This hearty, creamy, oh-so-comforting vegetable pot pie soup is everything you love about traditional pot pie–minus the meat.

I spent the better part of my life so far thinking that I didn’t like chicken pot pie. I must have had a bad, gloopy version (frozen? fast food?) at some point, and wrote the dish off completely for, like, 30 years. It wasn’t until after Owen was born that I decided to try it again. I guess I was having some kind of Super Mom moment and wanted to perfect all the comfort food classics. Chicken pot pie. Beef stew. Meatballs.

I made the Cook’s Illustrated version and we all loved it. I’ve made it many times since, and while it’s unfailingly delicious, I always wind up thinking that the chicken is kind of superfluous.

Really, it’s all about those tender veggies and that creamy, luxurious sauce.

And wouldn’t it be even more irresistible as a soup, with an even greater sauce-to-veggie ratio? Pass the biscuits, please.

Since I have a bit of spring fever right now, I loaded up this soup with all the fresh spring veggies I could find: leeks, carrots, peas, and asparagus. I almost called this post “Spring Vegetable Pot Pie Soup,” but really, you can use whatever veggies you want, and I encourage you to make this soup all year round. We certainly do! Swap an onion for the leeks, yams for the potatoes, or green beans for the asparagus. Anything goes.

The soup base is made from (just a little!) butter, flour, vegetable stock, and low-fat milk. It’s so rich and creamy, it tastes way more indulgent than it actually is. I like to add a splash of dry sherry at the end for an extra layer of flavor, but it’s completely optional. If you don’t have any on hand just leave it out.

When all is said and done, this soup is quite healthy, not to mention a great way to squeeze in an extra serving of veggies. Or maybe even two or three? I feel like if you eat a big bowl, you’ll pretty much meet your vegetable quotient for the entire week.

No matter what, you absolutely must serve this vegetable pot pie soup with buttermilk biscuits. Don’t skip them! They are essential for dipping in that luscious soup-sauce. Sometimes I bake the biscuits myself, but sometimes I’m lazy and just buy a can from the refrigerator section. (Shhh. Don’t tell.)

Vegetable Pot Pie Soup

This creamy, comforting vegetable pot pie soup is everything you love about traditional pot pie--minus the meat. Feel free to mix it up and use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Servings 6

Author Lucy Baker

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium leeks white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, and rinsed to remove any grit
2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
2 medium stalks celery chopped
2 cups sliced cremini or button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic minced
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 medium), peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
2 cups bite-sized pieces asparagus (about 1/2 pound), or green beans or broccoli
2 cups low-fat milk
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2 Tablespoons dry sherry optional
biscuits for serving

Instructions

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add the leeks, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and cook until the leeks are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the flour and stir to coat.
Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Bring a simmer, partially cover the pot, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the asparagus and cook until bright green and tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the milk and let it heat through. Be careful not to let the soup boil. Add the corn and peas and cook until well heated, about 3 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the sherry, if using.
Serve with the biscuits.