Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon recipe is a great combination of sweet, savory and a bit of spice. Makes an elegant first course for a dinner party, or make it a meal with some crusty bread and a salad.
Soup season is here! While it was tempting to go back to an old fall favorite like Butternut Squash Soup with Sage and Sautéed Mushrooms, I wanted to come up with a new soup to share. Glad I did, because this Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon was a hit!
I get the soup party started by crisping up some bacon in the soup pot. A recipe with bacon as ingredient #1 has to be promising, right? I take the bacon and most of the grease out, but leave enough to give some nice starting flavor to the soup. Then I soften up some onions with carrots, garlic and a jalapeno before adding the sweet potatoes.
The sweet potatoes simmer with just enough spice, between that jalapeno and some curry powder, to give it a nice flavor. I was tempted to call this “Spicy Sweet Potato Soup”, because it sounds kind of catchy, but Jodi and I decided it didn’t have quite enough kick to warrant spicy in the title. That said, it’s got a lively taste profile, just enough spice to serve as a nice offset to the sweet potatoes.
I tend to like my soups puréed for a nice even consistency. The immersion blender is a key tool for this step, but you can do it with a food processor if necessary. After the soup gets puréed, it gets finish up with a bit of cilantro. I also added a bit of baby spinach for some extra color and nutrition. And of course, each bowl gets a nice sprinkling of bacon bits!
The Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon is definitely a recipe you need to put on your list to make this fall or winter! The ultimate test–our ten year old with “discriminating taste” who has never liked soup of any kind, said this OK. We grownups were more generous with our praise…the highest praise was making sure to mop every last tasty bit with some crusty bread!
For another delicious fall soup, try our Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Soup! And our favorite soup any time of year, our Portuguese Kale Soup is always a great choice.
Wine Pairing: Soup can provide tricky for wine pairings, and that was true for this one. First night I served the soup with a very good Pinot Noir from Sonoma, and the pairing worked fairly well. The fruitiness of the wine worked with the sweet aspect of the soup, but there wasn’t anything to really match the spice. With the leftovers, we tried a dry riesling. I’d say that was a bit better as a pairing. Next time I make this I think I’ll try a Gewürztraminer and let you know how it goes!
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Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon
Sweet potatoes cook up with just enough spice for a flavorful soup. Pureed and topped with bacon to finish things off.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 slices of bacon
- cooking spray
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno peper, seeded and chopped
- 6 cups sweet potatoes (from 3 potatoes), peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- dash white pepper
- 1 ½ tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cups baby spinach (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Spray a large soup pot with cooking oil, and heat it on medium. Add the bacon, and cook until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and place on a plate with a paper towel on top.
- Drain the excess bacon fat from the pot, and wipe the pot with a paper towel to get most of the bacon grease out but leaving a bit for flavor. When the bacon has cooled, crumble it into small pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the soup pot used for cooking the bacon. Add the onions, cook for 5 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the carrots and jalapeno peppers, cook for a few more minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the sweet potatoes along with the 2nd tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the chicken broth, water, white pepper and curry powder. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Let the soup simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are nice and soft.
- When the sweet potatoes are soft, purée with a handheld immersion blender. If the handheld blender isn’t available, transfer in batches to a food processor to purée there. Stir in the cilantro and spinach if using after puréeing the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup hot, topping each bowl with a bit of the reserved bacon bits.
Keywords: sweet potato soup, soup with bacon, soup
Shelby
Love this soup recipe and your photos are great. I would have to use butternut squash because Grumpy is picky about sweet potatoes. He thinks he doesn’t like them! I am definitely going to make this recipe soon!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips
I had leftover sweet potatoes that I blended up into a soup. I didn’t do much seasoning since I froze it and didn’t know what I’d be serving it with, but I think I am going to add the spices you have here!
Cooking Chat
sounds like a good plan!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors
Yum sweet potatoes with curry – what a great combination – and so warming!!
Cooking Chat
yes, the curry adds a nice touch!
Laura Dembowski
I just love pureed soups! I’ve never made one with sweet potato, but it sounds fabulous!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Laura! My first time trying sweet potato soup and it was good.
Tara
I love the sweetness of the potatoes with the saltiness of the bacon, nicely done!!
★★★★★
Cooking Chat
Thanks, it’s a nice combo!
Renee@Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Looking at these ingredients, I know I would love this soup! It’s beautiful too!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Renee!
Liz
Such a terrific autumn soup! And with bacon? How could I resist???
Cooking Chat
bacon is hard to pass up!
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere
This is not your average sweet potato soup! I love all the flavors in there!
Cooking Chat
Thanks Sarah!
Serena | Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
I am in love with everything in this creamy velvety soup!
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
I think the Gewürztraminer would pair very nicely with the spices in this soup. YUM
Cooking Chat
will have to try it next time!
Sue Lau
Looks so good!
Healing Tomato
I LOOOOVE your take on a sweet potato soup. What a wonderful way to make soup. I will have to try your method next time.
★★★★★
Cooking Chat
Thanks! It did come out very tasty.
Catherine
Dear David, this soup sounds fantastic! I could go for a bowl on this chilly morning. This is right up my alley. Have a wonderful day my friend, Catherine
Cooking Chat
Thanks Catherine! Hope you had a good day, and found something to warm you up!