Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup with Chickpeas

Sweet Potato Soup is delicious when spiced with Moroccan flavours and brightened with fresh lemon juice.

Why Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potato Soup?

Sweet potatoes are, well, sweet. And, dishes made with them often enhance this sweetness even further, with maple syrup, and baking spices. However, for this recipe, I'm going to give the sweet potato a spicy spin.

Because of their sweetness, sweet potatoes lend themselves well to a little spice. Moroccan spices of coriander, cumin, cinnamon, chili peppers, caraway seeds, turmeric, and paprika, along with fresh lemon juice, are a delicious complement to the creamy sweetness of this beautiful orange tuber.

Sweet Potato or Yam, What's the Difference?

Yams and sweet potatoes are often confused or used interchangeably, when, in fact, they are two different veggies. Yams are not sweet and they have white, starchy flesh. They are a common ingredient in West African and Caribbean cooking.

Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are sweet, of course. There are several varieties and the flesh colours can be purple, white, and of course, orange. Orange sweet potatoes are the ones that we (in North America) most commonly use in recipes, and as side dishes to our holiday meals.

Is Sweet Potato Soup Healthy?

Sweet potatoes are high in fibre and very filling. Most importantly, they are a rich source of beta carotene, which converts to Vitamin A in the body, as well as Vitamin C and potassium. Additionally, sweet potatoes are also a good source of B vitamins and minerals.

However, sweet potatoes are not a good source of protein.

Which is where chickpeas come in. This sweet potato soup contains chickpeas, both in the soup itself, and optionally, to top it off with these Spiced Lemon Roasted Chickpeas. Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are very high in protein, as well as fibre, vitamins, and minerals.

Lastly, for more info about sweet potato nutrition, check out this evidence-based article: 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

How to Garnish Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup

You can use any garnish you like, or none at all. I used, as mentioned, spiced lemon roasted chickpeas, parsley, and lemon slices. If you like cilantro, it would be perfect in place of the parsley. Some other garnish ideas are:

• A swirl of creme fraiche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt
• A swirl of olive, grapeseed, or chili oil
• A few speckles of hot sauce, especially harissa
• A tablespoon of chopped peanuts, walnuts, or pecans
• A few crispy fried sage leaves
• A sprinkle of chopped bacon
• A few croutons
• A sprinkle of paprika

Looking for More Sweet Potato Goodness? Try These:

Gluten and Dairy Free Sweet Potato Scallop

Egg, Sweet Potato & Mushroom Skillet

Apple & Sweet Potato Turkey Bake

Sweet Potato Soup with Black Beans and Corn

Salmon & Sweet Potato Frittata

Recipe

Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup

A blend of sweet potatoes and chickpeas spiced with the flavours of Morocco make this hearty, healthy and delicious soup a meal in itself.

4.95 from 35 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Moroccan

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 192.22kcal

Author: Colleen Milne

Equipment

• ▢
  Immersion Blender or Blender
• ▢
  Dutch oven or soup pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 sweet potatoes medium
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion medium, diced
• ▢ 2 celery stalks diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground caraway seed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 6 cups vegetable stock low sodium
• ▢ 18 oz can chickpeas drained
• ▢ 1 lemon juiced
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste
• ▢ parsely for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°
• Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil
• Scrub sweet potatoes well, then poke several times with a fork
• Bake sweet potatoes on prepared pan in the center of oven 1 hour, or until tender
• In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat
• Add onion, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
• Add cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, pepper flakes, caraway, and cinnamon. Cook and stir until fragrant.
• Add stock, chickpeas, and lemon juice and bring back to a boil
• Slice potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh, adding to the pot
• Use an immersion blender right in the pot to puree the soup, blending until smooth, or, transfer in batches to a blender, using care not to overfill, and keeping the vent open.
• Taste and season with salt & pepper
• Serve hot, with lemon wedges, hot sauce if desired, and garnished with parsley and Spiced Lemon Roasted Chickpeas

Notes

You can roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time (maybe while you have something else in the oven) and store them in the fridge until you're ready to make the soup.

If you like more spice, you can increase the red pepper flakes, but I would recommend using a hot sauce at serving time so that people can add more spice according to their preference. Harissa is a perfect hot sauce for this soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 192.22kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.06g | Protein: 10.36g | Fat: 5.78g | Saturated Fat: 0.98g | Sodium: 156.2mg | Potassium: 585.67mg | Fiber: 6.47g | Sugar: 3.67g | Vitamin A: 6442.39IU | Vitamin C: 12.66mg | Calcium: 74.45mg | Iron: 2.6mg

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