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Mom’s Vegetarian Pot Pie Soup is easy and delicious comfort food with no baking required, just some stove-top work. Vegetables in a creamy sauce with a perfect traditional pot pie flavor, make a budget friendly and family friendly meal.
This veggie pot pie soup is a spin-off from my Vegetarian Pot Pie recipe, it’s one of the most popular recipes I have (and for good reason!)! Want to make this soup in the crock pot? Grab the slow cooker vegetarian pot pie recipe.
We appreciate your support
Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Comfort food
I love this pot pie soup, and make it all the time when I need some healthy vegetarian comfort food. It’s the kind of recipe I really wanted when I turned vegetarian all those years ago (more than 30 years ago!!). Serve this soup with some Gruyere Herb Biscuits for an amazing meal!
It’s a kid friendly veggie pot pie that’s easy to make and will make your family happy.
I’ve gotten tons of comments here on the blog and on Pinterest about how much people love this recipe! It’s comfort food that reminds me of being a kid.
Cream of Mushroom Soup is another meal from my childhood that’s perfect comfort food! And if you want a super impressive soup to serve at a dinner party, try my Onion and Garlic Soup Recipe or Creamy Noodle Soup.
Serving suggestion
Serve this soup with some yummy no-knead bread, homemade Buttermilk Biscuits , skillet butter biscuits, or dinner rolls.
Can I make this into a vegan vegetable pot pie soup?
Yes, absolutely this can easily be made into a vegan pot pie soup!
Just substitute plant based vegan butter or oil for dairy butter.
And use a neutral flavored plant-based milk like soy, cashew, or almond. Skip anything that’s vanilla flavored. You could go with coconut milk, but it will change the flavor profile of the soup a bit.
Which milk should I use?
As with most of my recipes, use the milk that makes you happy.
I prefer whole milk for this soup, as it makes a nice rich soup.
If you want to use a lower fat milk it’ll be thinner but lower in calories.
Also (like I said above), I’ve made this many times with neutral flavor plant-based milk and it’s great.
If you want to make it thicker and richer, you could use a diary cream. I wouldn’t suggest anything heavier than half & half, it might get too rich and thick if you used a heavy cream. Hop over here to read more about different creams and how to use cream.
What kind of broth to use?
If I’m not using homemade broth, most of my cooking is made with {affiliate link} Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base. It’s delicious and inexpensive for how much you get out of a small jar. And, they aren’t paying me to say that, it really is my preferred broth that I love and use all the time.
You can follow the instructions on the package for how much to use, or if you want even lower sodium cut the broth paste amount in half, and it still has great flavor.
Heck, if you wanted to make a plant-based vegetarian chicken pot pie soup recipe you could make it with {affiliate links} vegetarian chicken broth and veggie chicken pieces (there are many brands of veg chicken besides Quorn, I just wanted to give an example).
Can I use something other than wine?
Not a wine drinker? Feel free to use vegetable or chicken broth instead.
I’m fond of the story that when I was a kid my mom always used 7-up in place of wine in her cooking. It makes me chuckle. I don’t think I’d go for that now, probably too sweet, but it is an option.
What kind of white wine should I use?
I like a nice dry white wine. I always use sauvignon blanc because that’s my favorite to drink. Chardonnay would give you a richer buttery flavor. Be sure to use one that you like to drink – not a cooking wine that’s bitter.
Frozen Veggies as a time saver
As I was making the Pot Pie Soup one time, it occurred to me that frozen peas and carrots, you know the bag with the carrots and peas mixed together, would be a great time saver so you don’t have to peel and slice the carrots.
If you go the frozen carrots & peas way, just add them all at the end where I say to add the peas. Since the carrots are already cooked in that bag, no need to add them right after the onions have cooked.
Leftovers
This recipe makes a nice thick soup.
