Last Hurrah for Winter: Sweet Potato Soup

Even as the weather starts to warm up, I remain dedicated to eating soup. No matter how warm it is outside, when lunchtime rolls around I'm often at work indoors, bundled up in sweaters and scarves (yes, you read the plural correctly) to mitigate the strength of industrial central air conditioning.

In the summer, I do typically abandon my favorite autumnal soups like sweet potato and butternut squash in favor of lighter kinds- minestrone or garden vegetable but before April showers officially become May flowers I needed to squeeze one more root vegetable onto my menu.

This soup is great because it uses yogurt instead of cream to elicit the same smooth, velvet texture that usually accompanies soups with nutritionals that more closely resemble desserts than anything else.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. curry powder (optional)
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 quart chicken broth
1 3/4 cup Fat Free Plain Yogurt
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley or cilanotro
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, heat oil. Add onion and cumin and saute 3-4 minutes.

2. Add potatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

3. Remove soup from heat and add yogurt. Puree with an immersion blender (or a regular blender for a smoother soup). Top with parsley or cilantro and serve soup with an additional dollop of yogurt and/or pumpkin seeds/pine nuts. (I used yogurt but held the pumpkin seeds).

Comments

[sharon]

The nights stay pretty chilly in San Diego so i am always ready for a nice warm bowl of soup for dinner. INdustrial air conditioning? Could you send some to my office?!

[mandy]

Its still chilly here in OH, this would be perfect for those nights. I've never had sweet potato soup. =)

[matt]

This blog's great!! Thanks :).

[Meri]

I'm excited to try this soup. I've recently discovered that I wuite like sweet potatoes and all I've been doing is baking them. This will give me another option.

[VeggieGirl]

SWEET POTATO!!!!!!

[Allie]

Great photo - and interesting idea with the yogurt. I keep learning new uses for it (my favorite is using yogurt to make "No Pudge Fudge" from Trader Joe's)

[kat]

I love sweet potatoes so I bet I'd love this!

[Pearl]

oh sweet potato soup.. so perfect for colds.

[Amy]

I love soup, and I love sweet potatoes - I'm definitely going to have to try this!

Have I told you lately how much I enjoy your blog?

[Debbie Davis]

What a great combination - soup and sweet potatoes! I can't wait to try it!

[ashley]

That sounds DELICIOUS. I'm so trying that before the warm weather finally gets here :)

[ksgoodeats]

Plain yogurt is so versatile! That recipe sounds fabulous!

[Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella]

Great idea to use yogurt instead of cream to give it that lovely texture and I like the addition of the curry spices! :)

[Jennifer]

I feel the same way about soup. It's so cold in my office in the summer I have a big sweater, I practically need gloves!

They won't ever turn it down, because it gets progressively hotter as you get to the end of the office!

I love this soup recipe! It looks so yummy!

[Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)]

Yes, I fear it's the end of sweet potato soup season... but with April come asparagus (and local asparagus will be at the greenmarket in early May), and then there will be quarts and quarts of beautiful, green asparagus soup to see you through. And the nice thing about that is that you can eat it hot or cold.

[Jeff]

There is always room for one more root vegetable especially of the joyous tubers.

I am definitely going to have to give the yogurt a shot because that sounds awesome and I always have yogurt on hand.

[bodelou]

this looks so good!!!

just found your blog via This? Is not the life I ordered.

[Kristen]

What a delicious sounding soup! It is still soup weather, much to my dismay, in good old Kansas City. I'm ready for the warm weather as much as I enjoy soups.

[Jessica]

I feel you on the air conditioning! I think it's due to being stuck in an office building with men in control of the thermostat! Brrr! Your soup looks delicious and warming as I sit in said ac!

[Kerstin]

I love sweet potato soup! This looks like a lovely one with the cumin and yogurt in it!

[Sophie]

mmmmmm...I love sweet potatoes in every dish!! your soup looks so tasty!!!

[missmallory]

I think you just solved my 'I need one more dinner on the list for this week' dilemma. This looks simply incredible, I can't wait to try it! Yum!