Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

A sweet potato and vegetable soup with a smooth and creamy broth and a hint on smoky chipotle chili peppers.

Soup season is here and combining sweet potatoes and peanuts in a soup is amazing! Sweet potato and peanut soup is a favourite and I like to make it in a number of different ways. This version uses sweet potatoes in two different ways, a baked sweet potato that’s pureed to add an amazing smooth creaminess to the broth of the soup, and diced sweet potatoes to add the texture of chunks of sweet potato that you really notice! Sometimes I skip the baked potato and pulse some of the cubed potatoes into the broth but baking them adds another layer of flavor! I think that the smoky heat that the chipotle chilies in adobo adds is superb but a Thai style red curry paste also works well as would a hit of sriracha. I like a nice hearty soup and this recipe includes plenty of vegetables including onion, carrot, celery and bell peppers in addition to the sweet potatoes! The final component is the peanut which comes from peanut butter which melts into the broth and chopped peanuts which add a nice crunch! No matter how you make it, this sweet potato soup is perfect for any fall day!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Servings: 6

A sweet potato and vegetable soup with a smooth and creamy broth and a hint on smoky chipotle chili peppers.

ingredients

1 large sweet potato (cleaned)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 chipotle chilies in adobo (or to taste)
6 cups vegetable broth (link) (or chicken broth (link))
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup peanut butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup roast peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (optional)

directions

Prick the sweet potato a few times with a fork and bake in a preheated 425F/220C oven until tender, about 45-60 minutes depending on the size.
Scoop the insides of the baked potato out and puree in a food processor with 1/2 cup water until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and chipotle chilies in adobo and cook for a minute.
Add the broth, pureed sweet potato, diced sweet potato, and peanut butter, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potato cubes are just tender, about 20 minutes.
Enjoy garnished with the chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Tip: Bake the potato ahead of time!
Option: Instead of baking the potato, add a second diced sweet potato and puree some of the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor.
Option: Replace the chipotle chilies with 2 tablespoons thai style red curry paste.
Option: Add 1 (14 ounce) can of black beans, drained and rinsed!
Option: Add 1/2 cup of quinoa and an extra cup of broth, along with the cubed sweet potatoes.
Option: Add 1/2 cup of lentils and an extra cup of broth, along with the cubed sweet potatoes.
Option: Add 2 cups of chopped baby spinach and the end, mixing it in and letting it wilt.
Option: Add a pinch of cinnamon!