This One-Pot Vegan Soup by Courteney Cox Is a Total Breeze to Prepare

We follow Courteney Cox’s recipe collection pretty closely, and if there’s one thing the Friends actress loves, it’s cheese. (Her homemade pizza, better-for-you artichoke dip, pasta alla checca and cacio e pepe prove it.) But for her latest dish, she ditches dairy in favor of a plant-based substitute to create what might be the easiest vegan soup of all time.

“In case the steak video didn’t appeal to you, I’m going to make a vegan soup,” she said in an Instagram video, referring to a steak-off with Brandi Carlile that she previously posted. “It’s cold out, four ingredients, it’s easy and—OW!” she exclaims, pretending to cut her finger. (Was anyone else instinctively waiting for Ghostface to appear? Just us?)

The soup contains four main ingredients and a handful of seasonings and pantry staples. Soaked cashews are the key to the soup’s dairy-free creaminess (but if you want yours even more decadent, finish it with a swirl of coconut yogurt). Courteney uses an immersion blender to puree hers, but you can use a countertop blender instead if you don’t have one. Read on for the full recipe.

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• 4 large zucchini
• Freshly ground white or black pepper
• Chili flakes (optional)
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1½ cups cashews, soaked in water for one hour

Directions

Step 1: Coat the bottom of a large stockpot with olive oil. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic cloves. Add the leeks and saute over medium heat until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 2: While they cook, slice the zucchini into rounds. Once the leeks are soft, add the zucchini to the pot. Add another large pinch of salt, a teaspoon (or more) of pepper and the chili flakes if using.

Step 3: Add the vegetable broth and soaked cashews to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 45 minutes.

Step 4: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or transfer the soup to a countertop blender in batches and blend until smooth). Serve with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (or with grated Pecorino Romano cheese if you aren’t vegan).

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}