This soup is a nice warm way to take advantage of pumpkin season on a weeknight or to brighten up the usual Thanksgiving dinner with a little purple. Purple sweet potatoes are a true wonder. Not only are sweet potatoes packed with nutrients, the purple ones create the most beautiful color in whatever you cook with them. On top of that, enter the mini white ghost pumpkins and you have a marriage of Fall-flavored amazingness.
Print Recipe Jump to Recipe
Also, as a fun fact, this soup goes great at dog birthday parties! I will forever associate this purple soup with my dog’s first birthday. Yes, I threw him a party and yes I made purple sweet potato soup (for the human guests). I invited over a few friends who loved my dog to make sure that he received ample petting and treats on his birthday. When it was time to eat I insisted everyone eat standing around the kitchen counter instead of the dining table because it was Gabbar’s birthday and it would be more fun for him if were in the kitchen. Let me tell you, standing around that kitchen counter, my friends couldn’t get enough of that purple soup. Even my husband liked it and he is not a fan of sweet vegetables or really any bit of sweetness in his savory meals.
Purple sweet potatoes have the most gorgeous deep purple color when you first peel them. So beautiful it gets on your fingers when you are chopping and looks almost like a luscious red wine stain. When you cook with the potato the color will lighten but the dark hues are so prevalent you will still end up with some shade of purple depending on what you cook it with. Additionally, they have antioxidants and are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber. Purple sweet potatoes can usually be found at Whole Foods any time of year here in California. Since this is a soup that is being blended together the potatoes only have to be sauteed on the stove.
Ghost pumpkins are a nice decorative option next to the orange ones but who knew they taste good in cooking too. They also contain good stuff like beta-carotene, potassium, fiber and Vitamin E.
If you want to substitute the orange pumpkins or other sweet potatoes the flavor should not be affected but I cannot guarantee what color your soup will turn out to be!
Purple Sweet Potato Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large purple sweet potato chopped into 1 cm slices
- 1 mini white pumpkin
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 small-med onion chopped into large chunks
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 pinches all spice
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Cut the very top slice of the pumpkin off including the stem
- Cut the pumpkin in half top to bottom
- Remove the seeds from the pumpkin. This can be done using a spoon to scrape off the seeds and stringy center parts of the pumpkin
- Brush the insides of the pumpkin, the onion pieces and the potato slices with olive oil
- Add the pumpkin to a baking pan
- When the oven is preheated, cook the pan for 25 min. When it is done, take it out and let it cool for a while
- While the pumpkin is cooking in the oven, turn on the stove to medium heat.
- Add olive oil to a pan on the stove
- When the oil heats up, add the onions, potato slices and garlic and saute.
- Keep stirring every minute or so until the potatoes are a bit softer to break with your cooking spoon
- When the pumpkin has cooled a bit, use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin from the skin
- Add the pumpkin, onions, garlic, potatoes and 1/2 cup vegetable broth to the Vitamix and blend into a smooth puree
- Transfer the puree to a pot and turn the stove on to med-high
- Add the all spice, remaining vegetable broth and salt and pepper and bring to a boil
- Lower heat to low and cover once it stops bubbling. Cook for at least 10 minutes before serving