of the Broth you used in this recipe. I am just starting out, trying to go as Vegan as possible. You would be doing me a great favor if you told me the Name Brand of the Broth and what they Call the broth. Thank you so much and thank you for all the work you put into your Website to help humanity, I REALLY appreciate it.
Melanie
It’s just a basic vegetable broth from the soup section.
Chris
I have Kombu seaweed sheets, are those the same thing? Do they add a really Kelpy flavor?
This looks delicious. Thanks
Chuck Underwood
While I haven’t personally tried Kombu….I bet it would work just fine. I have also found Kelp flakes in the bulk spice section of my grocery store
Dorie Kosche
I was thinking the same thing. I have used them before but either grinding to a powder or putting in whole and removing them when the soup is done. Like a bay leaf.
Mim Smiles
I was so pleasantly surprised by how absolutely delicious this recipe is. It is really indescribably good. Thanks for sharing.
Momof1
do you think this would be good without the cashews? trying to limit nuts right now
MLH
Absolutely delicious!! My husband made this last night and it seriously pleased all senses and cravings — YUM! He added more potatoes and doubled the cream sauce to make a huge pot for sharing and freezing.
Thank you!!
Melanie
Really good! I can see where you were going with the clam chowder. The more I ate, the more I liked it. I wish it hadn’t filled me up so quickly., but, it gives me more enjoyment time, as in more servings. Gives me enough to eat on through the week.
Jen
This was AMAZING! I added corn, and it was perfection. The flavors balanced well. This was my first foray into creamy vegan soup and I’m so happy I did it.
Shannon Miller
Fabulous. Fixed this for dinner tonight. When my husband came home I asked him if he was hungry. He told me, a smidge because he’d had a late lunch. He ended up eating 2.5 large bowls. Lol. I used chanterelles mushrooms instead of shiitake because that’s what I had on hand. The kids (ages 11 & 12) loved it too.
Michael Cesarz
Made this today and it was absolutely fabulous! Served with rye bread and it really hit the spot. When I read it made 8 bog bowls, I figured the three of us would be fine and have leftovers. Instead we all had seconds and sadly, it’s gone. My wife asked me to make a double batch on Sunday so we can have it again with leftovers for the week. The cream sauce alone smelled fantastic. May have to look at other applications for that too. As somewhat brand new vegans ourselves, thanks so much for putting this out for all to enjoy!
Grace
Chuck,
could I make this with white beans instead of the cashews to avoid the nuts? what do you think? will it taste just as good?
thanks