Recipe: Creamy Sweet Potato Soup w/ Bacon-Mushroom Topping

Maybe you live somewhere that is already having warm temps and balmy, sandal-worthy days. If so, feel free to ignore this recipe (P.S. – I hate you.)(P.P.S – Just kidding. I’m amazed you even read my schlock here. Thanks for stopping by!). But for the rest of us in the early grips of a long, wet, dreary spring, this soup is a comforting boost in a bowl.

And amazingly filling. I don’t necessarily associate starches with that perfectly-satiated postprandial feeling, but two ladlefuls of this and I was good for the night. Those of you who hit the gym hard after work might find this particularly useful for dinner post-workout.

This is especially nourishing if using a good homemade chicken bone broth. It’s simple food, but you’ll make your peasant ancestors proud.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup w/ Bacon-Mushroom Topping

1/2 lb. bacon, diced small

4-5 button mushrooms, diced small (shiitakes, criminis, morels, or chanterelles would also be awesome)

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 tsp. dried thyme

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup coconut milk or heavy cream

salt and pepper, to taste

1) In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon and mushrooms until bacon is crisp and mushrooms are soft, 6-7 minutes. Scoop onto a plate and set aside.

2) Now let’s make good use of that rendered fat. Add your onion, garlic, and celery, cooking until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes more. Add potatoes and thyme, stirring until combined. Add broth and simmer for 20 minutes, or until sweet potato is very soft.

3) Working in batches (probably two), purée the soup until smooth. Add back to pot and stir in coconut milk. Season with S&P. Serve in bowls with a generous sprinkle of bacon/mushroom mixture on top.

Serves 4.