Creamy Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup

It's no secret that I LOVE soup. I have an entire recipe category dedicated to brothy, creamy, meaty, and vegetable-y soups. If I didn't live where it's over 90 degrees half of the year, I'd probably make a pot of soup every. single. week.

I used to do that when I lived in Boston. I'd have soup from Labor day through Memorial Day, and I never got tired of it.

My favorite soups are those you can pull together with a few pantry staples and a quick simmer. Nothing is better than a warm, satisfying bowl of soup on a cold winter night. Except when that bowl of soup is ready in minutes — like this one.

Recipe Ingredients

I'm not kidding when I say it's easy. To make this soup, you seriously only need:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• An onion
• Some vegetable (or chicken) broth
• A can of chipotle peppers (or use powdered chipotle chile powder instead)
• A can of black beans
• A little bit of cumin, plus cilantro and green onion for a garnish. Or not.

I don't add tomatoes to this soup. Personally, I like the clean, sweet flavor of the sweet potatoes. But, if you love tomatoes, you can add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes in place of some of the broth or along with the broth (the soup will be thinner if you don't cut back the broth).

And I prefer a creamy soup vs sweet potatoes that remain in chunks. Chunks of sweet potatoes means you have to cut them into tiny, uniform cubes. Too much work! And besides, by the time they soften, they rarely hold their shape.

So I roughly chop the vegetables and throw them into the pot to saute for five minutes or so.

Then, I add the chipotle peppers and broth, let it simmer for 30 minutes, and then puree it until it's smooth.

You can put it in a blender, but I prefer to puree it with an immersion blender. Just stick it in the pot, press the button, and stir it around for 30 seconds or so until the soup is nice and creamy.

With an immersion blender, there's no risk of spilling soup as you pour it into a blender. Or soup exploding if you forgot to take that little cap off of the blender lid (been there, done that). It's one kitchen gadget I think every cook should have.

When it's smooth and creamy, season it with salt and cumin, add a can of beans, and dinner is done.

This is such a yummy, flavorful soup that appeals to vegans as well as meat eaters. It's rich and hearty and full of fiber from the beans and sweet potatoes. And, of course, that gorgeous orange color means it's packed with beta-carotene.

Can You Eat This Soup If You Have Diabetes?

Sweet potatoes provide complex carbohydrates and a significant amount of beta-carotene (vitamin A). One serving (about 1.5 cups) of this sweet potato soup has about 47 g of carbs, so it can easily fit into a healthy diet for diabetes. It's also quite high in fiber from the sweet potatoes and black beans.

What's more, boiled sweet potatoes are considered a low glycemic food (their GI is 45), so they shouldn't raise your blood sugar quickly. Interestingly, roasted sweet potatoes have a much higher glycemic index than boiled sweet potatoes.

What to Serve With This Soup

Crusty bread is always a great choice with soup. But if you have time, make a batch of my sweet potato cornbread.

And if you have even more time, make a batch of homemade tortilla chips. Just cut a stack of small corn tortillas in quarters and fry them in small batches in some avocado oil. SO good!

If you prefer to keep it lighter, serve this sweet potato black bean soup with a plain green salad or my jicama salad with southwest dressing.

Or top your bowl with crispy air fryer kale chips seasoned with garlic powder and cumin.

Can You Freeze This Soup?

Yes, because it's pureed, this soup freezes beautifully. Chunky sweet potato soup doesn't freeze as well because the potato chunks get soft and lose their shape and texture. But as long as it's pureed, you can avoid that problem.

To freeze it, portion the soup into freezer storage bags, or these handy Stasher storage bags. Keep it in the freezer for up to six months.

What Else Can You Add To This Soup?

For variations and add-ins to this soup, try adding:

• cooked quinoa or brown rice
• thinly shredded kale
• shredded chicken (if you don't want it vegan)
• cubes of avocado

Other Related Soup Recipes

If you love soup as much as I do, try these cozy soup recipes.