By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- 5(317)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This was our favorite recipe test of the soup batch. Inspired by a sweet potato and apple purée I make every year for Thanksgiving, the soup also has savory overtones. For a spectacular finish, garnish each bowl with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of medium-hot chili powder or chipotle chili powder.
Featured in: Recipes for Health: Vegetable Soups, Smooth and Hearty
Learn: How to Make Soup
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings.
- 2tablespoons canola oil or butter
- 2leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced
- 4teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2¼pounds orange sweet potatoes (like jewel yams or garnet yams), peeled and diced
- ½pound Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 to 1¼pounds tart apples, like Braeburn or Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced
- 2quarts water
- Salt to taste
- Fresh lime juice and medium-hot chili powder or chipotle chili powder for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
214 calories; 4 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 1123 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Heat the oil or butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring, until it is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes, regular potato, apples and water and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes to an hour, until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.
Step
2
Using an immersion blender, purée the soup (or you can use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing) until very smooth. Return to the pot, heat through and adjust salt. Ladle into bowls, squeeze a little lime juice and sprinkle a little chili powder over each serving and serve.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead, but it's best freshly made.
Ratings
5
out of 5
317
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Cooking Notes
Nancy
I added a can of coconut milk & lemon juice. Amazing!
Hazel
The real flavor is from the ginger.... Salt is important.
RufusTF
I was excited to try this recipe but underwhelmed by the result. I found the flavor flat and the texture thin. The only changes I made were to add a handful of carrots and swap the water for veggie broth. In retrospect, I think the coconut milk (as suggested above) would be a helpful addition.
Dee
Followed exactly. Very nice. Ancho chili powder and lime add a lot.
Brandi
If you use 2 quarts of broth or water it will make it quite watery. A can of coconut milk in substitution of a quart of broth is a good choice to get a better texture. Roasted pepitas with ancho chile power were an excellent topper.
mkc
Add the lime zest too! It adds a lot to this delicious soup.
Alexa
Made this for my wife who had just had her wisdom teeth pulled and needed to not chew....she loved it and so did I! it tasted so fresh and nourishing and I loved the kick / boost the ginger gave it.
Ellen
I roasted the sweet potatoes until quite well done, to intensify the flavor; used part chicken broth; and decreased the overall amount of liquid. I also added red pepper flakes as well as chipotle. That helped with the flavor. It's a pretty subtle soup, though.
Emily
I used 2 cups vegetable broth, 4 cups water, and one 13.5 oz can of coconut milk instead of all water. I also added two sprigs of chopped up fresh rosemary for some added flavor. Came out great with decent flavor even without the like and chili powder.
Eve
I left out the potato and chili powder as I had a guest who avoids deadly nightshade. I made stock, and thought it said 4 tbs of ginger instead of tsps, and it needed it. It is good but it is a bit bland without the lime or lemon. Mainly, it is a ton of work peeling and dicing and then everything took a long time to soften.
Fran
Based on comments, reduced amount of vegetable stock (approx 6 cups) instead of water, added a can of coconut milk, doubled the ginger, and added a little extra sweet potato and potato. Served with roasted pumpkin seeds and chickpea croutons (drained, rinsed, patted dry 1.5 cups chickpeas and tossed with a tbsp of olive oil, about 1/4 tsp each of cumin, black pepper and garlic powder and added a pinch of cinnamon; baked for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until they were crisp and dry)
Mary P.
It tasted good with cardamom and a little cumin. Next time I may try thyme and rosemary.
Jane
This recipe was so easy and darn good as written (though I am sure some of the listed enhancements like coconut milk would be yummy too). I used Tajin for the chili powder and added a dollop of creme fraiche along with the squeeze of lime in the soup bowls. Everyone loved it.
Lisa
Excellent soup. I used 4 cups of vegetable broth and 4 cups of water, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly including the fresh lime juice and chili powder.
Sarah A
We used purple Okinawa sweet potato, because that's what we happened to have, and a little vegetable broth. The soup was a fun purple color and super creamy. My whole family loved it, though we'll probably add smoked paprika and chili powder early on (with the leeks) in the next round to give it a slightly more smoky flavor.
Victoria
Decreased water by one cup and also substituted 1 can of coconut milk for equal part of water. Topped with some chopped feta and passed red pepper flakes for those who wanted them. Was sweeter than expected even with Granny Smith apples but everyone liked it.
jane
How can a soup so full of flavorful ingredients be so bland? It tasted like thick air.
Aleta
Used what I had on hand- 2.5 apples, 2 large sweet potatoes, 3 carrots. Swapped 1 qt water for coconut milk. Very tasty!
Michelle
I used 2 Granny Smith apples and thought it was a bit too tart. Will substitute for Honeycrisp/Fuji apples next time.
Maaike
Made my house smell like a roasting turkey, which was a funny sensation for a house of vegetarians! Used only 1 quart of veggie stock and threw in a chili in abodo sauce with the potato and apple mixture. Topped with chili oil, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime. SO delicious.
Karen
The soup was delicious as written with the lime juice and chili seasoning.It's important to know that the recipe is very time intensive involving dicing, peeling and then the immersion blender.
CWalker
I followed the directions exactly and found the soup to be a bit bland. As others noted, salt is important. Added salt to taste (as it says), but used lemon juice instead of lime, and Kinder’s Brown Sugar Rub in place of chili powder. It was delicious. Might have drank the last drops out of my bowl.
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