Sweet Potato Soup – simple but great!
Sweet Potato Soup – simple but great!
Sweet potato soup
A basic sweet potato soup is made with garlic, onion and sweet potato boiled in stock that is then blitzed. It’s fine, but it’s kind of boring (sorry!).
A carton of cream and giant hunk of cheesy garlic bread will go a long way to make it more interesting. But as a general rule, I like my soups to be able to stand on their own two feet without relying on too many extras to prop it up.
Today’s flavour dial ups come in the form of lots of onion and leek, plus a whole tablespoon of cumin. Gosh, it’s amazing what a difference it makes to turn “fine” into “OMG THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!!”
All you need for The Sweet Potato Soup
Here’s all you need. The recipe only calls for 1/3 cup cream (80 ml!) for a touch of creamy mouthfeel. We don’t need much because the generous amount of leek & onion plus the cumin adds great flavour. Without these, I’d be using a lot more cream!
Leeks and onions – These add a flavour boost without having to resort to loads of cream or tons of spices to make this soup really tasty. If leeks are a bit pricey (as they can be during some months of the year) just use an extra onion instead. Just one onion to replace two leeks. Why? Because leeks have a more subtle, mild taste than onion. Two extra onions would make this soup too oniony, I think.
Bonus – Leeks don’t make your eyes water when you cut them! 👏🏻
Sweet potato – 2 medium ones totalling 1 kg / 2 lb (unpeeled weight), or one gigantic one.
Cumin powder – A spice that really compliments the sweet flavour of sweet potato. Gives this a flavour reminiscent of Moroccan food which you know is a good thing!
Garlic – This soup was never going to happen without garlic!
Butter and oil – Because of the sheer volume of onion and leek that is sautéed, we need 4 tablespoons of fat to cook them. I felt like using just butter makes the soup a little too buttery, but using just oil isn’t as fun. So I took the best of both worlds by using equal amounts of each.😎 You can double up on either of them, if you prefer.
Chicken stock (or vegetable stock) – I know it’s counterintuitive to use chicken stock for an otherwise vegetarian soup. But it really does give the soup deeper flavour than vegetable stock. However, I freely substitute vegetable stock.
Cream – Any dairy cream will work here. Thickened or heavy cream, pure cream, single cream, double cream etc.
Alternatives – I haven’t tried coconut milk or cream but I think they’d work nicely here. Sour cream and yogurt can also be used but they won’t add that touch of creamy mouthfeel that cream gives this soup. I’d rather use an extra knob of butter, personally.
How to make sweet potato soup
I’m a stick blender girl, when it comes to soups. So much less mess than using a blender.
Sauté leek, onion and garlic for 5 minutes until sweet and softened.
Stir sweet potato and cumin for 3 minutes so it’s nicely coated in the flavoured oil and the cumin gets toasted, which brings out the flavour.
Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid off.
Blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
Stir in cream.
Serve – Ladle into bowls and shower with something crispy! More chat on this below.
Soup toppers
I know I said at the beginning that this is a soup that stands on its own two feet. And it does. I drink it by the mugful, plain.
That said, I am a soup toppings gal and I will always encourage you to make soups more interesting with toppers. And wow, yes, we can do something different to the usual croutons and a swirl of cream!!! Today – crispy flatbread ribbons, a sprinkle of pistachio and swish of olive oil. Chosen as a nod to the Moroccan vibes in this soup.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter – or more oil
- 2 onions , diced
- 2 leeks , white and pale green part only, quartered, cut into 1cm / 1/2″ slices (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , chopped
- 1 kg/ 2 lb sweet potato , peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 2cm / 0.8″ chunks
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1.25 litre / 1.25 quarts chicken or vegetable stock , low sodium (Note 2)
- 1.5 tsp cooking / kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup cream (any type) or an extra knob of butter
GARNISHES (NOTE 3)
- Something to drizzle / dollop – extra virgin olive oil, cream, yogurt, sour cream
- Something crunchy – flatbread strips (pictured, Note 3), croutons, pistachios, pepitas, crispy fried shallots
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics – Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, leek and garlic for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the sweet potato and cumin, cook for another 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Simmer 20 minutes – Add the stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 20 minutes at a gentle simmer until the sweet potato is very tender (no lid).
- Blitz – Remove the pot from the stove. Blitz with a hand-held stick until smooth. (Note 4 for blender) Stir in cream.
- Garnish – Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with yogurt, cream or olive oil with a sprinkle of something crunchy – pictured with pistachios and crispy flatbread strips (Note 3).
Recipe Notes:
1. Leeks washing ( video 0.09 sec) – Chop the reedy dark green part off, only use the soft white & pale green part. Cut in quarters lengthwise but keep the root intact (for gripping). The cut part of the leek will splay out like tassles / cheerleader pom poms! Hold the root part and wash the cut part of the leek under a running tap. Shake excess water off well, then chop.
2. Stock – I really do prefer this made with chicken rather than veg stock because it gives it a deeper flavour. But veg stock is a close 2nd I freely use to keep this vegetarian. 🙂
3. Garnishes – Something drizzled and something crunchy is my standard soup baseline. I used crispy flatbread strips in a nod to the vaguely reminiscent Moroccan flavours in this (I say that only because of the cumin!).
CRISPY FLATBREAD STRIPS – Cut 1cm / 0.4″ strips. Scrunch in hand (to curl) then fry in 3cm / 1″ 180°C/350°F oil for 20 seconds until light golden. Sprinkle immediately with salt while hot (so it sticks).
BAKED OPTION – Coat strips generously with olive oil spray, sprinkle with salt, bake at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden and crisp, tossing once or twice. Exact time will depend on thickness of flatbread.
Croutons – Cut any bread (crustless) into 0.75 cm / ⅓” cubes. Toss in a little olive oil to coat, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake at 180°C/350°F for 10 min, tossing halfway, until golden and crunchy. Cool fully on tray before using.
4. Blender option – Allow soup to cool for 10 minutes then transfer half into a blender. Remove the lid of the feeder tube (it might blow-off due to the heat inside!), then put the lid on. Use a folded tea towel to cover the hole then blitz until smooth. Transfer to a separate pot. Repeat with remaining soup. (Stick blender really is easier!)
Silky smooth soup – You’ll need a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. Note: soups as is might look a bit lumpy but it tastes smooth.
5. Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the fridge. Great for freezing too!
Nutrition per serving, soup only (because I can’t be held responsible for how crazy you go with toppings – and I fully endorse excessive toppings!).