Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup

It's decorative gourd season, and you know what that means . . . soup! At the store the other day I picked up sweet potatoes, a couple cans of pumpkin puree, carrots, onion, and some other staples. All of those earthy veggies make the best soup, and the whole meal comes together fast. Hope you enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup

     serves 6

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 7.5 cups)
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger (I use the frozen cubes)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, use water to make this vegan
• 2-3 additional cups of water
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• small pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• optional: parsley and Greek yogurt for garnish

In a large pot over medium heat add the tablespoon of oil and the chopped onion and carrot, saute until the onions become translucent and start to develop some color. While the veggies cooked I peeled and chopped the sweet potato. Everything will go into the blender, but the smaller you cut the pieces the faster this will cook so keep that in mind. Once the onions have some color on them add in the curry powder, cinnamon, and black pepper along with the minced ginger. Give it a stir to wake up the spices. Add the sweet potatoes and either chicken broth or water. I used four cups, which was enough to cover the potatoes. Bring this up to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in the pumpkin puree, then (in small batches) puree this in a blender. An immersion stick blender would work perfectly, and would save you from having to clean another bowl that you transfered the pureed soup into. I really need to buy one of those.

Once the soup has been completely pureed add it back into the pot, turn the heat on low, and stir in the apple cider vinegar and taste for salt. I ended up adding 1/2 a teaspoon, but more would have tasted even better. I also added in a small pinch of cayenne pepper. This soup has great flavor. You get a lot of sweetness from the sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and carrots but there is also a bit of tang and spice from the apple cider vinegar, curry, and cayenne. This is sure to please, especially served with a nice crusty rustic bread for dipping. I love to serve this with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top.

Per serving: 205 calories, 33.8 grams of net carbs, 4 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and almost as much potassium as there is sodium.