High protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes

This high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes came to be after experimenting with a number of „allowed“ ingredients during my elimination diet. Made with filling sweet potato and mixed beans high in protein, it turned into the perfect bowl of comfort food. 

I love a good bowl of soup any day of the year. A big statement for someone living in Australia, I know. But there‘s just something so comforting about a steaming hot bowl of goodness. It‘s like a spoon full of love, that first warms your mouth, to then embrace your tummy in a loving hug. 

While the weather is a little cooler down here, I have been experimenting with a few new ingredients. I‘m sure you all have your go to recipes when it comes to soup. Maybe it‘s your mum‘s broccoli cream soup, or your grandma‘s stew. For me it has always been a delicious bowl of potato soup, until I eventually replaced it with my courgette and basil soup. 

But every now and then there comes a time where you want to try something new. Coincidentally, I am in the midsts of a medical diet, which makes me re-think a few of my usual staples. What better time to try something new?

Sweet potato and legumes are the types of foods I have always appreciated, but never fully embraced. Growing up on white potatoes, I saw sweet potatoes as an inferior cousin of one of my favourite foods. And while we eat a lot of lentils where I’m from (in fact, lentils and spaetzle are our national dish), I must admit I‘m not very adventurous when it comes to the other members of the family of legumes. 

This creamy, high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes has turned out absolutely beautifully. It‘s full of flavour, sweet and hearty, and deliciously nourishing. It even got a thumbs up from my four year old!

High protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes ingredients

I love a meal that can be made with just a handful of ingredients. Even better, if these ingredients are often the random leftovers in my fridge or pantry. If you‘re anything like me, you probably have a bag of mixed beans hidden somewhere in the back of your cupboard. How it got there, no idea. But it‘s there and still in date. Most likely you will also have a sweet potato in your fridge. Let‘s not question how it got there, let‘s instead just appreciate its existence. What else do we need? Let‘s find out. 

Sweet potatoes, of course, we spoke about these. They‘ll bring the sweet flavour and thickness to our soup. 

Mixed beans, we know about these, too. High in protein and oh so good for you, they will make this soup not only delicious, but also filling for hours to come. 

Chickpeas, yes, I‘ll list them separately. While I love mixed beans, my tummy tolerates chickpeas the best, so we‘ll add more of these and less of the other legumes. 

Onion, the start of every tasty meal, will add it‘s subtle sweetness.

Ginger – Fresh or ground, ginger brings a hint of freshness to our soup. I always feel that ginger helps thick soups to taste less sickly, while also boosting my digestion. 

Cinnamon – Because what better spice to add to sweet potato, chickpeas and beans? It also adds more complex sweetness to our flavour profile. 

Beef flavoured stock – My favourite for any starchy soups.

Vegetable stock – Because we don‘t want to overwhelm our spices with too much beef flavouring. 

Olive oil for sautéing your veggies.

Salt and pepper – To make the flavours pop to your liking. 

How to make high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes

This High protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes is super easy to make and can be pre-prepped the night before. 

If you are using dry chickpeas and beans like me, soak them before you start cooking. Make sure to read the instructions on the packet to give your legumes enough time to soak. Generally speaking, adding 1 cup of legumes to 3 cups of water will do the trick. Let your legumes soak for 6-8 hours. I often use a small container and store my bean and water mix in the fridge, either the night before, or just after breakfast. This will give them enough time to get nice and soft. Of course, if you are short on time or only have pre-soaked legumes at hand, skip this step. 

Once your legumes are soaked, start on preparing your veggies. Wash and dry the potatoes, then peel the onion. Using a sharp knife and large chopping board, chop your onion into small chunks, the sweet potatoes into 1-2cm pieces. I like to cut my veggies into smaller pieces, as this allows them to cook faster. The extra minute I spend doing this often saves me up to 15 minutes when cooking dinner. 

Using a large pot or dutch oven, heat some olive oil on medium high heat. Once the plate is hot, add your onions. Stirring occasionally, sautée the onions until translucent and slightly golden. 

Next, add your sweet potatoes. Keep stirring the veggies occasionally to prevent them from sticking and burning. Cook until some sweet potato pieces start to brown on the edges, around 5 minutes. In the meantime, drain your legumes. If you are using pre-soaked beans and chickpeas, give them a quick rinse.

