Nourishingly Delicious Sweet Potato Soup

A smoothe and creamy soup full of nutritiounal goodness with warming hints of garlic and ginger

Hi, I’m Sue and I write about the beauty and ingenuity of Nature, and how we can deepen our connection for our optimum health and wellbeing. Discover more Nature-inspired content on Spiral Leaf, Twitter and my video Nature Channel.

A bowl of something moorish

There is nothing like a fail-safe, knock-it-out-of-the-park soup recipe to impress family and friends as the nights start to draw in.

This is one of my favourites. It’s a bright pumpkin-coloured bowl of silky smoothe sweetness that satisfies the taste buds and soothes body and soul with superbly healthy goodness.

For best results, I always recommend using organic vegetables and ingredients to ensure full nutritional value, lack of additives, preservatives, plastic and flavours, and for the joy of preparing a meal that you can savour and enjoy with guaranteed success.

Find out how to prepare, make and serve this wonderful soup and learn more about the natural health benefits below.

Making your soup

STEP 1

Select organic ingredients for highest nutritional value

3 x Sweet Potatoes (or 1 x Butternut Squash)

2 x large Red Onions

4 x Carrots

4 x White Potatoes (small)

4 x Garlic Cloves

1 x 3 inch stick Fresh Ginger

1 x Large bunch of Flat Leaved Parsley

2 litres x Filtered Water

4 x tbs x Organic Vegetable Stock

3 x tbs x Cold Pressed Organic Olive Oil

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Ground or Flaked Sea Salt

Optional Extras

2 x sticks Celery

6 x Large Button Mushrooms

1 x large Leek

[You can add to or swap the Sweet Potato for Butternut Squash if you would like to. You can also add extra ingredients if you have anything spare such as celery, leeks, button mushrooms, white cabbage or anything that isn’t too flavoursome (such as celeric) and won’t spoil the rich pumpkin-colour of your final creation].

STEP 2

Prepare ingredients and vegetables before cooking

1) Wash, peel, de-seed and chop all the vegetables and chop to around the same sized except for sliced onions.

2) Peel and finely chop the Garlic and Ginger.

3) Roughly or finely chop the Parsly to add to the soup when made as a garnish.

[Top Tip: For extra flavour as the nights draw in, try roasting your sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash in the oven before adding to your soup (with the juices) at the vegetable stock stage of cooking].

STEP 3

Allow to cook gently and slowly for a full, rich flavour

1) Gently heat the olive oil in a large saucepan with heavy lid.

2) Add chopped onions, garlic and ginger to sizzle in the oil. Add a large knob of unsalted butter if desired and black pepper and salt to taste.

3) Add chopped sweet potato, carrots and potatoes until warm and coated with oil.

4) Add vegetable stock (I always used Boullion which you can buy without salt added) and water to cover the vegetables plus a few inches to the top of the saucepan.

5) Put on the lid and very gently simmer until all the vegetables are cooked and soft ready for blending.

6) Blend in the sucepan with a manual blender or transfer to a large blender to blend until smoothe.

7) Pour into warm bowls while still hot, add a swirl of thick raw coconut milk (or coconut cream) and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

8) Serve with hot crusty bread if desired.

Bon appetite!

[Add swirls of coconut milk to the hot soup with a handful of chopped parsley for it’s healthy alkaline properties before serving on its own or with warm crusty bread].

Nutritional content and benefits

All organic ingredients have superb nutritional value and health benefits which I have described briefly below with some of the conditions they can help with. If you want to learn more, I wrote a post about Going Organic if you are looking for reasons and tips to help you make the change.

At this point, please note that I am not a Naturopath or an expert in diet and nutrition. All the information I provide is from my own through research, discerning comparison, truthful and well researched source material and my own experience to date.

Red Onion

The ultimate vegetable for antibacterial protection and for enhancing the body’s production of B12. High in trace minerals zinc, manganese, iodine and selenium, all onions help to rejuvenate the skin and protect the lungs whilst boosing immunity, the repair system and circulation. Note that red onions contain a higher amount of antioxidants (quercetin and anthocyanin) and cancer prevention properties.

Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash

Both are highly nutritious and alkaline with the beautifully bright coloured gourd of butternut squash being particularly rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants. Both contain vitamins A, E, C, B-complex, beta carotene, iron, zinc, calcium and potassium. Sweet potato has higher levels of fiber and protein. All these nutrients are vital for boosting immunity and supporting a healthy and strong repair and nervous system.

Carrots

A good source of fibre and carbohydrate for energy-making with minerals including biotin and potassium, and vitamins A (from beta carotene), K1 (phylloquinone) and B6. Carrots contain many plant compounds, including carotenoids which have a powerful antioxidant activity linked to improved immunity and repair system function, reducing the risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, various degenerative ailments, and certain types of cancer.

Raw Garlic

A single garlic clove contains manganese, vitamins B6 and C, selenium and fibre. Fresh garlic is high in antioxidants that support the body’s protective mechanisms against oxidative damage. Garlic has been shown to increase antioxidant enzymes in humans, as well as significantly reduce oxidative stress in those with high blood pressure. Garlic has been used for thousands of years due to its wide range of medicinal properties essential for cleansing and protecting the body, and for overall good health.

Fresh Ginger

The unique fragrance and flavour of ginger comes from its natural oils. The most important of these is gingerol, a bioactive compound responsible for much of ginger’s medicinal properties with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Ginger helps to reduce oxidative stress caused by having an excess amount of free radicals in the body. Used over thousands of years to aid digestion, reduce nausea and boost immunity and the natural repair system.

Raw Coconut Milk

Raw coconut milk or cream is high in healthy fat and low in carbs and sugar. Coconut milk is a great source of digestible protein, antioxidants, photphorus, magnesium, folate and choline. It also contains potassium which is critical for maintaining the health of every cell in the body. Daily potassium intake is connected to a reduced risk of high blood pressure, salt sensitivity, fatigue and muscle cramps.

Black Pepper and Sea Salt

A brilliant combination of mineral rich compounds that help with the extraction of nutrients from food for immediate use in the body. Sea Salt is essential for healthy cleansing and hydration, and ground black pepper provides vitamins such as A, K and C with minerals including calcium, potassium and sodium.

Fresh Parsley

Used on a regular basis, parsley alkalizes the entire body, crossing body systems and driving out acidity across the board. Mineral salts are a large part of what makes parsley so effective where specialised mineral salts bind onto unproductive acids in the body to drive them out. This alkalizing skill makes parsley helpful for preventing and battling every type of disease or cancer. 

[I always make an extra large quantity of soup so that I can cool it down for freezing in handy sized containers to enjoy on special days, when guests come to stay or when I don’t have time to cook].

I hope you feel inspired to try this simple and tasty, colourful and creamy soup recipe. It’s has a certain sweetness, and is so nourishing, moorish and satisfying. It looks great too!

Cooking is good for the soul - I hope you enjoy and see you again soon!