Super simple, nutritious and warming this lightly spiced sweet potato and red lentil soup is perfect for chilly, wintery days. Serve it chunky with texture or silky smooth and it will warm you from the inside out.

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While I love all the rich, carby recipes of autumn and winter, it is the deep satisfaction I get from a bowl of hot homemade soup which is the highlight of the season for me. Soup is easy. There is no expectation beyond flavour, warmth and a full tummy. It can appear at lunch, dinner or supper. A flask of hot soup on a muddy walk is sure to bring smiles and big steaming bowls of it are very welcome at any time. Soup can be made with any seasonal vegetables and can have the simplest of flavours or the most complex. It is soup I turn to when I am sad or poorly, when I’m chilly and when I need a hug. I love soup!

Today I bring you a super simple recipe for vegan sweet potato soup. Protein and bulk come from the addition of a handful of red lentils while smoky paprika, ginger, chilli and cumin add flavour and gentle heat. 

How To Make Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Chunky Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup or Smooth?

This soup works well whether you leave it a bit chunky or blend it until it is silky smooth. The simple combination of spices perfectly complement the sweetness of the sweet potato which results in a very moreish soup. I made enough for four but Mr TS and I gobbled the lot in one sitting! I made my soup using the smooth soup making function on the*Froothie EVOLVE High Speed Vortex Blender which I am currently trialling (review to follow). It can also be made on the hob and blended in your blender or food processor. I can’t guarantee it will be as smooth without a high speed blender but it will still taste absolutely fantastic! (*This is an affiliate link. Buying through an affiliate link doesn’t cost you a penny more but earns me a small commission.)

Starting Soup On The Hob Before Blending

For many soups I would add all the ingredients to the cooking jug of the EVOLVE and press go, but spiced soups like my sweet potato and red lentil soup begin on the hob. The flavours of spices are enhanced when they are released with a bit of tender loving care either by dry roasting or by frying them in a little oil. Here, onion, dried spices, garlic and ginger were gently fried before joining the sweet potato, lentils and stock in the EVOLVE’s blender jug. 

Making Smooth Soup Without A Blender

Once I asked the EVOLVE to make me my soup (yes, I can talk to it and it does what I ask it to do – which is novel around these parts!) it just got on with the job and half an hour later I had perfect soup in my bowl. If you are making my sweet potato and lentil soup without this wonderfully obliging gadget, simply add the sweet potato, lentils and stock to the spice mixture and cook on the hob for about 20 minutes until blending. Use a regular blender, a stick blender or a food processor and blend until smooth.

Toppings for Sweet Potato Soup

Crunchy kale crisps and spiced chickpeas sit jauntily on top of this smooth, silky soup adding texture and a quick extra flavour shot. I tossed cooked chickpeas in a tablespoonful of oil, a little paprika, cumin and salt and roasted them for 30 minutes in a hot oven.

Torn black kale leaves, coated in a little rapeseed oil and sprinkled with sea salt joined them for the last for 5-8 minutes until they were crisp. 

Other toppings could include:

• A swirl of coconut cream.
• Crunchy garlic croutons.
• Fresh coriander or parsley leaves.
• Chopped chives.
• Toasted nuts and seeds.

Looking For More Warming Winter Soups? Try:

• My Collection of 14+ Cosy Winter Soups
• Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup.
• Slow Cooker Swede Soup.
• Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup with Chilli and Coconut.
• Beetroot Soup.
• Celeriac Soup with Apple and Chilli.
• Simple Chestnut Soup
• Curried Parsnip Soup

Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Super simple, nutritious and warming this lightly spiced sweet potato and red lentil soup is perfect for chilly, wintery days. Serve it chunky with texture or silky smooth and it will warm you from the inside out.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Lunch, Soup

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Chris Mosler | Thinly Spread

Equipment

• High Speed Blender or Stick Blender or Food Processor

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion peeled and diced
• 400 g sweet potato peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 large clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 4 tbsp red lentils rinsed
• 700 ml vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste

UK Measurements - US Measurements

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Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in and gently fry the onion for a few minutes until soft.
• Add the ginger, garlic, chilli flakes, cumin and smoked paprika and fry for a further minute until aromatic.
• Add the sweet potato, lentils and stock.

If Using Froothie EVOLVE Blender

• Put all ingredients into cooking jug. Put on lid. Select smooth soup function and press On.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

If Cooking On Hob

• Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes until potatoes are soft and lentils are cooked.
• Pour into a high speed blender/food processor or use a handheld stick blender and blend until smooth.
• Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.

Notes

Nutritional information is only an approximate guideline. Calculations will vary according to the ingredients you use and your cooking methods.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 760mg | Potassium: 492mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 14720IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

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