Savory Sweet Potato Soup with Vibrant Kale Pesto

Ingredients

• Soup:
• Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a pot
• Sauté a delightful mix of ½ cup of chopped celery, ⅔ cup of chopped onion, and 2 cloves of minced garlic
• Pour in 2 cups of vegetable broth, adjusting to your liking
• Season with ¾ teaspoon of ground turmeric, ¾ teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin, salt, and ground black pepper
• Add in 2 cups of cooked and mashed sweet potatoes and 1 cup of canned unsweetened coconut milk
• Pesto:
• For the flavorful pesto, combine 1 cup of stemmed and chopped kale, ½ cup of coarsely chopped English walnuts, and ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
• Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon (adjust to taste), add 1 clove of garlic, salt, and ground black pepper
• Drizzle in 5 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, adjusting as needed.

Step 1

Start by heating olive oil in a large saucepan until it shimmers over medium heat. Toss in celery and onion, stirring until they soften for about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add garlic and sauté until it becomes fragrant, which should take around 1 minute. Throw in broth, turmeric, ginger, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper, then bring the mixture to a boil.

Step 2

Carefully transfer the contents into a high-speed blender, making sure to cover it with a lid. Blend on high for a minute. After that, add in mashed sweet potato and coconut milk, continuing to blend until the soup achieves a creamy consistency, which usually takes about 4 minutes. If the soup appears too thick, feel free to add more broth or water. Keep the soup warm by covering it.

Step 3

For the pesto, combine kale, walnuts, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Process or blend at high speed until it forms a paste, remembering to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. This typically takes around 3 minutes. Slowly pour in olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, blending after each addition. Adjust the consistency by adding more oil or lemon juice if necessary.

Step 4

When ready to serve, ladle the warm soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of pesto.