Oct

17

2012

Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Holidays / Soups  Posted by / 27 comments
creamy-carrot-and-sweet-potato-soup

I love to make soup on Sundays, especially when it’s cold outside and my family is curled up on the sofa watching football. There’s something so relaxing about it — clearing out the produce drawer, slow-cooking onions in butter, stirring a big pot as it simmers on the stove — and it makes the house smell so inviting! This bright orange, soul-warming soup is made with carrots, sweet potatoes, curry and apples, so it’s savory with a hint of sweetness and spice.

Before we get started, let’s talk about sweet potatoes. Last time I was at Whole Foods, I noticed that all of the sweet potatoes (there were a few different kinds) were labeled as yams. For some reason, it’s common practice in the U.S. to use the words “sweet potato” and “yam” interchangeably. This is confusing, since yams aren’t sweet potatoes at all, but rather thick white tubers with dark brown skin. But chances are you won’t find real yams at the supermarket, so if you see “yams,” you’re probably looking at sweet potatoes. As for the different varieties, look for Garnet, Jewel, Beauregard, all of which have orange flesh and reddish-brown skin.

Begin by cooking the onions in butter until they are soft and translucent. Then, add the curry powder and cook until fragrant. You might think the curry powder gives the soup an Indian flair, but it really just lends a subtle hint of autumn spice — after all, curry powder is just a blend of spices like ginger, coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, red pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg.

Next, add the carrots and sweet potatoes…

along with the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

Toss in the chopped apples, then puree with a stick blender until smooth and creamy.

The nice thing about this soup is that it’s wonderfully smooth in creamy, yet low in fat and good for you. Enjoy!

Autumn Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Print Recipe
Servings: 8
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder, plus a bit more for serving
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 small), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 cups chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
  • 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tart yet sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Add the curry powder and cook a minute more.
  2. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the apples and honey. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then puree in a blender in batches. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open to allow the steam to escape.) Season to taste with salt, pepper and more honey if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with more curry powder if desired. (Note: As the soup sits, it will thicken up so you may need to add a bit of water to thin it out.)