Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter*
1 ½ cups red onion*, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
7 cloves garlic*, minced
3 lbs. sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cups chicken stock* (use vegetable stock for a pure veggie recipe)
1 – 15.5oz. can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 tsp. Kosher salt*
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper*
1 cup diced apple (squeeze a bit of lemon over the chopped apple pieces to keep them from turning brown and to add a bit of brightness to the soup)
Crusty bread and butter
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven. Add the red onion, sage and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and tender, stirring occasionally. Add the sweet potato chunks, tossing to coat and then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the beans, milk, salt and pepper.
Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. If you do not have an immersion blender, follow the following steps with a regular blender. Pour half of the sweet potato mixture into a blender. Secure lid on the blender and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Repeat procedure with remaining sweet potato mixture. Return soup to Dutch oven, and cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish the soup with apple pieces and serve with crusty bread and butter to dip!
Along with this soup, I like to serve a simple mixed green salad. For the dressing, I combine freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper. When making salad dressing, as a rule of thumb, use 4 parts fat (olive oil), 2 parts acid (lemon juice and apple cider vinegar, 1 part each) and 1 part flavor booster (honey). For the seasoning, just add a dash of salt, a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkling of garlic powder.
WINE PAIRING
Zinfandel, Merlot
KID VERSION
This soup is a big hit with my kids! I hope your kids enjoy it too!
