Desparation Sweet Potato Soup

Browsing BoingBoing this morning I stumbled across a post for a product I haven’t seen in years – Vegiforms. Available at my beloved Lee Valley , these clear plastic molds transform veggies into kid-friendly shapes like elves and hearts. Just clamp one onto a growing member of the squash family and in a week or so you’ll have a precisely “sculpted” vegetable.

Maybe if I’d had access to Vegiforms when growing up I’d have embraced squash sooner. A latecomer to this genus of veggies, I like them best in soup. Although the following recipe calls for sweet potatoes, a member of the morning glory family, you can substitute squash, so it’s not as off topic as it initially appears.

Like many of my recipes, this soup is open to interpretation. Feel free to mix and match squash, potatoes, carrots or even turnip (although I can’t vouch for that veggie myself). I got the bones of this recipe from a rather bland and watery version in The Soup Bible, and in a moment of desperation, created a jazzed up variation for company I’d forgotten was coming. The beauty of this soup is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen, or thrown together at the last minute when you’re desperate for a healthy and tasty dinner.

Desperation Sweet Potato Soup
Printable recipe

Serves 4 or so

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (see substitutions)
• 2 roasted red peppers, skinned, seeded and diced
• 1 cup red lentils (optional, makes for a thicker soup)
• 4 cups homemade chicken or vegetable broth (low sodium store bought versions will do)
• 1 tin coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

• Louisiana hot sauce (optional for those who like it hot)
• Fresh cilantro, chopped (as always, optional for those with a cilantro aversion)

Instructions

1. Gently saute onions, garlic and ginger in butter or oil until tender.
2. Add sweet potatoes, peppers and lentils (if using). Stir to coat.
3. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered on low for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Puree with an immersible blender.
5. Add coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Individual bowls can be seasoned to taste with hot sauce and garnished with cilantro.
7. Serve with focaccia bread and a green salad.

Variations

• Use 1 cup roasted red pepper dip in place of roasted peppers and garlic.
• Add chili peppers.
• Use butternut squash, carrots or a combination of both.