As so often happens at our house, this recipe was born out of the necessity of cleaning out the refrigerator and pantry. Sweet potatoes in the fridge and an onion in the pantry had to be used or lost, as did some ham steaks that had been in the freezer for quite some time. Since fall is the time of year for soup, this simple dish was the logical result, and it turned out to be one of the best soups I have ever made. I had it for lunch with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which was more like dessert for the meal) and it was so good and satisfying I just might have this pairing for dinner one night!
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup with Ham
1-2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 C. chicken stock (I used unsalted)
salt to taste (I used 1/2 tsp.)
1 T. honey mustard
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled*
6-8 oz. ham steak, diced
Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute longer. Stir in the stock, seasonings, and sweet potatoes. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the ham and serve. Serves 6.
Note: I had some slender French green beans (haricots verts) that also needed to be eaten, but I did not want to add them to the soup as they would get overcooked very quickly. Instead, I steamed them and diced them finely. I then placed a mound in the bottom of a bowl and spooned the soup over the top so that they could be stirred in while still bright green and slightly crisp. This method was the perfect solution!
*I used prepackaged microwaveable sweet potatoes from Publix.
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