Sweet Potato Soup (Caribbean Style)

Sweet Potato Soup (Caribbean Style) soups This Caribbean style sweet potato and butternut squash soup recipe is creamy and luscious and deliciously spiced thanks to the curry spice and delicious flavours added to the soup with all the rest of the veggies Caribbean soup, Trinidadian cuisine Sweet Potato Soup (Caribbean Style) sweet potatoes, Caribbean

This Caribbean style sweet potato and butternut squash soup recipe is creamy and luscious and deliciously spiced thanks to the curry spice and delicious flavours added to the soup with all the rest of the veggies. Its one of those creamy soups that warm the soul and is perfect as a side dish or a main dish and perfect with a sandwich too. Sweet potato soup is always a perfect fall and winter soup. It is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan but the recipe can adapt to different flavour profiles depending on you taste. This carribean style (Trinidadian to be more exact) sweet potato butternut squash soup is lightly curried and spiced loaded with delicious flavour, velvety and a favourite of mine and if you like creamy soups this will quickly become a favourite of yours too. You will love this taste of the carribean warming you up through fall and winter!

Sweet Potato Soup

Sweet Potato Soup Recipe Ingredients:

  • Sweet Potatoes: I recommend sweet potatoes over yams for the sweetness and better texture for this soup but technically they can be used interchangeably. If you prefer to make this solely a sweet potato soup you definitely can just add the equivalent amount designated for the butternut squash but you will likely have to thin out the soup a bit more after blending with extra broth or stock.
  • Butternut Squash: its the perfect partner to the sweet potatoes and adds extra sweetness. Feel free to substitute with pumpkin if desired.
  • Oil, Salt and Pepper, and Bay Leaf: Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper all provide flavor. For extra richness use butter instead of olive oil. Bay leaf is optional but adds flavour also.
  • Onion: One small yellow or red onion adds a touch of mild onion flavor - feel free to use 2 small shallots in its place if that it what you have.
  • Garlic and Ginger: Fresh garlic and ginger provide a subtle, yet distinctive warming flavour. Use fresh garlic and ginger and mince/grate it yourself for the best flavor.
  • Curry Powder: I love my Caribbean chief brand curry powder - but you can use your favourite curry here and if you prefer it more strongly curried feel free to double the amount - or if you prefer it spiced less just reduce the amount of curry by half
  • Thyme, Cilantro (or chandon beni), Parsley, Celery & Carribbean Pimento Peppers: These ingredients make up Trinidadian style green seasoning - the combo is fresh and fragrant and it doesn’t compare to the store bought bottled stuff - fresh is best. Caribbean Pimento peppers can be found at any Caribbean grocery store - they are not spicy (although you might get a surprise spicy one in a batch sometimes) but add the most delicious flavour - feel free to substitute them with shishitos or a small cubanelle or any sweet pepper or leave them out if desired
  • Scotch Bonnet Pepper: This is an optional ingredient and in this recipe like in many Trinidadian recipe its added whole without removing the stem or the seeds - FULLY INTACT - to add flavour not heat. If it bursts the pot will be ruined - way to spicy so be careful when handling it and make sure to REMOVE it before blending
  • Stock/Broth: chicken stock or vegetable stock or chicken broth/vegetable broth makes up the base of this soup.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Adds seasoning and savoriness. It’s optional and you can even use a splash of soy sauce or Tamari as well instead for the same effect.
  • Coconut Milk: Full fat coconut milk is what I prefer to add a rich creamy flavour that really gos so well with the curry and the sweet broth of sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Feel free to substitute with half and half or heavy cream - reduce by half and start with that adding more if needed.

Variations: Feel free to use different herbs and spices to suit you taste - like coriander, cumin, cajun seasoning, a pinch of cinnamon - whatever you like. Feel free to add extra veggies like carrots or leeks to the soup adding more sweetness and veggies to this soup.

