Description
A velvety and comforting sweet potato soup infused with aromatic cumin, enriched with cream, and garnished with crunchy flatbread strips or other toppings for texture contrast. This easy-to-make soup is perfect for a cozy meal and can be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or more oil as 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, 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/dolloping
- Crunchy options: flatbread strips, croutons, pistachios, pepitas, or crispy fried shallots
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. Cook for about 5 minutes until they soften and become fragrant.
- Add sweet potato and cumin: Stir in the sweet potato chunks and cumin powder. Cook for an additional 3 minutes while stirring regularly to blend 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 and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are very tender.
- Blitz soup: Remove the pot from heat. Using a hand-held stick blender, blend the soup until smooth. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool slightly and blend in batches in a high-powered blender. Stir in the cream to enrich the soup.
- Garnish and serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with choices of extra virgin olive oil, cream, yogurt, or sour cream. Sprinkle a crunchy garnish such as crispy flatbread strips, croutons, or nuts to add texture and contrast to the creamy soup.
Notes
- Leeks should be thoroughly washed by holding the root end while fanning out the sliced parts and rinsing under running water to remove grit.
- Chicken stock imparts a deeper flavor, but vegetable stock works well for a vegetarian option.
- For crispy flatbread strips: Cut flatbread into 1cm strips, scrunch them, then fry in 180°C/350°F oil for 20 seconds or bake coated with olive oil spray at 180°C/350°F for 10-13 minutes until crisp.
- Croutons can be made by tossing bread cubes in olive oil and salt, then baking at 180°C/350°F for 10 minutes until golden and crunchy.
- If using a blender, cool the soup for 10 minutes before blending in batches, covering the lid hole with a towel to prevent pressure buildup.
- Leftovers keep well for up to 4 days refrigerated and freeze beautifully for future meals.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 1 cup)
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 12mg