As the soup sits it will thicken, so if you have leftovers, you may want to thin it a little more with some more milk or broth.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup, but… As with most cream or milk based soups, there’s a really good chance that the soup will have texture changes after being frozen and defrosted. Most likely, it’ll look clumpy or curdled.
Now, in all reality, that lumpy look won’t affect the flavor, and it is most likely that if you reheat the soup on the stove and add a little more milk or broth to it, that lumpy texture will go away.
So, really, it’s up to you. It may change the texture a bit, but it really doesn’t affect it too badly.
How to make
Here’s a nice easy step-by-step guide on how to make this vegetarian comfort food soup.
Be sure to scroll down for the printable recipe card with all the instructions and ingredient amounts.
First, you’ll want to cook the potatoes. The easiest way is to pre-cook them in the microwave.
Once cooked, cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces, and place them in a large bowl. Leave them chunky or in smaller pieces, your choice.
I suggest boiling the potatoes on the stove top.
Chop the potatoes into pieces about 1-2 inches. Roughly uniform so they all cook at the same time.
Toss them into a big pot and cover with water, and some salt, maybe 1/2 teaspoon or so.
Bring the pot to a boil (you can cover the pot to help it boil faster), then uncover the pot, and turn down the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes and check the potatoes for doneness by piercing with a fork. If they’re tender, then drain the water. If not done, check every couple minutes or so until they are tender. Drain the water, and use in the recipe.
You can also cook potatoes in the Instant Pot. Just follow the instructions for cooking the potatoes as in my Instant Pot Potato Salad.
Next up, cook the onion and add in the carrot.
Place the cooked veggies in a bowl with the cooked and cubed potatoes.
Start making the roux.
Add the butter and 2 tablespoons oil to the same pot. When the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Slowly and gradually stir the broth, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper into the flour mixture. Continue to stir constantly as the sauce thickens. Stir in the white wine, and cook for an additional minute.
Add the cooked veggies back into the sauce, and toss in the peas. Heat though, taste for seasonings, and serve it up!
Low oil/butter amount in the roux
I’ve had a couple of readers comment on the amount of fat in the roux. Yes, I did cut back on the fat in the roux in the recipe. I did it to keep the calorie content a bit lower overall in the soup. It has always worked for me, and I’ve never had a problem with it.
But, if you are a purest (I get it!), and want the fat to flour amounts to be equal, use 4 additional tablespoons of butter or oil when making the roux (that’s the beginning of cooking the sauce part where you melt the butter, and add in the flour).
Switch up the recipe and make it something different each time
As some of my readers have suggested, they like to play around with this recipe.
I love the idea of adding in some chickpeas for a plant-based protein.
Add in some real shredded chicken for a chicken pot pie soup. Or, make a vegan chicken pot pie soup.
Toss in some garlic or different herbs like basil and parsley.
Try thinking about different cuisines for a fusion flavor- like adding corn and chili powder for a Tex-Mex type of flair. Or how about a Thai flavored pot pie with coconut milk and bean sprouts?
Add in some butternut squash for a little fall flavor. Or, saute some mushrooms and add those to the soup.
Bake up some biscuits, puff pastry, or pie crust separately for a fun twist on pot pie.
This soup makes a nice traditional old-fashioned pot pie soup base. Feel free to play around with the recipe.
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Recipe
Mom’s Vegetarian Pot Pie Soup
Ingredients
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 6 medium carrots peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick, about 1 ½ cups
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
- 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
Instructions
- Pierce the potatoes several times with a fork or knife, and microwave until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes and the power of the microwave. Allow potatoes to cool slightly so that you can handle them, and chop into ½-inch to 1-inch dice. Transfer cubed potatoes to a large bowl, and set aside.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions until starting to brown and caramelize, about 15-20 minutes. Add the carrots to the onions, and continue to cook, and until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables to the large bowl with the potatoes, and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add the butter and 2 tablespoons oil to the same pot. When the butter has melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Slowly and gradually stir the broth, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper into the flour mixture. Continue to stir constantly as the sauce thickens. Stir in the white wine, and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir the cooked vegetables and the peas into the sauce, and cook on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Lisa
This sounds amazing! I need to make the night before, how does it heat up the next day?
