This easy, homemade vegetarian potato soup is hearty, comforting, and flavorful. It's perfect for when you need a quick lunch or dinner, ready in less than 30 minutes. It's gluten-free, made without cream, and easily made vegan!
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and sautee for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, dried herbs, salt, and pepper; continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
2 Tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup yellow onion, 1 medium carrot, 1 celery stalk, 4 garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 bay leaf, Salt and Pepper, Pinch Red pepper flakes
Stir in potatoes, vegetable stock, and coconut milk, bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender (this time will depend on potato size and pan size).
Be sure to taste test throughout and add salt as needed; the potatoes will absorb a lot of the salt that is added, so you will likely add more than you think you'll need.
Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Take the soup off of the heat and immersion blend until desired consistency is reached. I like to blend about half of the soup, leaving some potato pieces throughout.
Optional: add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese in batches, stirring between each addition until melted.
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Serve immediately and garnish with croutons, crackers, green onions, or chives as desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Blender: if you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a high-speed blender. Ladle half of the soup into the blender and carefully blend. Make sure you crack the top of the blender to allow steam to escape and be very careful of the hot contents! Add it back to the soup and enjoy.