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    Home > Recipe Index > Soups > Easy Vegetable Potage Soup with Cheesy Baguettes

    Easy Vegetable Potage Soup with Cheesy Baguettes

    Published: Jan 15, 2020 · Modified: Jan 27, 2023 by Nicki Sizemore · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This creamy vegetable potage soup is healthy, warming and soul-satisfying. It’s the meal I turn to when I’m craving a hug—it’s easy-to-make and will soothe you from the inside out. I pair it with toasted, cheesy baguettes (oh, swoon ?) for a mid-week meal that my whole family adores. [Video below!!]

    Close up of a cheesy baguette dunking into a bowl of potage soup.

    I studied in the south of France during college, and like so many cooks before me, it’s where I discovered my passion for food.  As the weather cooled, my host mom (mère Michelle) would serve a steaming bowl of potage to start each meal. It’s one of my strongest taste memories from that first time in France (and I ate a lot of delicious things!), probably since it tastes like a grandma’s hug (more like an elegant French grandmère's hug). It was just what I craved alone in a new country. 

    What is potage?

    Potage is a thick soup that’s usually pureed. It has its origins in France and was a staple of medieval cuisine (if you’ve ever heard the term “potage garden,” that’s where it comes from, as the vegetables were used to make potage). It’s usually served at the start of a meal.

    Side angle shot of a bowl of soup topped with chopped pistachios.

    French vegetable pureed soup

    Michelle would make a different potage nightly, using everything from potatoes, to celery root, winter squash, carrots, celery, rutabaga and/or turnips. She would simmer the vegetables in water along with garlic and herbs, then puree everything until rich and creamy. I’ve been making my own potages ever since I returned home to the states.

    The ingredients for the vegetable potage soup laid out on a countertop.

    How to make potage

    This version brings me right back to her kitchen. It has a base of onions, carrots and celery, and is scented with garlic and thyme. The soup is thickened with sweet potatoes, giving it a savory-sweet flavor. Since there’s no added cream and is made with simply with water, it’s ultra healthy yet tastes totally seductive. Best of all, it comes together in less than forty minutes. To make a meal of it, I serve the soup with cheesy baguettes, my own American-grilled-cheese interpretation. 

    Process shot divided into four quadrants showing the steps for making vegetable potage soup.

    Slow cooker variation

    Yes! In fact, I feature a slightly different sweet potato potage recipe in my cookbook, Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker. In that recipe, which is made with leeks and apple, everything just goes straight into the slow cooker without any pre-cooking. However, for this version, I suggest sautéing the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until they start to soften (about 3-5 minutes) before adding them to the slow cooker (OR you can simply microwave them all together for 5 minutes!). Otherwise, the onion won’t completely soften and can overwhelm the other flavors. Cook the potage on the low setting for 5-6 hours, or on the high setting for 3-4 hours. 

    Cheesy Baguettes

    Toasted cheesy baguettes are the perfect accompaniment to the soup (but are optional, of course). Baguette halves are toasted until lightly crisp, and then are topped with shredded cheese (I love gruyere, Comté or cheddar) and are baked again. The cheese melts into the crevices of the bread, creating the perfect soup dunker. For an extra kick, you can rub the toasted bread with garlic before adding the cheese—think cheesy garlic bread!

    Close up of cheesy baguettes.

    Substitutions

    This is a really flexible soup and can be adapted to what you have on hand. Here are some easy swaps:

    • Swap out the onion for 2 large leeks.
    • Use winter squash in place of the sweet potato. 
    • Switch out the thyme for other herbs or spices (think curry powder and ginger)
    • Use chicken or vegetable broth in place of the water (although I prefer the cleaner taste of water).
    Close-up overhead shot of a bowl of potage soup.

    Recipe tips:

    • Slowly sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil helps to draw out their flavors, resulting in a better tasting soup.
    • I prefer to use water in this soup, which gives it a clean flavor, but you could use chicken or vegetable broth instead (see above for more swap ideas). 
    • You can use a hand blender or regular blender to puree the potage. I love my Vitamix, which gives the soup a super silky texture. 
    • A few drops of lemon juice at the end brightens the soup and rounds out the flavors.
    • If you’d like, you can drizzle the soup with olive oil, heavy cream or coconut cream before serving (although it’s not necessary). I love sprinkling the top with finely chopped nuts for a bit of texture.

    This vegetable potage takes me right back to France, while rooting me here in America.  It’s the perfect meal to escape the mid-winter blues.   

    More soup recipes to try:

    • Vitamix Tomato Soup
    • Easy Sweet Potato Soup
    • Roasted Squash Soup with Coconut & Curry
    • Mexican White Bean & Chicken Soup
    • Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch in Under an Hour

    Watch the video!

    Get the recipe!

