Purple Sweet Potato Soup with Broccoli and Goat Cheese
The beauty of this soup lies not only in the gorgeous hue of the purple sweet potatoes but also in its simplicity. Four ingredients plus aromatics and a couple of spices/herbs make for a humble but flavorful soup, made luscious with fresh goat cheese, stirred in at the end of cooking.
Servings: 4
Calories: 326kcal
Equipment
- 1 3 qt soup pot
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 2 olive oil
- 1/2 large onion chopped (I used the food processor)
- 1 large garlic clove
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp dried cilantro or 2 Tbsp fresh chopped
- 1 medium-large purple sweet potato chopped
- 1 medium potato chopped russet or any type
- 1 quart vegetable broth I use low sodium
- 1 crown broccoli about 2 cups chopped smallish
- 4 oz soft fresh goat cheese a.k.a. chevre
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional Avocado Jalapeno Crema
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt or your choice, but should be plain
- 2 scallions a.k.a. green onions
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp diced jalapenos (canned, or pickled) leave out if you don't like the kick
Instructions
- Chop broccoli into small pieces as shown in photo. We don't want large chunks. Steam/boil in about 1 cup of water a few minutes, until tender (leftover water can be used to thin soup later). Set aside to add to soup after it is pureed. See note.
- Heat olive oil in pot, add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes until soft. Add cumin, cilantro, oregano and saute briefly, then add potatoes (both) and broth and cook about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Puree soup in blender, food processor or with immersion blender until smooth.
- Return pureed soup to pot on med-low heat. Stir in broccoli and goat cheese (reserve some broccoli and goat cheese for garnish if you like).
- Once goat cheese is incorporated, then taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Make Avocado Jalapeno Crema (optional)
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until uniformly green. Add salt and pepper to taste. See note.
Notes
Soup Note: I intentionally keep the broccoli aside from the rest of the soup until after it is pureed, to keep the hue of the soup purple. There is no reason you cannot include it and puree it with the potatoes if you prefer.
Crema Note: This quantity of crema is perfect for 4, but is not a large amount, and it can be a tad tricky getting it blended. As you can see in my photos, one batch is thoroughly green and uniform looking and one batch (shown ready to serve in glass dish), is lighter with green specks. I find it blends differently in a high-speed blender versus a food processor, and adding a bit more water/lime juice allowed me to achieve a more uniform green color, but is not necessary.
Nutrition Facts Note: The nutrition facts are calculated based on the avocado crema being divided into four servings. You may not find you eat a full 1/4 of it, per serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 788mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 3mg | Magnesium: 58mg | Net Carbohydrates: 25g