Tyler’s White Bean & Sweet Potato Soup
This chilly time of year definitely calls for some warm, delicious soup, and it doesn't get more delicious than this recipe for white bean & sweet potato soup! I’ve messed with this recipe for years until I finally got it exactly right. Picture being outside on a snowy, cold winter day, ducking into a warm restaurant with a roaring fire, and ordering some soup to warm the soul. The fresh sage and thyme are crucial, and if you can freshly grate your nutmeg & cinnamon, it will make all the difference. During the colder months I make this every few weeks. It’s just the right amount of sweet and savory, and it’s quite hearty. It’s a big bowl of happiness! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
4 cans (15 oz each) white beans (cannellini or navy beans, drained & rinsed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
4 fresh thyme sprigs (leaves only)
2 bay leaves
10 cups vegetable stock
2 sweet potatoes
5 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Oyster crackers (For serving)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add celery, carrot, onion & leek and sauté about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, sage, thyme leaves, & two bay leaves & cook for about one minute more.
Add the beans & stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar & simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
While the soup is simmering, rinse two sweet potatoes & prick all over with a fork. Roast in the oven for one hour.
When the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, peel the skin and scoop out the inside into a blender. Add maple syrup to the blender. Remove the bay leaves from the soup and add & 1/3 of the soup to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Reintroduce the blended mix into the rest of the soup and stir until smooth. Add heavy cream, cayenne, cinnamon & nutmeg. Taste for salt & pepper and add if necessary. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve in warm shallow bowls with oyster crackers.