Description
This creamy and comforting Sweet Potato Soup combines tender sweet potatoes with aromatic leeks, onions, and garlic, infused with warm cumin and enriched with cream for a velvety texture. Perfect as a warming starter or light meal, it is garnished with a drizzle of yogurt or olive oil and crunchy toppings for delightful contrast.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or more oil)
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, quartered and sliced into 1cm / 1/2″ pieces
- 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 low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1.5 tsp cooking or kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup cream (any type) or an extra knob of butter
Garnishes
- Extra virgin olive oil, cream, yogurt, or sour cream for drizzling or dolloping
- Crunchy toppings such as flatbread strips, croutons, pistachios, pepitas, or crispy fried shallots
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat the extra virgin olive oil and melt the butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, sliced leeks, and chopped garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
- Add Sweet Potato and Cumin: Add the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes to the pot along with the cumin powder. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes, ensuring the spices coat the vegetables evenly and the potatoes start to develop flavor.
- Simmer: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock. Season with cooking salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the sweet potato chunks are very tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Blitz: Remove the pot from heat. Using a handheld stick blender, carefully blitz the soup until it is completely smooth and creamy. Stir in the cream or an extra knob of butter to enrich the texture and flavor.
- Garnish and Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with a dollop of yogurt, cream, or extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with your choice of crunchy toppings such as pistachios or crispy flatbread strips to add texture and visual appeal.
Notes
- You can substitute the stock with vegetable stock to make this recipe vegetarian.
- Adjust the amount of cumin according to your preference for spice and warmth.
- For a dairy-free version, use olive oil instead of butter and coconut cream or a plant-based cream substitute instead of dairy cream.
- The soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding extra stock or water if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Experiment with different crunchy garnishes such as toasted seeds or nuts for added variety.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (about 250ml)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
