Description
This comforting Sweet Potato Soup is a creamy, mildly spiced dish perfect for any season. Made with sweet potatoes, leeks, onions, garlic, and a hint of cumin, it’s cooked gently and blended to silky smoothness. Garnished with crunchy flatbread strips or croutons and a drizzle of cream or yogurt, it offers a delightful balance of textures and flavors inspired by Moroccan influences. Easy to prepare and customizable with your choice of stock and toppings, it’s a nutritious and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Base Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or more oil if preferred)
- 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 and cut into 2cm / 0.8" chunks
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- 1.25 litre / 1.25 quarts chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium
- 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
- Crispy flatbread strips, croutons, pistachios, pepitas, or crispy fried shallots for crunch
Instructions
- Sauté aromatics: Heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the diced onions, sliced leeks, and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add sweet potatoes and spices: Stir in the sweet potato chunks and cumin powder, cooking for an additional 3 minutes while stirring regularly to coat the vegetables and develop the flavors.
- Simmer soup: Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock, then season with salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat without a lid, and cook for 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender.
- Blend the soup: Remove the pot from the heat. Using a hand-held stick blender, blitz the soup directly until completely smooth and creamy. Alternatively, let the soup cool about 10 minutes, then blend in batches in a high-powered blender, carefully covering the feeder hole with a towel to prevent splatter.
- Finish with cream and serve: Stir in the cream or an extra knob of butter for richness. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with your choice of a drizzle such as olive oil, cream, or yogurt, and scatter crunchy toppings like crispy flatbread strips or croutons for texture.
Notes
- Leek washing: Use only the soft white and pale green parts. Keep the root intact when slicing lengthwise to make cleaning easier by running under water and shaking excess off before chopping.
- Stock choice: Chicken stock gives a deeper flavor but vegetable stock is a good vegetarian alternative.
- Garnishes: A drizzle of something creamy plus a crunchy element are essential. Flatbread strips can be fried or baked; croutons are a great alternative. For flatbread strips, cut into 1cm strips, curl, and fry at 180°C/350°F for about 20 seconds or bake with olive oil spray for 10-13 minutes until crisp.
- Blender option: Cooling soup before blending prevents splatter and safety hazards. High-powered blenders yield the smoothest texture.
- Storage: Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 4 days and freeze beautifully for future meals.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 1 cup or 250 ml)
- Calories: 337
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 749mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 26mg
