Sweet Potato Kale Soup

It is the soup that started it all, the idea of a blog and a love affair with sweet potatoes and kale in my family.

I was recently looking for a quick dinner, which had to satisfy two requirements:

• involve soup (thanks to the chilly winter weather we've been having)  
• contain sweet potatoes (I'm a huge fan)

I started out simple and kept adding layers and layers and layers of flavors that I thought would go well together (or be surprised of the opposite). Husband loved the final result, but that was not the real victory. The real reason for celebration was that The Pickiest Toddler of them all, Prince Knobby Knees, my stubborn 3 year old, not only tried it or ate a couple of spoonfuls, but devoured multiple bowls and asked for more. Victory, victory, I say!!


Sweet Potato Kale Soup

1 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup baby carrots
1 apple, roughly chopped
3 cups vegetable stock, divided
3 medium sized sweet potatoes, roasted
1/4 bunch kale, trimmed, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsalted cashews (optional)

In a cast iron pot over medium heat add oil and onions. Stir occasionally and sautee until onions become translucent (approx 5 minutes).

Add baby carrots and sautee for another 2 min. Add a couple of spoonfuls of water, if necessary, to prevent burning.

Add apple and  2 cups of vegetable stock. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Clean and peel roasted sweet potatoes. Oven roasting requires preparation ahead of time. However, if short on time, one can also prepare them in the microwave. I am not advocating this method, but it takes significantly less time.

When carrots are tender, add roasted sweet potatoes and the remaining cup of vegetable stock. Let simmer.

Take kale, trim the rough stems, chop, rinse and add to the soup. Kale will cook in 5 minutes or less, so one should not let the soup cook longer than that. Add salt and pepper.

Add cashews last, for creaminess, if desired.

Turn off heat. Use the hand immersion blender and mix up the soup ingredients. Soup can be served right away.

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture, the soup was gone too soon. I will make sure to take a picture next time and add it to this post.

Enjoy!