Sweet Potato And Carrot Soup Recipe

When you're looking for a soup that offers a refined feel to complement a nice dinner with guests, this sweet potato and carrot soup recipe from Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating is guaranteed to do the trick. Made with puréed root vegetables, a bit of oil, and some vegetable broth for smoothness and depth of flavor, it's the sort of dish that offers vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a lot of plated elegance, too. This is especially true if you decide to garnish each serving with a swirl of cream and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.  

Best of all, this is one healthy, wholesome dish, Brookes tells Health Digest. "This wholesome and nourishing meal is full of flavor and goodness," she points out. "The hearty root veggies make it rich, smooth, and filling and provide a great source of fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene." It's also gluten-free, which is Brookes' specialty. So, let's get to it, shall we?

To make Brookes' recipe for sweet potato and carrot soup, you will, of course, need your star players: one large sweet potato and 3 medium carrots. In addition, Brookes' recipe calls for 1 white onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 cups of vegetable stock, and salt and pepper, to taste. For a gorgeous garnish like you see in Brookes' photos, you'll also want about a ½ cup of cream and a ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley. 

Although you are, of course, welcome to use pre-chopped vegetables to make this sweet potato and carrot soup, if you're planning on chopping your own, you're in luck because Brookes is here with a brief tutorial. 

She says you should give the sweet potato and carrots a quick rinse, then pat them dry and peel them. Slice the carrots crosswise into medium-thick chunks, as shown. Then cut the sweet potato in half, before cutting the halves in half, and so on, until you're left with rough chunks that are no more than ½-inch or so in thickness. Set these aside.

For the onion, slice off one of the ends, set it down on the cut surface, and slice the onion first in one direction, then the other (like a tic tac toe board, but with more lines). Then turn the onion on its side, and slice through crosswise — the result being roughly diced onions. 

For the garlic, use your chef's knife to press down on your garlic clove before peeling (this will make it easier to peel). Then peel the garlic and mince it, either by hand or using a garlic press. 

To start making your soup, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Sautée the diced onion, stirring occasionally, until it softens and starts to become translucent. This should take about 5 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic, and stir constantly for 1 more minute. 

Add the sweet potato, carrot, and vegetable stock, stirring everything together. Allow the mixture to come to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the ingredients are boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for another 30 minutes. There's no need to keep a close eye on things — you can cover the pot and allow the flavors to blend as everything cooks. 

Assuming that your sweet potato and carrot soup has finished its 30 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat source, and remove the pan from the heat. Let the soup cool at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then, add the soup to a jug blender or food processor, and blitz until it's smooth and creamy. Be careful if the soup is still hot. You may want to pulse the blender, and after each pulse, remove the lid to release any built-up steam. Blending very hot liquids can be dangerous is you don't allow the steam to vent. 

When the soup is creamy and smooth, simply serve it with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of chopped parsley to give it that fancy, elevated look.