I found a recipe for Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup that sounded so good. Hmm, I have lentils, so I went to the store for sweet potatoes.
Come dinnertime, I got the lentils out of the pantry and scooped out a half-cup. They screamed at me "We are not lentils... we are split green peas!!"
Holy cow... when I read lentils, in my mind's eye I saw the bag of split green peas in my cupboard and thought I was all set. I wasn't sure about mixing split green peas and sweet potatoes. I was afraid I'd end up with a soup whose color would remind me of something I'd already eaten and upchucked.
Sorry.
Sorry.
Change of plans... no lentils in this soup, but it turned out lovely... made with one of the most nutritious vegetables around... sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes have as much beta-carotene (Vitamin A) as 16 cups of broccoli. They are a great source of Vitamin E... and fat free. Most foods high in Vitamin E are high in fat (vegetable oils, nuts, and avocadoes). Sweets are high in fiber and are a complex carb, which means they digest more slowly than white potatoes and will not cause your blood sugar to spike. One cup of cooked sweets has 180 calories.
Sweet Potato Soup
2 slices bacon, diced
1 c diced onions
2 sticks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
32 oz. chicken broth
In medium saucepan, cook bacon and remove to paper towel to drain. Discard all but one tablespoon of bacon fat.
In same pan, cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.
Add potatoes and bacon to saucepan. Cover with broth. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency. Remove cover from pan and boil gently about 15 minutes or until soup has thickened.
My gardener said this soup was delicious and I had to agree with him (it's a beautiful color, too!). This recipe makes enough for 4 servings. I hope you'll give it a try!
Sweet Potato Soup
2 slices bacon, diced
1 c diced onions
2 sticks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
32 oz. chicken broth
In medium saucepan, cook bacon and remove to paper towel to drain. Discard all but one tablespoon of bacon fat.
In same pan, cook onion, celery, carrot and garlic in reserved bacon fat over medium heat until onions are translucent, about 15 minutes.
Add potatoes and bacon to saucepan. Cover with broth. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency. Remove cover from pan and boil gently about 15 minutes or until soup has thickened.
My gardener said this soup was delicious and I had to agree with him (it's a beautiful color, too!). This recipe makes enough for 4 servings. I hope you'll give it a try!
I have some sweet potatoes on my cupboard right now, wondering how they are going to get eaten - soup, perfect for a snowy weekend! Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound lovely. Lucky gardener!!
ReplyDeleteYou made me chuckle with your line, something Ive eaten and upchucked:)
I do like lentils but am much happier with just plain sweet potato soup. Another great recipe from you that I will try. Esp since there is bacon in there! We all really like the cauliflower, it had such a nice rich flavor, thanks for sharing that one too!
ReplyDeleteI do that all the time...have something in my mind's eye and then it's not what I thought.
ReplyDeleteThis would be good tonight..AND, I do have lentils in my pantry. (I think)
I'm so happy to see this recipe. I keep trying to find more things to do with sweet potatoes. I just can't wrap my head around the whole 'sweet potato french fry' deal. I can see them being in a soup. So glad you had such a great review. I'll have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteLentils...split peas...it's all the same! They do look extremely similar.
ReplyDeleteThis soup sounds amazing! I am a sweet potato addict...definitely need to try it.
A little bacon and a squirt if Heavy cream(drag a knife through it)to garnish would be a nice way to finisg this.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds wicked good, especially with bacon. I am somewhat fond of bacon. Heh.
ReplyDeletesoup in January... I'm for it, even (especially) with the peas!
ReplyDeleteThat soup looks rich and delicious! I was planning to make sweet potato soup this week.
ReplyDeleteHey I never knew all that great stuff about sweet potatos, I just knew they were yummy. Thanks for the info and recipe, sounds great!
ReplyDelete