Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

You have probably noticed that I love sweet potatoes! This is one of the easiest soup recipes and I’ve been making it for years. This is a great weeknight soup that doesn’t need to cook all day. Sweet potatoes pureed with low-fat milk make a rich and creamy soup that’s good for you. The cayenne pepper gives it a little kick to keep it from being too sweet. I like to garnish mine with pepitas to give it a little crunch.

Here are your ingredients:

Cook your sweet potatoes.  To save time, I just nuke mine in the microwave.  Punch holes in them with a fork, put them on a plate and cook for 15-20 minutes, turning every five minutes.

Once they’re tender, I slice mine down the middle and scoop out the insides into a large soup pot.  Be careful…they’re hot!

Add the vegetable broth to the sweet potato.

Puree until smooth.

I love my immersion blender.  It’s so easy to make creamy soups.  You can also use a regular blender.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low.  Stir in the brown sugar…

salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the milk.

Garnish with pepitas and serve!

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes
42 oz. vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste (a little goes a long way!)
1/3 c. milk (I used 2%)
Toasted pepitas or pine nuts to garnish

Instructions:

Use a fork to punch holes in the sweet potatoes. Microwave for 15-20 minutes, turning potatoes every five minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.

Peel sweet potatoes and puree with vegetable broth until smooth. Bring puree to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in milk.

Garnish with pepitas and serve!

Enjoy!

Big Batch Vegetable Soup

This is my favorite vegetable soup recipe!!  I’ve been making it for years.  It doesn’t take all day and it tastes so much better than store bought.  As the name states, this recipe makes a large pot of veggie soup.  You can substitute any vegetables (fresh or frozen) to suit your tastes.  It also freezes really well.

Here are the ingredients:

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add the onions, celery, Italian seasoning, and add salt and pepper.

Cook until the onions become translucent; around 5-8 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and three cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Then reduce the pot to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Measure out 8 cups of veggies (fresh or frozen).  Used fresh potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, green beans, and frozen peas and corn.

Add them to your soup and return it to a simmer.

Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

We had Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Muffins with ours (yum!)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
8 cups mixed fresh or frozen vegetables, such as carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini (cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces)

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to pot; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Add vegetables to pot, and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Let cool before storing.

I served mine with Krusteaz Honey Cornbread Muffins (a favorite in our house).  Click the link for the recipe:)

#choosejoy

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart