Ever have those days where you look in the refrigerator and try to figure out what to make for dinner? You rustle through the veggie drawer. . . oh look, some limp carrots! And over on the counter is a slightly wrinkly sweet potato, not past its prime but well on the way! This is what I call a soup day. Soup is a wonderful way to use up ingredients that are not at their freshest, but not ready to be composted either.
In a perfect world I would always have a kitchen stocked with fresh meat, cheese, fish, fruits and vegetables, all ready to be consumed at the peak of freshness! I don’t live in a perfect world, and some days I am damn glad to even have a frozen pizza to fling into the oven.
But this soup is easy and makes use of a few vegetables you have laying around. I started out with 6 carrots, but the kid came along and absconded with one. But that is the beauty of this soup. Nothing needs to be exact. So I use on less carrot. . . it still tasted fantastic.
The only prep you have to do is peel and cut the veggies. Then you throw everything into the pot and let it cook until tender.
Once the veggies are tender, puree them until smooth. I like to use an immersion blender so I don’t have to make more dirty dishes, such as if I use a food processor. Your puree with be thick so use milk, half and half or cream to thin it to your desired consistency. I actually used 2% milk, and it was delicious. If you want it richer, use whole milk. If you want it decadent, use half and half or cream!
Just to be kind of fancy I put a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt on top. Sour cream or crema would also be very tasty.
If you would like try variations of this soup using parsnips, butternut or acorn squash, or kabocha squash.
- 1 medium or 1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 4-5 small or 5 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced into large chunks
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups milk, half and half or cream
Bring the pot to a a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
With an inversion blender puree the soup in the pot. If you do not have an inversion blender, carefully ladle the soup into a food processor or blender, then puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot.
Add your choice of dairy product to thin the soup to the desired consistency. Taste the soup, then adjust the salt if needed.
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 6 servings
Yummmmmmm, you transformed limp carrots and a wrinkly potato into well-flavored comfort food, perfect for warming up a chilly, wintery March day.