Creamy Potato, Caramelized Fennel, and Kale Soup

Before you flee in terror at the word “fennel,” hear me out.

I am one of the few people under the age of 82 who loves the taste of licorice. I’m the one that jumps at the black jelly beans when no one else will eat them, and I LOVE Good and Plenty. Hey! Stop looking at your computer screen with that look of disgust.

That being said, the majority of the population, my husband included, hates the taste. In fact, I came across these particular fennel bulbs because my friend got them in her CSA box and pawned them off on me (along with some excess potatoes) since she, too, hates the taste (YAY for me! It’s like the black jelly bean of sustainable produce!). Because fennel and anise have a licorice flavor, many people avoid them. And even though I love the taste of it, I also love my husband, so I set out to experiment with how to make something he and I would both like from my surprise new gift of fennel and potatoes.

The solution for minimizing the licorice flavor? Just cook the fennel for a very, very long time- long enough to caramelize it.

This soup was the result of the fennel and potatoes and also a forgotten bunch of kale that I had meant to use last week but did not. The result: this creamy soup that’s 100% vegan and 100% delicious.

The first step is to caramelize the fennel with some onions. This is one of those tasks that takes quite a long time but requires very little effort- something that you can do when you have a few hours and can get some household chores done or catch up on the latest episodes of The Pioneer Woman (love her).

To caramelize the fennel and onions, use a heavy pot with a thick bottom. I used my blue Cuisinart enameled cast iron dutch oven (which I LOVE, especially for making whole roast chicken). Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add the sliced fennel and onions. The most important part of caramelizing: do not use high heat. It may seem like there are a lot of vegetables, but because the liquid in them will slowly evaporate, they will shrink down considerably. Stir the vegetables around to coat in the oil, then leave alone for 15 minutes. Come back to the pot, stir, and if starting to stick, add a couple tablespoons of vegetable stock or water to the pot. Allow to sit for another 15 minutes, and repeat. It should take about an hour for them to caramelize properly- you will know you are done with the vegetables turn a deep brown color and reduce in size significantly.

Once the fennel and onions were caramelized, I added some garlic, vegetable stock, diced potatoes, and plenty of salt and pepper. When the potatoes were cooked, I blended the soup using an immersion blender (one of the most handy, awesome kitchen tools you can have!). You can also use a regular blender, or just mash the veggies with a potato masher (this will make it more lumpy, but still tasty!). The potatoes will thicken the soup to a creamy texture, so you don’t need to add milk or cream to make it have a creamy consistency. That being said, if you want to add some cream or whole milk to the soup, now would be time time :-)

After that, I added chopped kale and allowed the heat of the soup to wilt it. You can theoretically use any chopped green you want- spinach would be awesome, or chard or turnip greens.

Top with some croutons, green onions, or serve with some crusty buttered bread. Enjoy!

Make in advance: Make this soup on the weekend in advance, allow to cool, and store in your refrigerator directly in the pot you cooked it in. When you are ready to eat, just remove the pot from the fridge and heat up for a quick meal!

Freezer directions: This soup is freezable in an airtight container for up to 6 months. When you make it, divide the soup in two, freeze one portion, and eat the other portion, so you have a meal for the future ready to go!

Creamy Potato, Caramelized Fennel, and Kale Soup

The fennel recipe for people who don't like fennel! Caramelized onions and fennel are blended with vegetable stock and potatoes to create a creamy, rich tasting soup, with fresh kale wilted in. A simple, delicious, vegan recipe that's super healthy!

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 247kcal

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 bulbs fennel quartered, core removed, and thinly sliced
• 2 yellow onions quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 6 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 medium potatoes diced
• 1 bunch of kale stems removed and chopped

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium heat.
• Add fennel and onions, stir to coat in olive oil, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
• Stir, and if sticking to the pot, add 2 tablespoons vegetable stock. Allow to sit for another 15 minutes, and repeat for approximately 1 hour, or until vegetables are a deep golden color and greatly reduced in size.
• Add garlic; saute for 1 minute.
• Add remaining vegetable stock, potatoes, and plenty of salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil and simmer covered for approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
• Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. Alternatively, use a regular blender in batches or use a potato masher to make a less creamy soup.
• Taste and adjust for salt and pepper if necessary.
• Add chopped kale, stir in, cover, and allow to wilt into the soup for approximately 5 minutes.

Notes

• Make in advance: Make this soup on the weekend in advance, allow to cool, and store in your refrigerator directly in the pot you cooked it in. When you are ready to eat, just remove the pot from the fridge and heat up for a quick meal!
• Freezer directions: This soup is freezable in an airtight container for up to 6 months. When you make it, divide the soup in two, freeze one portion, and eat the other portion, so you have a meal for the future ready to go!
• The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1038mg | Potassium: 1603mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4433IU | Vitamin C: 87mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 8mg

Nutrition Information Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:

Very Well Fit Nutrition Information Calculator

My Fitness Pal Recipe Nutrition Calculator

Add the recipe to Yummly

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