Sweet Potato Soup

How to Make This Creamy Sweet Potato Soup:

  1. SAUTEE: sauté the onion, scallions, celery, parsley, peppers, thyme, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes then stir in and cook the curry for 30-60 seconds.
  2. SIMMER: Add the diced sweet potato and cubed butternut squash, broth and W sauce, scotch bonnet pepper if using and bay leaf to pot. Turn onto high heat, bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to let the soup simmer for approx 20 minutes.
  3. PUREE: REMOVE scotch bonet pepper and bay leaf FIRST! Then transfer the soup to a high powered blender and blend on high for one minute, or until it’s creamy enough. Feel free to use an immersion blender too.
  4. GARNISH: pour soup back into pot then stir in the coconut milk and serve and garnish with more coconut milk drizzles, salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Enjoy!

Variations: Feel free to roast the Sweet Potatoes and butternut squash if you would like to add extra flavour to this soup. Here is how to roast them:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets or 1 large baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper
  • Roast the potatoes & Squash: Spread the sweet potatoes & squash out in an even layer on the baking sheets. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until tender.
    If you are roasting the veggies - you can reduce the amount of time needed to simmer soup - as veggies will already be tender when added to the pot. Reduce by 5-7 minutes.

Sweet Potato Soup

Storage & Freezing:

STORAGE: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium low heat until warmed through or in the microwave.
FREEZING: Naturally creamy and smooth sweet potato soup is a perfect match for the freezer. You can freeze sweet potato soup for up to six months in air tight freezer safe container, in soup trays or even in ziplock bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge or stovetop over low heat.

Sweet Potato Soup

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Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • One 2-3 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1½ lb or 2 large orange-flesh sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 white or red onion or 2 small shallots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 1 scallion, ends trimmed and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro / chadon beni
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 stalk celery minced
  • 2 Caribbean pimento peppers minced or 1 small cubanelle pepper or a couple of shishito peppers
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 splash of Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cups Chicken broth or Vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon Chief’s Curry Powder or your favorite curry powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 scotch bonnet left whole, stems and seeds in tact (optional)
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk plus more for drizzling
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, warm the oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion, scallions, parsley, celery, peppers, thyme, garlic and ginger. Stir together and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, until sautéed onion is translucent.
  2. Add the curry. Cook, while stirring together, for 1 more minute.
  3. Add the sweet potato and squash along with the broth and splash of W sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the bay leaf and whole scotch bonnet pepper, being careful not to break the pepper, unless you enjoy your food extremely spicy. Cover pot half way with lid, and simmer for approx 20 minutes, until potato and squash are fork tender.
  4. Remove pot from heat and REMOVE SCOTCH BONNET PEPPER and bay leaf
  5. Transfer the contents of the pot carefully to a blender or use and immersion blender to carefully blend or purée everything together on high speed until smooth or desired consistency. (Feel free to batch blend if needed)
  6. Pour the pureed soup back into the pot if using blender over medium-low heat. Pour in the coconut milk. Stir to combine and cook until heated through. Serve warm ladled soup into a bowl with a drizzle more coconut milk

Recipe Notes

  • Thickness: Every persons taste for consistency in a soup is different. Depending on how thick you like your soup, you can use 4 or 5 cups. You can always start with 4 cups and see if you want to add more after blending if the soup is too thick.
  • If you prefer to use all sweet potatoes in this recipe you defining can or you can substitute the butternut squash with pumpkin or equal amounts of extra sweet potatoes - you may need to adjust or add extra broth to this it out (check ingredients list in blog post above for more substitutions and information on each ingredient)
  • Storage & Freezing:
    STORAGE: Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium low heat until warmed through or in the microwave.
    FREEZING: Naturally creamy and smooth sweet potato soup is a perfect match for the freezer. You can freeze sweet potato soup for up to six months in air tight freezer safe container, in soup trays or even in ziplock bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge or stovetop over low heat.

Recipe Adapted from Food52



Sweet Potato Soup