Skip the meat

A treasured staple in the industry, the traditional bowl of soup has taken on many revisions through the years to address various dietary needs. Vegetarian soups have become dense and rich. Vegan soups have also become popular by using soy products and processed legumes to substitute for cream without sacrificing texture and richness. Vegetarian and vegan soups are surging in popularity, directors say, constituting opportunities for creativity with a healthy slant.

“We sell out of the vegetarian and vegan soups faster than the traditional soups with meat,” says Lisa Kurth, executive chef and general manager for Bon Appétit at TBWA/Chiat/Day advertising agency in Los Angeles. “We use a lot of great northern white beans puréed, which are high in protein and low in calories. People ask, ‘are you sure there’s no cream in here?’”

Kurth makes a spicy roasted butternut squash and white bean purée with maple thyme croutons that profiles like a cream soup.

“It’s really rich, hearty and heavy duty,” she says.

Kurth also makes a quinoa chili with bread sticks or sometimes with crispy leeks.

“Quinoa is the only grain that is a full protein, so this is full of protein without any meat whatsoever,” she says. “It has roasted tomatoes and several different beans. It’s a meal by itself.”

Anna Y. Bullett, R.D., culinary development and nutrition specialist for CulinArt Inc., Plainview, N.Y., says vegetarian soups paired with a multi-grain bread can be a complete meal. She makes a Caribbean black bean, a split pea and sweet potato and a garden bean, all vegan and gluten free.

“With winter coming, it’s one of the best things you can offer now. I’m in a soup mood,” Bullett says. “Soups made with housemade stock taste best.”

Bullet makes her homemade vegan stock with vegetables, carrot peelings, rinds and onions to keep costs down.

“I don’t use cabbage or broccoli, because those will give an off flavor,” she says. “You have to reduce homemade stock longer because it doesn’t have the depth or meatiness to it.