    Vegetable potage soup in a bowl topped with chopped nuts, with cheesy baguettes alongside.
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    Easy Vegetable Potage Soup with Cheesy Baguettes

    Healthy, simple and utterly satisfying, this creamy vegetable potage (i.e. pureed soup) is comfort food at its finest! The soup gets thickness and richness from sweet potatoes, and water is used in place of broth, giving the potage a clean, pure flavor (and making it naturally vegan). It’s a nutritious meal that can be adapted to what you have on hand (see above for swap suggestions). Toasted cheesy baguettes are the perfect accompaniment, but are optional (for an extra kick, rub the toasted baguettes with garlic before adding the cheese). Dunk a baguette into the steaming soup, take a cheesy, creamy bite, and welcome to heaven.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: easy vegetable soup, healthy sweet potato soup recipe, potage soup recipe
    Servings: 4 -6 people
    Author: Nicki Sizemore

    Ingredients

    Potage

    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
    • 2 stalks celery, diced
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
    • 4 thyme sprigs
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (1 large potato), peeled and diced
    • 5 cups water
    • 1 lemon wedge

    Cheesy baguettes (optional)

    • ½ baguette, halved lengthwise
    • Olive oil, for brushing
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 cup packed shredded gruyere, Comté or cheddar cheese

    For serving

    • Finely chopped pistachios, pecans or hazelnuts (optional)

    Instructions

    Make the potage

    • In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and sweet potato. Season with more salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes. Pour in the water. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes and vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes. (While the soup cooks, make the cheesy baguettes—see below.)
    • Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Using a blender or hand blender, puree the soup until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice to taste.

    Make the cheesy baguettes

    • Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    • Arrange the baguette halves on the prepared baking sheet (cut sides up) and brush them lightly with olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake 4-6 minutes, or until lightly crisp on top. Mound the cheese evenly over each piece of bread. Bake 1-2 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Serve

    • Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with finely chopped nuts, if you'd like. Serve the soup with the cheesy baguettes on the side for dunking.

    Notes

    Do Ahead: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.
    Tips:
    • Slowly sautéing the onions, carrots and celery in olive oil helps to draw out their flavors, resulting in a better tasting soup.
    • I prefer to use water in this soup, which gives it a clean flavor, but you could use chicken or vegetable broth instead (see above for more swap ideas). 
    • You can use a hand blender or regular blender to puree the potage. I love my Vitamix, which gives the soup a super silky texture. 
    • A few drops of lemon juice at the end brightens the soup and rounds out the flavors.
    • If you’d like, you can drizzle the soup with olive oil, heavy cream or coconut cream before serving (although it’s not necessary). I love sprinkling the top with finely chopped nuts for a bit of texture.

    I'd love to answer any of your questions and see what you're cooking!! Don't forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & Pinterest, and be sure to tag @fromscratchfast so that I can share your creations!

    *This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you or supporting From Scratch Fast!

    More Soups

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    • The BEST Slow Cooker Beef Chili
    • Mexican White Bean & Chicken Soup (Slow Cooker or Stovetop!)
    • Healthy Sweet Potato Soup

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Patti says

      December 23, 2022 at 7:51 am

      Wow. Made this last night for company. It was a huge hit. The bread the works. It fantastic. Fast and easy. 👍

      Reply
      • Nicki Sizemore says

        December 23, 2022 at 8:07 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed, Patti!!

        Reply
    2. Irene says

      February 19, 2021 at 6:07 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! The potage is simply delicious! And so quick and easy! I added a pinch of ginger at the end with the lemon to give it a bit of heat & it really brings the flavors together as well. I'm looking forward to trying more of your recipes!

      Reply
      • Nicki Sizemore says

        February 22, 2021 at 9:06 am

        Hi Irene, thank you for your comment, and I'm so glad to hear you liked the soup!!

        Reply
    3. Jenny Spencer says

      June 25, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      5 stars
      This potage soup is light, perfect, delicious, awesome, tasty, healthy and my family and I absolutely loved this recipe! I love the little squeeze of lemon at the end! It just brightened it up and it was SO, GOOD!!!!! The cheesy baguettes were heaven, and I wanted to eat them all!
      This soup was perfect and there was a bunch of left overs so we had some for lunch the next day. I just had a bowl!

      Thank you for this recipe,

      Raine xo 🙂

      Reply
      • Nicki Sizemore says

        June 26, 2020 at 6:28 am

        This makes me so happy to hear! (And I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves to eat soup in summer!!). The soup freezes well, if you have any you want to save for down the line. (p.s. we make those cheesy baguettes at least once a week, because my kids LOVE them!) Thanks, Raine!

        Reply

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    Meet Nicki

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    Welcome! I’m Nicki Sizemore, a trained chef, recipe developer and cookbook author. My mission is to help you make wholesome & delicious food from scratch without spending hours in the kitchen. All of my recipes are naturally gluten-free.

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