Soup is a comfort food that makes you feel warm and cozy inside. You might even say it is the ultimate wintertime meal. While potatoes are a common addition to soups, what if you don’t have any on hand or you are looking for a healthier option?
There are some other tasty alternatives to potatoes that will still make a great soup. While most people already know about cauliflower, there are several other alternatives that work really well.
Here are 5 of the best substitutes for potatoes for soup.
1. Butternut Squash
There are numerous types of squash that you can use to make a delicious soup. You can use acorn squash, kombucha squash, or even pumpkin. But butternut squash is the most common variety used in cooking. It is incredibly versatile, plus it provides a rich and silky taste and texture.
This butternut squash soup recipe is super flavorful with the roasted squash, but it is also topped off with walnuts, cream, and chive oil to take it to the next level. It will leave all your guests asking for seconds!
Preparation: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Cut up some butternut squash, toss it with salt and olive oil, and lay it onto a baking tray. Bake for 1 hour until it is entirely soft.
- While the squash is cooking, add butter, onions, and salt to a pot, and cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add garlic and sage, then continue to cook the mixture until your onions are to caramelize.
- Add your white wine and reduce it to burn off the alcohol.
- Place the squash and vegetable broth into your pot and bring it to a boil. Put your lid on the pot, lower the heat, and let the mixture simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add heavy cream and butter, then blend the soup and season.
How to serve: Plate your soup into bowls of your choice and then add some walnuts, heavy cream, and chive oil to top it off. Serve and enjoy!
2. Cassava (Yuca)
Cassava is a root vegetable commonly used in Brazil, Asia, Africa, and Polynesia, They are pretty similar to potatoes, but they are more starchy and dense. People eat cassava in various forms and dishes. For example, in Africa, they cook the cassava and pound it to make “Fufu,” which is eaten with almost every meal. In Polynesia, they make a dish called “Vakalolo,” which is cooked cassava and coconut in a coconut caramel sauce.
This recipe for cassava soup uses the leaves instead of the root. It is also very hearty and will fill you up and give you energy throughout the day. Additionally, you can choose any meat that you like and have available for this recipe. If you’ve never tried cassava before, then you should definitely give this soup a try!
- Season your meat of choice
- Add meat to a pot with onions and water, and then boil it until it is tender. Save the stock from the meat.
- Take onions and crayfish, cook them in a frying pan for a couple of minutes, and then add your meat.
- Put some peanut butter into the pan along with your stock, and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
- Add your cassava leaves, cook for another 25 minutes, add more seasonings, and serve with rice or fufu.
3. Taro
Taro is another tropical root vegetable that you need to try! Taro has been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Polynesia. Taro can be eaten in many forms, but in Polynesia, it is commonly pounded and called “Poi,” You can also eat the stem of the taro root, which is very nutritious. Like cassava, taro is similar in taste and texture to potatoes but slightly more starchy and a little bit sweet. This green curry and taro stem soup is packed full of healthy ingredients and will make your body feel good after eating it. Plus, it is topped off with bacon, and who doesn’t love bacon?!
- Cook your bacon until it is crispy, then set aside.
- Boil some sweet potatoes until they are tender.
- Blend cilantro, fish paste, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots, chilies, lemongrass, and galangal into a paste, then set aside
- Toast some rice, then grind it in a spice grinder, then set aside.
- Now cook your taro stems, and then add them to a bowl along with the toasted rice, some cooked rice, palm sugar, and fish sauce, then mix.
- In a pan, add oil and the curry paste and cook for a few minutes.
- Then add in your coconut milk and chicken stock and boil it. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then blend until it is smooth.
- Place your rice mixture into the center of your bowl and pour some soup around it. Top it off with some bacon, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, and basil.
4. Rutabaga
Last on the list is rutabaga. It is another root vegetable that is extremely good for you. They have plenty of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins, plus they also help with inflammation and aging. They taste like a mixture of cabbage and turnip but have a slightly bitter bite to them. Rutabagas are great for soups because they keep you full, go well with plenty of spices and ingredients, and have multiple health benefits.
If your trying to eat healthier but still eat food that tastes great, try out this rutabaga and parsnip soup recipe.
Set your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season your rutabaga, parsnips, and carrots with oil, salt, and pepper, then roast them for 30 minutes until they get soft and brown.
- While the vegetables are roast, add oil, onion, celery, garlic, and salt to a pot and cook until it is tender.
- Place the roasted vegetables into your pot and add your vegetable stock. Season with thyme, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, and pepper, and bring it to a boil. Put your lid on the pot and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Afterward, blend your soup, add your coconut oil, add more seasoning, then pour the soup into your bowls and serve!
5. Sweet Potatoes
I know, you might think that this is just another potato. Actually, sweet potatoes are known to be infinitely more healthy than “regular” potatoes.
Sweet potatoes or yams are used in many different dishes such as candied yams, yam casserole, or sweet potato pie. But it is also a fantastic option for making soup. They are great because they go well with lots of different vegetables and spices, plus it adds some sweetness to your dish. This sweet potato and carrot soup perfectly embodies the fall essence and will warm your soul with each bite!
- Add butter and onions to a pot, cook them until they are translucent.
- Add curry powder.
- Pour in some chicken stock, then add your carrots, sweet potatoes, and seasoning.
- Let the mixture simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add in some apples and honey. Blend your mixture, add more seasoning, then add your soup to your bowls and serve!
This soup can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months for later consumption.
What Is The Best Substitute For Thickening Up Soup?
The best thickening agent for thickening soup is tapioca flour. It works perfectly because it doesn’t alter the flavor of your soup, and you only need a small amount to thicken it up. It is also low in sodium and has no fat or cholesterol, so it is ideal for individuals trying to eat healthier.
Interesting Fact: Tapioca flour is from the cassava plant’s root, and it is ground up to make flour.
What Is A Keto Substitute For Potatoes?
Turnips are a great low-carb, ketogenic-friendly substitute for potatoes in soups. The taste of a turnip is similar to a potato, but like rutabaga, it initially has a slightly bitter taste that turns sweeter when cooked. One cup of turnip has only 18 calories, whereas one cup of russet potatoes has 59.
What Vegetable Tastes Most Like Potato?
Cauliflower is the vegetable that tastes the most like potatoes. In fact, many people make mashed cauliflower as a replacement for mashed potatoes. As a bonus, cauliflower is known to be healthier than potatoes and provides many health benefits.
These include reducing inflammation, protecting against heart disease and cancer, and supplies lots of nutrients to the body. Next time you go to make your family mashed potatoes, try out mashed cauliflower instead. They probably won’t even notice the difference.
Recipes Found in this Article
For your convenience, here are links to the full recipes mentioned above.
Final Thoughts
Potatoes have been cultivated for over 10,000 years, and people of all cultures have used them as a staple. As tasty as they are, they aren’t always the healthiest option for making soup or any other potato-based dish. Fortunately, there are so many different vegetables that you can use to make tasty soups and provide many more health benefits. Whenever you have your next soup craving, try one of these healthy alternatives.
Your body and your taste buds will thank you!
For more, don’t miss The 9 Best and Most Similar Cabbage Substitutes.
Anne James has a wealth of experience in a wide array of interests and is an expert in quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, mixing drinks (worked as a professional bartender), and making jelly.
Anne has a professional canning business, has been featured in the local newspaper as well as on the Hershey website, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass. Amazingly, she doesn’t need to reference many resources due to her vast wealth of experience. She IS the source.
Anne wants nothing more than to pass on her extensive knowledge to the next generations, whether that be family or anyone visiting her website, her YouTube channel, or preservingsweetness.com.