Sweet potatoes are a bit of an enigma to me. I always thought that sweet potatoes were orange, but then one day I bought some and was surprised when I peeled one that the flesh looked just a tiny bit more orange than a regular potato. It was the skin that was different. For some reason I thought the magic would happen when the potato cooked – but seriously, I am not sure what I was thinking. The cooked potato looked exactly like the raw one – and it wasn’t orange.
The next time I was in the market to buy some sweet potatoes, I noticed how the yams were different – the flesh actually looked orange. So, that’s what I bought – and sure enough, it was as orange as can be. And absolutely beautiful. Ok, so I know that sweet potatoes and yams are supposed to taste the same, but for some reason the orange yams taste better to me. It is amazing what a little color can do to your taste buds. Ok, this has got to just be in my head.
I found this recipe in Cooking Light and it was the color that attracted me. I am not a huge sweet potato soup fan, but I knew that with a color like that, and some bacon crumbles – how could I not love it. It was a very simple soup – one of the simplest I have made – but the recipe was all wrong. It called for sweet potatoes, and I knew that if I really used them, it would have no color at all. So – I used yams – and sure enough, orange like the sun. This soup was not only delicious, but as my neighbor described it – velvety – and that was exactly the texture. The bacon crumbles gave it a nice salty taste that was a perfect balance with the sweet soup. The only thing left to change now, is the name…but Creamy Yam Soup just doesn’t sound as good, right?
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yams, halved lengthwise (about 2 large)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
- 1 ounce fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves (optional)
Preparation
Place potatoes, cut sides down, in an 11 x 7-inch microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water; cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at HIGH 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly; discard potato skins.
Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute or until translucent. Stir in cumin and red pepper. Add stock to pan; bring to a boil. Place half of sweet potato and half of stock mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters); blend until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining sweet potato and stock mixture. Stir in salt. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls; sprinkle cooked bacon and Parmesan cheese evenly over top. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
First Look, Then Cook 
This looks perfect for lunch! Definitely making it.
This looks so good! I’m going to try this one for sure.
Beautiful creamy soup and a little bacon on top would be lovely. I also found this issue the sweet potatoes when we moved to Asia. The skins are purple but the flesh is just a pale yellow, not orange. However, they are delightfully sweet and taste wonderful as a sweet potato fry or even in a dessert. So I will give your recipe a try and see if the color makes it seem less sweet than yours.
Sweet potatoes and yams aren’t even in the same plant family. Grew up with hating sweet potatoes only to learn that what I hate is yams. I LIKE sweet potatoes!