Creamy Pasta Soup Recipe (vegan) - Elavegan (2024)

FAQs

What makes thick creamy soups? ›

Traditional cream soups derive their smooth texture from liberal amounts of milk or cream, thickened with flour or cornstarch. Now when we make soups that are creamy, chances are they contain no cream at all: They're likely thickened with purees made from starchy vegetables.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

You can thicken soup with flour or cornstarch, which do not add any additional flavor. If you want more flavor, a roux is the best way to thicken up a soup. Starchy add-ins are another great way to create thick and creamy vegan soups.

You can add a creamy substance, either ordinary cream, milk, or coconut milk, but which works best will depend on the flavors already on the soup. If you've made your souo with beans, potatoes, or rice, blending part of it and returning it to the pot will make everything creamier.

Originally Answered: Can I use milk instead of cream in soup? Of course you can, it may be a bit thinner in consistency. It will also be less in calories and fat, but also flavor.

If you need to thicken a soup or stew, you can turn to starchy vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Cook the veggies well and then blend. Once you have a smooth mixture, incorporate it into your soups, stews, and sauces to achieve a thicker result.

Keep in mind that this evaporated milk will make your dish taste richer, but it won't actually thicken the soup. You can always use a bit of flour or cornstarch if you're missing that added texture. Otherwise, you'll find evaporated milk the best dairy addition for your classic slow cooker favorites.

The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.

To ensure you get it just right, make sure the soup is nearly cooked before adding the pasta. Smaller pasta shapes soak up broth readily so ensure you serve the soup as soon as it's cooked. Alternatively, you could cook the pasta separately and add to the soup at the last moment.

There are two good reasons not to do it. First it will make your stock or broth very starchy in taste. Second, inevitably the pasta will get overcooked.

When should I add cream to soup? ›

If you started the soup with broth, stock or water, I would wait until the end to add the cream. You can warm the cream, or “temper” it, which is what I do. Take about half a cup of the hot broth and slowly add your cream to that, stirring constantly.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Nuts or nut-based flour

A quick and easy paleo-friendly way to add more thickness to your soups is to grind down 1-2 cups of nuts. Use cashews, peanuts, almonds, or any other nuts that you have at home. Almond flour is also a commonly available substitute that you can find in almost any grocery store today.

Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: purées are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish or vegetables thickened with cream; cream soups may be thickened with béchamel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter, and cream.

Roux (pronounced roo) is a mixture of equal weights (parts) of flour and fat (usually clarified butter; chicken fat, bacon fat, and margarine are also used) cooked over medium heat and stirred constantly. Roux is the most common thickener for sauces and soups.