Debi
Lisa, the filling is great reheated like this. Just do the puff pastry part the same day, otherwise the puff pastry will dry out. So, make up the filling, let it cool, pop it in the fridge. Then, 40 minutes before you want to bake it, take the puff pastry out of the freezer and follow the rest of the instructions. Also, I made a pastry with puff pastry for Christmas breakfast, and defrosted the puff pastry about 1 and a half hours before I wanted to bake it. I kept the puff pastry covered in the fridge with a cotton towel and that worked just fine as well. Happy cooking!
J
I just made this delicious pot of food!! Very appetizing!! However, was wondering if anybody knew the nutritional value for the recipe; tracking calories!!thanx!!
Sarah
Recipe says that it yields 4 servings. How big are your estimated servings? Will I need to double this for a family with 3 kids and 2 adults? It looks really yum, and I want to make sure I have enough!!
Debi
Sarah, servings will always vary depending on how much people eat. Kids are always a big variable when it comes to serving size. I guess I was hungry when I wrote it served 4 people. It’s probably more like 4-6 serving for a batch. I’ll update that number now on the recipe card. It’s about 4 cups of liquid and about 4 cups of veggies. So it probably yields about 8 cups total (of course depending on how big your veggies are). When I make it for my husband and me we always have a couple days of leftovers. Do your kids eat a lot? Big kids, little kids? If you serve the soup with a biscuit and they are smaller kid sized servings you will probably be fine. You can also use the servings slider to adjust the amounts if you want to make a little bit more soup. Also, if you throw in a extra carrot or two the soup will accommodate you. 🙂
Kristen
Hi I was wondering if this recipe can put in a slow cooker? And if so how long does it need to cook for? Please and thank you!
Debi
Kristen, I made a version of this pot pie for the slow cooker. You’ll find the recipe here: https://lifecurrentsblog.com/slow-cooker-vegetarian-pot-pie/ The topping is a little different, but still really good! And it’s all done in the crock pot. Enjoy!
Barbara J McDonald
I made this a few days ago. My only suggestion about the recipe is that it calls for 3 “medium” potatoes–what one person considers a medium potato, another might think is small or large. It would be more helpful to state the amount in pounds (or approx cups after the potatoes are cooked and diced). Aside from that, the recipe was easy to make. I followed it exactly. The soup stock initially seemed bland but then there was a bit of an aftertaste that I didn’t like. I think it’s the thyme. I would consider making this again but would use something other than thyme. As is, I’m rating it a three but that could change if I make it again with a spice that I like better.
Angela Deutsch
I was wondering if you have ever frozen this soup? I am looking for freezer soups to take to a friend and this soup looks so yummy! Thanks
Debi
Angela, I have not frozen this soup. If you try it, make sure to let the soup cool completely before freezing it (with a milk soup it can go bad if it’s not cooled all the way). I do know that in general, sometimes soups with a milk or cream base will separate during the freezing process, but you can whisk them back to health with a bit of fresh milk added. Let me know if you try it, as I would love to learn. Thanks!
Frank Trinkle
This soup was a great inspiration.
I made this slightly modified pot pie soup from scratch early in the morning for a soup potluck lunch at my wife’s workplace later that day. All done in Presto Slow Cooker/Pressure Cooker on the regular cook setting. I did all the veggie softening and caramelizing in a saute pan, and then I thickened the soup with a blond roux which worked exceedingly well. I used 3/4 Soy Milk, and 1/4 Almond milk which worked REALLY well for blend and taste. The ingredients were doubled to make a larger amount of soup. I also used from-scratch vegetable stock rather than store bought with all those nasty preservatives in them Additionally, I use Himalayan salt along with Kosher Salt.
