By Yotam Ottolenghi
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- 4(840)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This sweet potato soup is both fresh and hearty, with layers of flavors and textures throughout. The sweet potato brings an autumnal warmth, brightened by handfuls of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice added just before serving. Feel free to swap the sweet potato for pumpkin or any winter squash — this soup is versatile — and use small pasta shapes like orzo if you don’t have bulgur on hand. The topping and soup can be cooked a day in advance, but you’ll want to add the herbs and lemon juice when ready to serve in order to optimize their bright notes.
Featured in: A Soup for When You Just Want to Be Alone
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 6tablespoons olive oil
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3garlic cloves, finely grated
- Fine sea salt and black pepper
- 2medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1¼-inch pieces
- 1teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1cup bulgur
- 2cups vegetable or chicken stock
- ¼cup finely chopped parsley
- ⅓cup finely chopped cilantro
- ⅓cup finely chopped dill
- 1teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅓cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- ½teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1lemon, halved
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
503 calories; 29 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 706 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
In a medium saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and the cumin over medium-high for 2 minutes, until the cumin is toasted and fragrant. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chopped onions, about two-thirds of the garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a good crack of pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and slightly softened.
Step
2
Add the sweet potatoes and cook for 4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until lightly caramelized but not yet cooked through. Add the five-spice and cook for 1 minute, just until it starts to stick to the pan, then add the bulgur, stock and 4¼ cups water. Bring to the boil, then cook for 15 minutes, undisturbed, until the sweet potatoes have softened and the bulgur is cooked through.
Step
3
Stir in the parsley, cilantro and dill, and cook for 1 minute more, then remove the pan from the heat.
Step
4
Make the peanut topping: Set the pepper flakes, sugar and the remaining garlic in a small heatproof bowl. Place the peanuts and the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the peanuts start to turn golden brown, then pour the peanuts and oil over the chile-garlic mixture. Stir to combine, then, once the mixture is slightly cooled, add the sesame oil.
Step
5
When ready to serve, season the soup with 4 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon half, then ladle the soup into individual bowls. Spoon over the peanut topping, grate lemon zest from the remaining lemon over the top of each bowl and serve.
Ratings
4
out of 5
840
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Nita
I read these comments as I sit eating a bowl of ghee fried apples, basking in the sweetness of everyone’s experiences and the goodwill it takes to leave a positive comment. These comments are a daily stress reducer.
Sara
Aside from substituting butternut squash for the sweet potato, I followed the recipe to the letter. OMG!! My hubs said it was the “best thing I ever made” and it’s all he ever wants to eat— high praise indeed! I used a pastry cutter to chop up the squash a little, next time (and there WILL be a next time!) I’ll cut cut the squash into smaller pieces. Really amazing—I’m considering making it the first course for our T-Day dinner.
DemostiX
Incomprehensible to me that a veteran chef calls for bulghar to be ready in texture at the same time as ANYTHING, let alone sweet potato, that may lose flavor fall and fall apart. Veteran soup maker here advises: If texture of bulghar (or orzo or….) matters, cook it separately and add it, warm, at the end.
annie
Made a few substitutions just because of what I had on hand (cashews instead of peanuts, omitted 5 spice as I didn’t have it, herbs were reduced to just parsley as it was all that was in the garden) and also substituted quinoa for bulgur to make it gluten free. Very yummy. Will try it without substituting anything except the bulgur next time.
wildfyre
I left the skins on, personal choice. Reduced the liquid by a half cup to get more of a stew result. Absolutely LOVED this dish and so thankful for it being shared. My kitchen smells warm and vibrant at the same time with the blend of all the flavors in this soup. This will be a go to comfort food all winter.
Hillary
What would you consider a medium sweet potato? The ones in the grocery are enormous. How much do we think a medium sweet potato weighs?
Ye Olde Bubster
Do NOT buy pine nuts from Asia, particularly China -- pine nut gatherers / poachers are stripping the forests (as well as trampling them), leaving them barren. The result: wildlife that depend on pine nuts to survive winter are starving and, in some cases, becoming endangered. Buy US or Italian pine nuts. Yes, more expensive, but you'll be doing a good thing for wildlife and maintaining planet health / biodiversity. And pine nuts from Asia have a gross lingering metallic taste.
Epf
This was wonderful! I made it with farro, half the salt and no dill; otherwise stuck to the recipe and was very happy with the result. It has a lovely, complex blend of flavors and the comfort of a good fall stew. I highly recommend!
