Vegan Sancocho

Recipe PREP 15 min COOK 2 hours

Vegan Sancocho

PREP 15 min COOK 2 hours

Description

Try this vegan version of Sancocho, a hearty Latin American soup often served at celebrations. Traditionally made with meat, this hearty dish swaps in starchy vegetables like taro and cassava, plus chickpeas and split yellow peas for protein. Squash adds vitamins A, C, and fiber, while plantains provide potassium, iron, and fiber, supporting digestion, heart health, and insulin resistance.

Note: When making vegetarian soups, one of the fastest, tastiest ways to a delicious broth is to fortify the water used to cook beans (aka bean broth) with herbs, onions, and garlic. The next time you make a big pot of beans, save the bean broth! Put it in your freezer for some ready-to-go delicious vegetarian broth.

Ingredients

4 SERVES

12 oz (340 g) calabaza pumpkin or kabocha squash, cut into four large pieces
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in half
1/4 cup (45 g) dried chickpeas
1/4 cup (48 g) dried yellow split peas
8 cups (1.9 L) water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
10 to 12 cilantro stems
1 large green plantain
1 medium yautia (taro)
1 medium yuca (cassava)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Cilantro leaves for serving
Lime wedges for serving

Directions

Step 1

Put the pumpkin, onion, chickpeas, yellow split peas, water, bay leaf, salt, garlic, and cilantro stems in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cook until the chickpeas are soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat. Remove the pumpkin and set aside. Allow both the liquid and the pumpkin to cool. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Puree the liquid with the beans, garlic, cilantro, and onions, using an immersion blender (or in a standing blender). Return the liquid to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Step 2

Peel and cut the plantain into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the plantain to the pot and let it start cooking while you peel the other tubers — the plantain takes a little longer to cook.
Step 3

Peel the yautia and yuca. First, cut each tuber in half lengthwise then each half into 1/2-inch pieces. Add them to the pot of soup along with the dried oregano. Cook the soup over medium heat until all the starches are soft and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Step 4

Once everything is cooked (or almost cooked), scoop the pumpkin flesh with a spoon. Add the pumpkin to the sancocho and discard the peel.
Step 5

Taste the sancocho. Does it need a little more salt? If so, add a pinch or two. Serve with cilantro and wedges of lime. Serve immediately. (Note that the soup will thicken as it cools. If reheating, add water to desired consistency.)