Sweet Potato Soup – simple but great!

A heartfelt thank you to everyone for the wonderful messages celebrating Dinner’s achievement in making it to the New York Times best sellers list! Who could have imagined that a cookbook featuring a dog on the cover would receive such recognition.

Now, for today’s delectable recipe – prepare yourself for a delightful Sweet Potato Soup with a flavorful blend of cumin, onion, and leek. For those conscious of the budget, you can easily substitute leeks with more onions. To add a delightful crunch to the soup, top it off with your choice of crunchy toppings such as croutons, nuts, or crispy shallots. In my version, I used flatbread ribbons and pistachios to create a truly delightful and satisfying experience. Enjoy this nourishing soup and feel free to get creative with your toppings!

Sweet potato soup

The basic sweet potato soup recipe usually involves boiling garlic, onion, and sweet potato in stock and then blending it. While it’s decent, some might find it a bit dull (apologies!).

Although adding a carton of cream and a large piece of cheesy garlic bread can make it more exciting, I prefer my soups to stand strong on their own, not relying too much on extras to shine.

That’s why today’s version elevates the flavor profile with generous amounts of onion and leek, along with a whole tablespoon of cumin. You won’t believe the incredible transformation from “decent” to “OMG THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!!” The rich combination of flavors takes the soup to a whole new level of scrumptiousness!

All you need for The Sweet Potato Soup

You’ll find the key ingredients for this delicious sweet potato soup below, along with some insightful tips:

1. Cream (1/3 cup / 80 ml) – Adds a delightful creamy mouthfeel without the need for excessive amounts, thanks to the rich flavor brought by the generous leek, onion, and cumin combination.
2. Leeks and Onions – These ingredients add fantastic flavor to the soup, eliminating the need for excessive cream or a plethora of spices. If leeks are costly during certain months, you can simply use an extra onion instead, maintaining a balanced taste. One onion can replace two leeks since leeks offer a more subtle and milder flavor.

Bonus: Leeks won’t make your eyes water while cutting them!

3. Sweet Potatoes – 2 medium ones, totaling 1 kg / 2 lb (unpeeled weight), or one large sweet potato.
4. Cumin Powder – A spice that beautifully complements the sweet flavor of the sweet potato, infusing the soup with Moroccan-inspired notes.
5. Garlic – A crucial ingredient for bringing depth and richness to the soup’s flavor.
6. Butter and Oil – With the large amount of onion and leek being sautéed, 4 tablespoons of fat are needed for cooking. The perfect balance is achieved by using equal parts of butter and oil. However, feel free to double up on either, depending on your preference.
7. Chicken Stock (or Vegetable Stock) – While counterintuitive for a vegetarian soup, using chicken stock enhances the soup’s depth of flavor. Nonetheless, vegetable stock can be substituted freely.
8. Cream – Any type of dairy cream will work well in this recipe. Options like thickened or heavy cream, pure cream, single cream, or double cream are suitable choices.

Alternatives – While not tried in this recipe, coconut milk or cream would likely work nicely. Sour cream and yogurt are also options, though they won’t provide the same creamy mouthfeel as cream. To achieve that effect, consider adding an extra knob of butter as a flavorful substitute.

How to make sweet potato soup

I’m definitely a stick blender fan too when it comes to soups – much less mess than using a regular blender.

Here’s a simple step-by-step guide for preparing this delightful sweet potato soup:

1. Sauté leek, onion, and garlic for 5 minutes until they become sweet and softened.
2. Stir in sweet potato and cumin, ensuring the sweet potato is nicely coated in the flavorful oil, while the cumin gets toasted to bring out its rich taste.
3. Let it simmer for 20 minutes with the lid off after adding the stock.
4. Use a stick blender to blitz the mixture until it becomes smooth.
5. Finally, stir in the cream to add that perfect touch of creaminess.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and generously shower it with your choice of something crispy. Now you can enjoy this delightful sweet potato soup with a delightful crunch!

Soup toppers

Absolutely, this sweet potato soup indeed stands confidently on its own, perfect for savoring by the mugful, without any need for extra toppings.

However, as a dedicated soup toppings enthusiast, I always advocate for adding creative toppers to make soups even more captivating. Today, let’s venture beyond the usual croutons and cream swirls! Instead, let’s indulge in crispy flatbread ribbons, a sprinkle of pistachios, and a delightful swish of olive oil. This combination is a wonderful nod to the Moroccan vibes present in the soup, adding a whole new dimension to the overall experience.

For convenience and speed during the shooting process, I fried the crispy ribbons, but you can just as easily achieve the same results by baking them. The recipe will guide you on how to create these tantalizing toppers to enhance your sweet potato soup and elevate it to a whole new level of deliciousness!