Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions

Warm up to a creamy bowl of Roasted Sweet Potato Soup topped with caramelized onions and a pinch of fresh thyme.

WOW! It’s COLD! I’m a born and raised Buffalo girl so I’m used to cold and snowy winters but not this cold! Anything under 32 degrees is just downright cold but when we’re talking about 0 and even -2 for the air temperatures without factoring in the wind chill it’s just FREEZING! When it’s starts warming up into the 30’s it’s going to feel like a heat wave. And for many Buffalonians that means it’s short weather again! Just ask my father! He’s one that in his younger days would be outside on a snowy day snowblowing the driveaway in shorts. He’s not the only one I’ve seen doing it. Buffalonians are pretty resilient to the cold but this weather I think is too cold for even us cold weather folks used to cold winters.

Cold days like this call for a warm bowl of soup and lots of it! I absolutely love soup even on not so cold days. Soup is my kind of comfort food. I love curling up with a bowl of soup while reading a book or binge watching Fixer Upper. What could be better than that? This Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions has leaped to the top of my favorite soup list. Seriously! I can’t stop eating it and honestly it’s one soup I constantly crave. I love creamy bisque like soups and this soup has that creamy consistency without a drop of cream! I feel like I’m indulging on a creamy bowl of soup but without the guilt. That’s my kind of soup!

This Roasted Sweet Potato Soup is made simply with sweet potatoes (obviously), onion, garlic, a can of full fat coconut milk, vegetable or chicken broth, salt and pepper. That’s it! Now before you start thinking that it’s going to be bland or boring it’s far from it! The combination of these few simple ingredients make one incredible soup!

The soup alone is perfection and actually how I first created it but as this recipe evolved I had the idea to incorporate some sweet caramelized onions to the soup which just elevated it to another level.

Now I could totally see some toasted cubes of bread topped on this soup for a little crunch but since I try not to eat bread except on occasion I opted for the caramelized onions which I absolutely love! If you don’t eat onions you could totally skip the onions but I think it really adds great flavor and texture to the soup. Another idea if you don’t want to add onions but want a little crunch is top it with some toasted walnuts or pecans or I even use a trail mix that has a combination of sunflower seeds, pepitas, dried cranberries and nuts. It’s really good that way too! Whether you try this soup alone with nothing on top, add caramelized onions, cubes or toasted breads, or the nuts I’m pretty sure you’re going to love this soup as much as I do!

When it comes to making the onions I have two methods and it really boils down to what mood I’m in. The first method is adding the sliced onions to a second sheet pan and having them roast alongside the sweet potatoes. Lately I’ve been opting to make it that way so I can just pop everything in the oven and do my thing while everything is cooking plus I LOVE the way the kitchen smells when all the veggies are roasting in the oven. If I do it this way I periodically toss the veggies while they’re roasting so they cook evenly.

The second method is caramelizing the onions on the stove while the sweet potatoes are roasting. This gives you a little more control of the onions caramelizing and really get them soft and tender. This method works just as well as popping them in the oven but you just need to check on them a little more often. Basically if I’m feeling lazy I just pop them in the oven. The onions you see in the pictures were onions cooked in the oven.

If you are stuck in a frozen tundra like I am and you’re craving a hearty bowl of soup that’s going to warm you up and is good for you then you’re going to want to give this soup a try! If you don’t have any sweet potatoes on hand then bundle up and run to the store. It will be worth it once you do!

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Caramelized Onions

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• Author: Jenn - Mother Thyme
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 2 large sweet onions
• 2–3 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
• 1 can (13.5 ounce full-fat coconut milk)
• 1–2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• 1–2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Peel and cut one of the onions in half.
4. Cut half of the one onion into wedges.
5. Place the onion wedges along with the sweet potatoes and garlic cloves on a baking sheet in a single layer.
6. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.
7. Toss to coat evenly.
8. Slice the remaining half of onion and peel and slice the other whole onion.
9. Place the sliced onions on the second baking sheet.
10. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
11. Add both baking sheets to oven and roast for about 30 minutes tossing occasionally for even cooking until potatoes or fork tender.
12. Carefully remove baking sheets for oven.
13. Set the roasted sliced onions aside.
14. Add the sheet pan with sweet potatoes to a blender along with coconut milk and 1 cup broth.
15. Blend until smooth and creamy.
16. Add more broth if desired a few tablespoons at a time for desired consistency.
17. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
18. Add soup to a pot and simmer until warm.
19. To serve ladle desired amount of soup into a bowl. Top with caramelized onions and a pinch of thyme.

Notes

My directions add the roasted veggies to a blender however after the veggies are roasted you could add them to a soup pot along with the coconut milk and broth and use an immersion blender instead of a blender.
For a little chunkier soup pulse it opposed to cranking the blender up on high or what I have done is keep maybe 4-5 of the roasted sweet potatoes out when I first blend the soup. Once the soup is all blended and I have reached my desired consistency I’ll add the remaining sweet potatoes in and just pulse the blender a few times so you get some of those yummy sweet potato chunks.
For a more bisque like soup you’ll use about 1-1 1/4 cup broth. If you like you’re soup thinner use upwards to 2 cups. Start with 1 cup and go from there adding a few tablespoons at a time until you get your desired consistency.
As mentioned in the recipe post I have 2 methods for caramelizing onions. The recipe above suggests roasting them in the oven which is for convenience however you could also caramelize the onions on the stove. If you prefer doing this while the sweet potatoes are roasting heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions to the skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes. Once cooked set aside until the soup is ready.
If you like garlic add a few peeled cloves to the sliced onions on the baking sheet too (I do!) The additional garlic cloves is not noted in the recipe about but I usually will add 3-4 cloves to the onions. The garlic cloves will get soft and buttery and is so good!