Flavors of Fall Soup: Sweet Potato, Peanut & Ham Soup
- Piece of Cake Staff
- Nov 27
- 3 min read
Written by Lindsay Grohs
Let’s be honest… You probably only clicked the link because you thought this combination of flavors was particularly odd. Yes, it is a bit out there, but this soup reminds me of a warm hug. We had a soup competition at work a few weeks ago. If I’m being honest, I never make soup. Exotic meats, maybe. But soup? I hope no one I know gets sick because soup is a foreign language to me. But this competition sounded fun. A soup that fits the holiday season. I started thinking of late fall in Michigan and of items that could tell a story. Sweet potatoes are tied into both those elements. Maybe you disagree with this, but I think that most orange foods embody fall. And bonus, because sweet potatoes are also harvested in the fall. The peanut butter came into this dish because I love sweet potatoes and peanut butter together, though typically with honey for a sweet twist. However, for this recipe, I wanted the soup to be a bit savory. The ham was the perfect touch to tie in Thanksgiving and make it a savory, hearty, well-rounded soup.
After many test runs and tweaks, I got to the final version. And, in the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to share it with all of you! I hope you try it out and share your thoughts with me! And always remember, when creating or testing new recipes, sometimes it’s going to take multiple trial runs for it to meet your personal chef preferences. That is all part of the process. Happy holiday season!
Full Recipe:
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Equipment:
Oven
Stove
Soup Pot
Sheet Pan
Pan
Peeler
Immersion Blender
Strainer
Ingredients:
4-5 medium sweet potatoes, largely diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (optional: melt before)
3 ½ cups vegetable broth
2 cups coconut milk
4 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup honey
1 lb Black Forest ham, diced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup cilantro leaves (optional)
¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)
Seasoning:
½ tsp ginger (or 3 tsp ginger puree)
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp white pepper
Salt/pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mise en place: Dice the sweet potatoes and onion, mince the garlic, and thinly dice the Black Forest ham.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Add sweet potatoes to a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt.
Place the sweet potatoes in the oven for 15 minutes.
With the sweet potatoes in the oven, add the ham to a pan over medium heat until crispy.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil, minced garlic, and diced onion to the soup pot over medium heat.
Stir continuously for three to five minutes.
Add all the seasoning to the pot before stirring. Then, let it sit for one to two minutes.
Add sweet potatoes to the soup pot (3-5 minutes).
Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, and honey, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and let simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. (Around 15 minutes.)
Cut the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (add broth/water to thin out if desired).
Strain into another bowl, then pour it back into the original pot.
Place on low-medium heat and stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated.
Add the diced ham and stir, leaving around 3 tbsps of ham for garnish.
Adjust the taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Garnish with diced ham, chopped peanuts, and a few cilantro leaves.
*Notes
Safe holding: above 140°F or can serve chilled
You can refrigerate this soup for up to 5 days.
Thumbnail Credit:
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🍠