I split the soup into two separate portions before serving and left half fully vegetarian, and the other half with diced chunks of chicken breast. It came out absolutely perfect and VERY tasty!
At the Potluck, there were nine different homemade soups at the lunch. My wife is an Air Force Colonel and a very senior Commander. The potluck consisted of all of the Command Staff folks (About 20). They made the rounds of the table with all the soups, and in the end, there was no soup that outdid this one. Watched them go back repeatedly to this soup! Not a drop left in the pot, while all the other soups had at least half left! Awesome…and I will be making this again…and again…and AGAIN!! Thanks! SImply fantastic!
Debi
Frank, thanks so much for the comment! I’m so happy it worked for you. I just got an Instant Pot, and was thinking I need to write up some directions for how to make this in the IP. Thanks for letting me know it worked for you. Love the story! Thanks so much and I’m glad it was a success!
Mary
I just made your soup two days ago now. I made 3 very minor and 1 probably major changes to the soup. 1) I added a little more margarine because the flour was dry and not incorporated. 2) I used No chicken broth. 3) I used 2 teaspoons No chicken broth. (I had to use almond milk. I used the new creamy almond milk with cashew) Worked GREAT!
OMG! this soup is so so good! I wasn’t holding out too much hope that it was going to be as good as the picture looked, But it sure was! I was so surprised and happy.
This is a keeper! I will definitely be making this again! Thank you so much for sharing this amazingly wonderful and Easy recipe.
Oh, also first time I every microwaved potatoes. LOL
Samantha B
I had high hopes for this comfort soup recipe but it came out bland and not like the savory goodness I associate with pot pies. I added more thyme, dried parsley, dried basil, and some garlic powder (next time I’d use fresh garlic and sautee it with the onions). I also found like an above poster stated that the flour/butter/oil mixture for the roux was very dry and I needed to add vegetable broth to keep it from clumping into a dough ball. Overall once I made these tweaks the soup was pretty good.
Amanda
So yummy!!! I was so excited to find this recipe! My husband and I recently decided to go vegetarian and this is a great alternative to chicken pot pie. I ended up adding extra vegetable broth bc I don’t like my soup to be super thick. Also, at the last minute, I threw in some fresh spinach that I had lying around my fridge. The husband and kids enjoyed it! Thanks!
Christopher Leo
I have never posted a comment on a recipe blog, however, I must do so in the case. I have cooked this recipe more times in the past two years than any other dish I have made. Simply put: this recipe is phenomenal! It is budget friendly, comforting and, most of all, healthy! It can easily serve as a rotational staple. If you follow this recipe, you will obtain consistently excellent results each time. With time, you will likely begin to incorporate modifications, which can enhance the flavours even more, according to your own preferences. I enjoy experimenting with additional warming herbs and spices, and, if one if so inclined, the recipe is easily adaptable to incorporating plant or animal proteins into the final product (for the former, think roasted chickpeas as a topping, for the latter, roasted chicken pulled apart, or even a poached white fish, flaked). Thank you, Debi, for sharing a recipe that I will enjoy and appreciate both now and for years to come!
Debi
Christopher, thanks so much for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and wonderful comment. I’m so glad you love this soup. When I first became vegetarian I missed pot pie the most, so I have a real love of it! You have made my day! I so appreciate my readers, and especially you!
Patricia C Anderson
This is scrumptious!
Sophia Del Gigante
I am pretty picky about what recipes I make, but this one intrigued me. It is a healthier and vegetarian spin on pot pie, so since I am trying to eat less meat and get my veggies in around the holidays, I thought this would fit the bill. It sure did deliver and more. It is everything you want in a fall or winter meal: warm, hearty, and very tasty.
You will not be disappointed by this recipe, in fact, you’ll find yourself making it again and again,
Lisa
Hello just got an IP any way this can be cooked in one?