It took me a really long time to build up the nerve to make this soup. The idea of peanut butter in a soup just didn’t do it for me. And peanut butter with sweet potato and tomatoes really felt like an odd combination. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was very similar to a lot of other ethnic dishes that I enjoy- many Indian dishes, not to mention Pad Thai. If I could enjoy those then I figured there was no reason for me not to like this dish, right?
Well… I was right. All the flavors of this dish came together for one incredible soup. There wasn’t a strongly definitive peanut butter flavor, which I think was my main concern. It was more of a subtle nuttiness than anything else. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes and other vegetables really paired well with the rest of the nutty-spicy flavor components. Jeez, even ginger made an appearance in this one! There are just so many great ingredients in this soup, it’s really a hard one to pass up.
PLUS! Talk about being healthy- this soup is brimming with nutrients and antioxidants. Think about it- red bell pepper, carrot, sweet potato, tomatoes, and peanut butter. ALL super-foods. That means that they are the best of the best as far as nutrition is concerned. Those are my favorite kinds of soups- delicious and healthy!
I have to mention this as a disclaimer though- this soup does have a nice little kick to it. I am pretty sensitive to added heat in my food so I definitely noticed it. If you love your buffalo wings extra spicy then you may not even think twice about the heat. For those of you that are cautious- take heed. You may want to back it down to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. I don’t think the full 1/2 tsp is too overwhelming myself, just noticeable. It’s your call though.
- 1 Tb canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
- 1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- One 14.5 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
- ⅔ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots and cook, stirring, until the veggies soften, about 10 minutes. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter and honey. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in two batches and return the soup to the pot. Serve warm garnished with scallions.
Adapted from Ellie Krieger “The Food You Crave”
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
this looks so good! i love the bright color of this soup and how deceiving it is. i would think it’s carrot soup and totally expect a carrot taste, i love it. sweet and spicy is one of those combinations that’s both different and awesome at the same time. i think it’s great those two play so well together
yay for it being super healthy too!
I know, I totally agree with you! It makes a fantastic flavor combination.
I love peanuts, this sounds delicious.
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Could this be done in the crockpot? Thanks for the recipe.
To an extent, probably. I would still add the peanut butter and honey last right before you puree because I don’t think it would incorporate in the slow cooker. It would probably just sit there in a blob.