I’m one-eighth Irish (thanks, Nanu!), so like any good American, I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Not with corned beef & cabbage, like most folks do, but with a hearty vegan stew based on the legendary staple food of Ireland…the humble potato.

I used organic yellow potatoes (similar to Yukon golds) because I like the golden color it gives the stew, but you could use any potato. If you use organic potatoes, feel free to leave the skins on (I did); otherwise peel them.

I also used pre-made vegetable stock. If you happen to have some homemade on hand, go ahead and use that. Or use water and a good-quality stock concentrate paste.

Give the leeks a really good wash before slicing them. Those babies can get dirty! While you sauté the leeks and garlic in olive oil, dice the potatoes and carrots. Toss those in the pot along with the broth and water, cover, and cook. Depending on how small you diced the potatoes, it should take about 20 minutes for them to soften.

Remove from the heat, and then use a stick blender to purée the potato mixture (if you do this in a regular blender, be careful!) Then stir in white beans, kale, salt & pepper. Keep stirring until the kale is wilted.

This makes about 12 cups of soup, or six 2-cup servings. Despite the addition of the beans, it’s not super-high in protein, with only 4.4 grams per cup, so definitely take that into consideration when planning a meal. (We had it with broiled salmon on a pea shoot & radish salad on the side.)

I used low-sodium beans (give them a good rinse to take off an additional 40% of the sodium). The man recommends topping this with hot sauce, but if you prefer the authentic Irish flavor like I do, it’s plenty seasoned enough as is!

May the luck o’ the Irish be with you!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.