Ltalent
After skiimming the recipe in the morning, this soup recipe dogged me through a busy afternoon. I arrived home six hours later, cold, wet, and extremely hungry, so I set to work. Completely forgot about the bulgar. Used a dollop of frozen pesto instead of fresh herbs. No lemon or red pepper flakes bc of acid reflex flare up. Ate two bowls alone, listening to the rain pelt the sidewalk. Will make it again this week with the bulgar bc I'm still thinking of it. Delicious.
Chuck In Tampa
Nice soup! We used pistachio, pecan, and almond mix instead of peanuts. This worked great. The greens, red pepper and lemon are absolutely essential
AB
I feel like carrots might be a better substitute than white potatoes, because carrots have a similar sweetness to sweet potatoes. How do you feel about carrots?
Annette
Made this tonight for dinner (which I ate with my husband and adult daughter, so I would argue that it's great to eat with others, not just by oneself!). Only change I made was to substitute Ras el Hanout for the five spice powder, which I didn't have. Next time I think I will cut back the olive oil to a total of 4-5 tablespoons because I found it a bit too oily. Otherwise, it was delicious -- a perfect soup for a cold rainy evening!
NancyB
T Joe's sells quick-cooking farro (10 mins). Regular farro would take longer than bulgur. My pkg of "whole grain bulgur wheat" has instructions to cook for 10 mins, then cover and rest 5. Prof. Google says bulgur has been pre-cooked (parboiled), so perhaps (responding now to DemostiX) the recipe's timing is Not off with respect to bulgur & sweet potatoes. Maybe you were thinking of cracked wheat, which has not been pre-cooked? Other notes would indicate the recipe works well as written.
WPCuoca
If I need to prepare gluten free pasta separately, do I omit the 4 1/2 cups water and use only broth in making the soup?
Jacqueline
Made substitutions due to what I had available (pesto oil for herbs, farro for bulgur, chili oil w peanuts for topping) and this was magical. Would definitely try again with or without substitutions.
Kim from Charlottesville
This recipe finally and belatedly decides it for me: Ottolenghi is a genius. His recipes are delicious with surprising ingredients, and doable for us commoners. I am grateful for this chef and recipe writer.
Erin
This soup was lovely. The peanut topping was perfect. Great to have another great vegan recipe to make.
Razzeph
Turned out more like a rice dish than a soup, it's very filling but no complaints about that or the flavors!
db
Delicious. I made it with butternut squash. Will make again!
Jessi
Great flavors- lemon juice is a must. If using quinoa instead of bulgur, I recommend reducing the amount of quinoa. I substituted it 1:1 and ended up with a very thick stew. 1/4 to 1/2 cup of quinoa would have worked better.
Elena
One of the most flavorful no meat recipes I've had in a while. Big win for relatively low effort.
Erin.
I made this last night & it was delicious. On the easier side, as far as Ottolenghi recipes go, and I was delighted when my soup looked exactly like the photo. That never happens! It's a very pretty soup. The quantity is pretty good--I doubled the recipe and really didn't need to. I didn't have five spice so I substituted with garam masala and a bit of anise; next time I'll prep better. Used farro instead of bulgur, too. Works fine with veggie broth.
ts
Add carrot. Used short grain brown rice instead of barley. 1 c barley to 3 cups water. So subtract 3 cups water from recipe as brown rice is made separately.
Betsy M
Wow, great flavors! I made a few subs due to what was on hand: 2 leeks instead of onion, more cilantro, less parsley, 2 tsp dry dill instead of fresh, quinoa (already cooked, put in when potatoes were almost cooked) instead of bulgur. I think I'll cut the sweet potatoes a little smaller next time
Kate
Can I leave the leftover peanut topping out at room temp for a few days? I am not sure how to store the leftover topping!
Carole Ferguson
Ian and Justine's "best soup ever". And they are critics as well as cooks.
natalie
I made this as written and it is absolutely delicious. Agree with the comment that gave it 10/5 stars. Maybe even 11.
The Pharmer’s Table
This is definitely one of those better the next day soups. Finished with a bit of chili oil or chili crisp really amped it up the day it was made though
Melissa
Forgiving recipe - added celery and carrots in at the beginning for extra veg. Had cooked lentils that needed to be used in the fridge so opted for those in place of bulgar and cut the amount of water. Didn't have peanuts but used cashews and almonds, delightful. Could use more salt than the recipe called for and the lemon juice gives a nice brightness at the end.
jenben
Made with delicata squash. Otherwise followed closely. Absolutely delicious.
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