Sweet and Savory African Peanut Soup

If you're looking for a soup that will satisfy all the senses and your belly, look no further. This African soup checks all the boxes—hearty, satisfying, nourishing, a little sweet, a little savory and a little spicy (only if you like spice). It's really simple too! I made this for us on Monday, ate it while it was hot, and enjoyed the leftovers (for breakfast) on Tuesday — turns out it's also really good cold!

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Sautéd Vegetables

• 1/4 cup olive oil or veggie broth for oil-free

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped onion)

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1/4 cup minced garlic)

• 2 Tbsp minced ginger

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Soup

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 2 cups water

• 2 medium organic sweet potatoes, cubed (about 3 1/2 cups)

• 6-ounce can tomato paste

• 3/4 cup unsweetened peanut butter (smooth or chunky—either works!)

• 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt

• 2-3 cups organic spinach

Garnish

• chopped cilantro

• chopped green onion

• peanuts

How to make

1. Add the olive oil or vegetable broth to a large stove top pot and heat on medium to high heat.

2. Add onion, turn down heat to medium and cook 1-2 minutes until the onion is translucent.

3. Stir in garlic and ginger.

4. Stir in turmeric, salt and pepper so they coat the vegetables.

5. Cook 2-3 minutes on low-medium.

6. Add 4 cups broth and 2 cups water.

7. Boil. 

8. Add cubed sweet potato, cook until potatoes are soft about 10 minutes.

9. In a medium size bowl, add tomato paste and peanut butter. Mix together well.

10. Add the peanut butter and tomato paste mixture to the soup and stir until they're completely dissolved.

11. Add the chickpeas.

12. Stir in the paprika, cumin and salt.

13. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. The soup will thicken.

14. Finally, stir in the 2-3 cups of spinach (depending on how green you like it!).

15. Portion into soup bowls and top with cilantro, green onion and peanuts, as well as another dash of paprika and red pepper flakes if you'd like!

Nutrition Information

Per serving (4 servings): 959 calories, 110 grams carbohydrates, 28 grams fiber, 40 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 1021 milligrams sodium

Want to dive further into plant-based eating?

Visit all plant-based recipes here.

Visit the blog for more plant-based articles here.

Get 5-minute plant-based dressing recipes here. (FREE!).

Book a 15-minute FREE consultation here.

Get a customized weekly meal plan with recipes and shopping lists, as well as email and texting support here ($97 a month).