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This delicious, hearty winter soup with sweet potato is full of flavor, visually appealing, and incredibly filling. The combination of ginger sweet potato, coconut milk, kale, and lentils make this soup with sweet potato a hearty and nourishing meal. Take it a step further and serve it with some sourdough bread. It’s the ultimate comfort food for winter.Â
Winter Soup With Sweet Potato
I love this soup recipe! It’s one of my favorite winter soups. The sweet potato adds a really nice flavor and the creamy texture is so comforting and satisfying. Plus, it’s vegan and dairy free, so if you’re serving it to company, you don’t have to worry about any dietary restrictions. It’s the perfect way to warm up during the cold winter months. The ingredients come together nicely and the end result is a hearty, delicious soup that’s sure to become a family favorite.
INGREDIENTS:
Recipe adapted from Laura @ thefirstmess.com
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- ½-1 teaspoon dried red pepper or chili flakesÂ
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger or 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ lbs (690 grams) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup brown or green lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock (I use Better than Bouillon Paste)
- 13.5 oz (400 ml) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped (about 4 cups chopped kale)
- To garnish: chopped cilantro, extra pepper flakes, and pumpkin seeds
INSTRUCTIONS:
To make this delicious recipe, start by heating a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the coconut oil and let it melt. Then, add the onions and stir. Sauté the onions until they become translucent and soft, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Next, add pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, and turmeric to the pot and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then, add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for another minute. Finally, season the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper.Â
Gently add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir them around to ensure they are evenly coated in the spices. Next, incorporate the lentils into the pot and give everything a good stir. Generously season with salt and pepper. Pour the vegetable stock into the pot, stirring until all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot have been scraped up. Place the lid on top of the pot, then bring the contents to a boil.
- Bring the stew to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and leave the lid slightly ajar. This allows the steam to escape. Let it simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and begin to fall apart, and the lentils are tender. The liquid should also reduce by about one-third.
To complete your hearty winter soup with sweet potato, add the coconut milk and kale to the pot and stir. Place the lid on top and let the stew simmer until the kale is wilted and a vibrant green, which should take around 3-4 minutes. To bring out the flavors, season the stew with a dash of salt and pepper. Reheat the stew up to a strong simmer and then taste it to check the seasoning. You may need to adjust the amount of spices to get the desired flavor or heat level. Make sure to write down any adjustments you make to the recipe so that you can replicate the same flavor in the future.
Serve the soup with sweet potato and coconut milk hot with chopped cilantro, extra pepper flakes, lime wedges, and a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
This recipe is incredibly adaptable and still delivers on flavor even if you substitute a few ingredients to make it work with what you have in your pantry. So you don’t have to worry about compromising on taste when you make a few changes.
- For pumpkin seeds, you can substitute any of the following: nigella seeds, celery seed, caraway seeds, cumin seed, poppy seed, black sesame seed, fennel seed, and dried oregano will all stand in adequately for caraway seed.
- For sweet potato, you can substitute pumpkin, yams, acorn squash, or butternut squash.
- Instead of brown lentils, you can use either green, yellow, or red. The red will cook faster and start to break down, which will ultimately thicken the stew a bit more.
- No fresh ginger? That’s ok, simply substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
- Swiss chard or mustard greens are a good substitution for kale. You can use spinach as well, but a heartier green works best (in my opinion).Â
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Hearty Winter Soup With Sweet Potato
Equipment
- 4.5 Quart Heavy Bottomed Soup Pot
- Chef Knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Soup bowls
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- ½-1 teaspoon dried red pepper or chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 2-inch piece fresh ginger peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ lbs 690 grams sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup brown lentils picked over
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 13.5 oz 400 ml can full fat coconut milk
- 1 small bunch kale stems removed and leaves chopped (about 4 cups chopped kale)
- To garnish: chopped cilantro extra pepper flakes, lime wedges, pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- To make this delicious recipe, start by heating a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the coconut oil and let it melt. Then, add the onions and stir. Sauté the onions until they become translucent and soft, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Next, add pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, and turmeric to the pot and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then, add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for another minute. Finally, season the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Gently add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir them around to ensure they are evenly coated in the spices. Next, incorporate the lentils into the pot and give everything a good stir. Generously season with salt and pepper. Pour the vegetable stock into the pot, stirring until all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot have been scraped up. Place the lid on top of the pot, then bring the contents to a boil.
- Bring the stew to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and leave the lid slightly ajar. This allows the steam to escape. Let it simmer for around 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and begin to fall apart, and the lentils are tender. The liquid should also reduce by about one-third.
- To complete your hearty winter soup with sweet potato, add the coconut milk and kale to the pot and stir. Place the lid on top and let the stew simmer until the kale is wilted and a vibrant green, which should take around 3-4 minutes. To bring out the flavors, season the stew with a dash of salt and pepper. Reheat the stew up to a strong simmer and then taste it to check the seasoning. You may need to adjust the amount of spices to get the desired flavor or heat level. Make sure to write down any adjustments you make to the recipe so that you can replicate the same flavor in the future.
- Serve the soup with sweet potato and coconut milk hot with chopped cilantro, extra pepper flakes, lime wedges, and a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
This recipe is incredibly adaptable and still delivers on flavor even if you substitute a few ingredients to make it work with what you have in your pantry. So you don’t have to worry about compromising on taste when you make a few changes. For pumpkin seeds, you can substitute any of the following: nigella seeds, celery seed, caraway seeds, cumin seed, poppy seed, black sesame seed, fennel seed, and dried oregano will all stand in adequately for caraway seed. For sweet potato, you can substitute pumpkin, yams, acorn squash, or butternut squash. Instead of brown lentils, you can use either green, yellow, or red. The red will cook faster and start to break down, which will ultimately thicken the stew a bit more. No fresh ginger? That’s ok, simply substitute 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger instead. Swiss chard or mustard greens are a good substitution for kale. You can use spinach as well, but a heartier green works best (in my opinion).
This delicious soup with sweet potato is sure to be a hit with your family – a perfect combination of sweet potato, kale, lentils, and coconut milk. For more flavorful dishes made with homegrown or foraged ingredients, be sure to visit our Recipe Index. There you’ll find a variety of tasty recipes that are sure to please.
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