Once your sweet potato is starting to brown it‘s time to add your spices and legumes. I often find recipes calling to add the spices at a stage where they easily burn and stick to the bottom of the pan. That‘s why I like to add them closely before adding a liquid or high moisture produce. Add your cinnamon and ginger and stir to coat the veggies. Then add your beans and chickpeas. The residue liquid from soaking and rinsing will help your ingredients not to stick. 

With a few moments to spare, add the beef and vegetable stock until your produce is just covered. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat, add a lid and let everything simmer until the sweet potato is soft, about 20 minutes. 

Once cooked, allow your soup to cool a little before transferring it to a blender, or using a stick blender directly in the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with your favourite bread, like my same day sourdough or rye sourdough loaves. 

High protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes serving suggestions

I like to use a simple, white soup dish for serving a big batch of soup to the table for everyone to serve their own. But if you prefer to serve your high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes in individual bowls, why not garnish the bowls and make them look extra special? A little coconut cream, some chopped mint, or a few toasted almond flakes will give the dish the extra wow factor. For those who like it spicy, a pinch of freshly sliced chilli adds beautiful colours to your bowl. 

Soups are a beautiful meal by themself, but can easily become the starter to a three course meal. To create a full meal, try and pair this high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes with a few of my favourites:

• Oven baked potatoes
• Mixed salad
• Creamed spinach
• Hidden vegetable pasta sauce
• Sourdough oatmeal choc chip cookies
• Earl Grey honey cake
• Lemon drizzle cake
• Hefezopf

More soup recipes to try

If you liked this recipe, try one of these delicious soups next:

• Rosemary infused carrot soup
• Butternut squash soup
• Courgette and basil soup

Frequently asked questions

Does sweet potato thicken soup?

Starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes are known to thicken soups, yes. Soup recipes often call for one or two added potatoes to thicken its texture, assisting to make your soups more creamy. While most use white potatoes for the everyday recipe, this high protein spiced sweet potato soup with legumes doesn‘t require any extra potatoes, given its high sweet potato content. 

What protein goes well with potato soup?

Potato soup is the ultimate, rustic, hearty dish. Most of us likely grew up with a steaming pot of potato soup as a delicious staple meal, especially if you are from a colder region. To find protein rich pairings for potato soup, think about a typical rustic dinner table. Meats like roast chicken or Sunday roast are ideal to pair with potatoes. Make sure to add a few roast onions and starchy vegetables as well. Of course, not everyone eats meat, but the rustic flavours still help with identifying a great vegetarian or vegan substitute. Think about lentils with their smokey, meaty texture, or some delicious, marinated mushrooms. Black beans add a nice contrast to the dish, while butter beans or chick peas seamlessly blend into the soup.

How do you increase protein in soup?

The easiest way to increase protein in soups is by adding a handful of high protein foods. Lentils, chickpeas or other legumes can often be paired with the soup‘s flavours and can be blended into the soup without anyone noticing. A handful of roast meat or chicken might add some nice added texture to your soup, especially for those broth heavy soups. The same goes for a boiled egg or some marinated tofu pieces. For me personally, I usually opt for legumes to blend into a thick and creamy soup, or a handful of tasty bits that float in any broth heavy soup.

How do you make potato soup less soupy?

If your potato soup is very thin and watery, you have likely used too much water in your recipe. As a rule of thumb, try to only add as much liquid as you need to just about cover your vegetables in the pot. If you have already made the mistake to add too much liquid and there‘s no way to remove any, try to boil your uncovered soup on high heat to reduce some of the liquid. This may require you to add some more seasoning, but is a good option to eliminate at least some of the excess. If this still won‘t do the trick, a little corn flour may assist to thicken your soup. Make sure to gently sprinkle the flour over your already boiled soup to avoid any clumps from forming. 

Is potato soup easily digested?

Potatoes are a very basic, easy to digest food. Because it is gentle on the gut, it is often recommended as a prime ingredient for special and medical diets. While it still takes your intestines a little time to digest the chewed potato chunks, a blended option is assisting it with a lot of these processes. As a result, potato soup is one of the most gentle, easy to digest meals to opt for.