Sweet Potato Soup

While my favorite part of fall is definitely the leaves, warm soup on a windy day is a close second. I just made sweet potato soup for the first time, and it was so good the recipe needs to be shared. If you try any variation of this, leave a comment! I'd love to know what you did.

Start with 2 tbsp of butter and sauté 1 cup of chopped onion for 5 min in your large soup pot. I didn't have any celery or leeks on hand, but if you do, add 2 small chopped celery sticks and 1 medium sliced leek (only the white and pale green part) and sauté for another 5 min. Add 1 large chopped garlic clove and sauté for another 2 min. The goal here is for the onions to be translucent.

Next, add 1.5 lbs. of sweet potatoes (about 5 cups, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes), 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. I also added 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped, just for fun and a little extra sweetness.

Cook for 20 min, until the sweet potatoes are easy to stick a fork into. Then remove the soup from the heat and purée in manageable portions in a blender or food processor.

Reheat the blended mixture and add 1.5 cups of milk (or you can use half and half for a creamier flavor), 2 tbsp brown sugar (or maple syrup would probably be even better!), and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.

At this point, you can serve it immediately or stick it in the fridge and reheat it later. This soup keeps really well, so why not make double and freeze half? Enjoy!