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Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple Soup

Soup. We love soup around here. It's such an easy way to boost up the nutrition in your daily diet and sneak in lots of wholesome veggies and nourishing bone broth into the little ones.

I've been making some variation of this Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Apple soup for probably almost two years now. I never wrote it down or followed a recipe, but a general method - chop up and cook the veggies you have on hand, add some broth, and puree until smooth. It really is that easy.

The sweet potato, carrot, and apple all have a nice sweetness to them so this soup is SO kid-friendly. My daughter Isabelle has always happily eaten this soup and asked for more. Also, you can use butternut squash or pumpkin instead of (or in addition to) the sweet potato, leave out the carrots, or add in more apple - whatever works for you! Truly, this recipe is super forgiving, but the combo of flavors is delicious, especially with sauteed onion and garlic thrown into the mix.

On multiple occasions, I have added in some cooked chicken or homemade sausage to make this a complete meal. The sausage and soup combo is actually one of my faves!

The last thing I'd like to point out is the seasoning. I truly enjoy this soup with just a generous seasoning of sea salt. My bone broths usually come out pretty flavorful and combined with the sweetness of the veggies and fruits, the soup has enough flavor for our palates. But if you'd like to get crazy with the herbs and spices, I would recommend cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, cloves, and Herbes de Provence as good options to choose from!

Okay - LAST last thing. For an even deeper level of flavor (and if you have the time), roast the veggies first, instead of cooking down in the soup pot. 30 minutes at 400 degrees should do it and then you can skip step 2 below.

SWEET POTATO, CARROT, and APPLE SOUP RECIPE
Recipe Ingredients
1 extra large sweet potato, peeled and diced (or two medium - you want about 1.5 pounds)
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 apples, diced
1/2 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tbsp ghee or grassfed butter 
5 cups bone broth (preferably homemade. Add less for a thicker soup)
sea salt, to taste

Recipe Directions
1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and sauté onion in the ghee/butter for 2-3 minutes with a nice pinch of sea salt.
2. Add sweet potatoes, carrots, and apples into the pot, tossing to combine and adding another generous pinch of salt. Cook down for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant - about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Add in the broth and scrape up any delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Lower heat to medium low, cover, and let simmer for about 10 additional minutes, or until all of the veggies are soft.
6. Once the veggies are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, puree the soup. You can also carefully transfer to a regular blender, working in batches as needed.
7. Do a taste test once pureed and add more salt or additional seasonings as desired.
8. Serve and enjoy!

XOXO,
SMP

*Some product links throughout this blog are affiliate links. If through these links, you end up purchasing an item I recommend, I may receive a small commission. Please know that I would never personally recommend any product or service that I do not currently use or would consider using on my own family. I simply want you to know exactly what I use, so you can have the same results when making my recipes. Thank you for your support!*

Nutritious AND Delicious.

One of my favorite ways to ensure I keep on my healthy eating regime all week long is to make a big batch of yummy (yet healthy!) soup on Sundays and then eat it for lunch (and sometimes dinner!) throughout the rest of the week. It not only saves time and calories, but also money!

This week I made a “Spicy Black Bean Soup” that I found on Weight Watchers.com a few weeks back. Of course I added my own seasonings to enhance the recipe a bit, and it has really been hitting the spot! It’s so filling and a ¾ cup serving is only 3 PointsPlus points. Nice. I’ve also been pairing it with a side of Minute Brown Rice (4 Pts) and a tbsp of 50% reduced fat Cabot Cheddar Cheese (1 Pt). Delish.

The soup is low in fat, HIGH in fiber and protein. Plus each day I eat it, it has also been getting a little bit spicier! And there is evidence that show that spices can raise the metabolic rate by up to 50% for up to 3 hours after you’ve eaten a spicy meal. WOOT. I can use all the help I can get!

I know, you’re thinking: Please S-M, please give us the recipe! So, for all of you cooks out there here is the recipe (foundation of the recipe from WW.com) with my tweaks:

SPICY BLACK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients:

1-3 Sprays of Cooking Spray

1 medium onion (or about half cup of frozen diced onions – that’s what I used)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Cans of Goya “Low Sodium” Black Beans, undrained

½ tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 packet of Sazon Goya

1 packet of Goya Ham Concentrate Seasoning

1 heaping tablespoon of Sofrito*

1 ½ cups of fat free broth (chicken, vegetable or beef) –use more if you want a thinner soup

1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilis (about 15 oz)

1 can of sweet yellow corn, drained (about 15 oz)

*Sofrito is a Puerto Rican blend of cilantro, peppers, onions and garlic. We puree the ingredients in huge batches, freeze and then use in every day cooking as needed.

Directions:

1.) Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Heat to medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, cumin seeds, sofrito, Sazon and ham flavorings. Saute another 1-2 minutes.

2.) Add broth.

3.) While the broth is heating in the pan with the sautéed mixture, take one can of beans and blend on high until smooth. (Use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender). Add blended beans to stockpot and mix.

4.) Repeat step 3 with second can of beans.

5.) Stir third can of beans directly into the stock pot (DO NOT BLEND). Add diced tomatoes w/ green chilies and corn. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Garnish with some fresh cilantro or a tbsp of reduced fat cheddar cheese!

ENJOY!

XOXO