Creamy Enchilada Soup (Vegan, WFPB)
Creamy Enchilada Soup is a flavorful Mexican soup made with butternut squash, potatoes, bell peppers, beans, corn, homemade vegan sour cream, and pico de gallo. It is a plant-based version of the Healthy Chicken Enchildada Soup from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
I had a friend recommend the Healthy Chicken Enchilada Soup from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe to me. She said it’s her kid’s favorite soup and that I should try making it without the chicken. I did try it a couple times, and had to share the version I came up with. It’s packed with vegetables but you wouldn’t guess it since they’re all blended up. Let me show you how to make it!
I love a meal where I chop up tons of different vegetables. Ok, I don’t love the chopping part, but I love knowing that so much variety and nutrition is going into me.
To cut back on chopping time, you can use frozen chopped onions, fresh or frozen cubed butternut squash (Costco and Walmart carry this and most other stores), pre-chopped sweet potatoes, a jar of roasted bell peppers, and jarred minced garlic. Bam. No excuses not to make this, now!
How to Make Butternut Squash Easier to Cut
I have some tips about butternut squash! It is so hard to cut, that for a while I just substituted sweet potatoes for every recipe calling for butternut squash (which you can totally do). However, it has a good subtle flavor and sweetness and so here are some tips to make it easier to cut.
- Microwave it for 5 minutes to soften it a bit.
- Put it in a crock pot for an hour or so before you begin making dinner. You can cut it in half if it won’t fit. No need to add anything–just the bare squash in the dry crock pot.
- Buy pre-chopped butternut squash, either fresh or frozen. Feels so efficient to just dump it in!
I peel mine with a vegetable peeler, then slice the long part into circles, then cubes. For the seeded part, I just cut off the fleshy parts around the seeds and throw the seeded part away with a thin square of flesh of around it.
About the Sour Cream/Cream Cheese
Cashew sour cream is a simple and healthy way to add creaminess and tanginess to soup. Nuts are so healthy for you, too!
But if you can’t use cashews (allergies and sensitivies are very common), you can use any vegan cream cheese or sour cream (or real dairy versions, if you eat that, obviously). Violife is my favorite brand for vegan cream cheese, and it’s nut-free and soy-free and non GMO. It only contains a few simple easy-to-recognize ingredients (water, potato starch, coconut oil, salt, flavor, olive extract, and added vitamin B12).
No matter what you use, use it and let that creaminess help you down a ton of veggies in a scrumptious way!
Soup for a Crowd
This recipe makes a big pot of soup–at least 8 servings. You can cut the recipe in half if you really want, but I recommend freezing any leftovers if you don’t have a lot of mouths to feed. It freezes well, although it may not look as appetizing after being frozen. Alternatively, give a jar of extra soup to a friend or neighbor. That’s the kind of friend and neighbor we all need.
Creamy Enchilada Soup is just so photogenic! I can’t not post all these pictures.
For more delicious soup recipes, check these out. They are some of my favorites.
Pantry White Bean Salsa Verde Soup (reader favorite!)
Creamy Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 5 cups vegetable broth (use 7 cups for stovetop or slow cooker, as much more steams away)
- 1 3.5-oz can green chilies
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into large chunks or use 1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained and add after cooking before blending
- 4 medium white or sweet potatoes (or a combination), peeled and cut into large chunks mine totaled 2 pounds
- 3-4 cups cubed butternut squash (or two 10-oz frozen bags) see post for cutting tip
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Cashew Sour Cream (or use 1 cup of any sour cream or cream cheese)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Add after cooking
- 1 16-oz can tomato sauce
- 2 cans black beans, pinto beans, or white beans drained and rinsed
- 1-2 cups frozen corn
For serving (don't skip!)
- 1-2 cups pico de gallo see notes for homemade quick version
- avocados, chopped
- tortilla chips (optional)
- hot sauce (optional)
- sliced fresh or pickled jalepenos (optional)
Instructions
- STOVETOP: In a large pot, combine 7 cups of vegetable broth, green chilies, onion, bell peppers, potatoes, butternut squash, garlic, salt, and spices. Over high heat, bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. If too much liquid boils away, add just enough water to cover the vegeatbles, but not too much. Go to step 5.
- SLOW COOKER: Into the slow cooker, combine 7 cups of vegetable broth, green chilies, onion, bell peppers, potatoes, butternut squash, garlic, salt, and spices. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or high for about 3 hours or until fragrant and vegetables are tender. Go to step 5.
- INSTANT POT: In the Instant Pot, combine 7 cups of vegetable broth, the green chilies, onion, bell peppers, potatoes, butternut squash, garlic, salt, and spices. Set to high pressure for 10 minutes, then either flip the valve (quick release) or let it decompress naturally (natural release), depending on what you have time for/need. Go to step 5.
- Make the cashew sour cream, if using (as opposed to any other sour cream or cream cheese you'd like). Blend the cashews, water, and lemon juice until very smooth and velvety.
- Blend the soup by either using and immersion blender, or ladeling it in batches into a blender, being careful not to fill it too full and to leave some ventilation at the top of the blender so it doesn't explode from the heat. Pour the soup back into the pot.
- Pour in the cashew sour cream and tomato sauce and stir until smooth and homogenous. Add the beans and corn. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, or even more taco seasoning if you want more heat. Add pico de gallo to the whole pot of soup, or let everyone stir some into their bowl individually.
- Serve the soup with pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, jalepenos.
Notes
Nutrition
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SOOOO good! We’re already excited to make it again!
Aw, thank you so much Elisabeth! <3