Sweet potato and roasted apple soup with maple croutons: Soup days are here and it’s time to cozy up to a bowl of this warmly spiced sweet potato soup.

Even in the dead of winter, I wouldn’t consider myself a soup fanatic. I make soup a couple times a year and some of my favorites continue to be my smoky black bean soup, fresh corn chowder in the summer, my bacon cheddar ale soup, and our longtime favorite: Ina’s split pea soup.

In the dead of winter, I tend to gravitate towards pasta and pot pies.

And at the same time, I do love me some sweet potatoes in the fall and I had a few left in the fridge that I had baked recently that needed to be used up ASAP. You know how that goes, don’t you?

The transformation of sweet potatoes into this soup happened sort of haphazardly, actually. My cousin was here last week and where I’m lacking in the soup-love department, she makes up for.

I’m pretty sure she makes soup at least once a week throughout most of the year!

And it’s been pretty chilly here recently so without having to go out shopping with baby in tow for soup ingredients, we pulled from the fridge and pantry and easily had everything we needed to cobble this sweet potato and roasted apple soup together.

For the crunch factor that I feel so many soups need on top, we added some maple croutons. Because: why not??

This soup was so SO good! Since I had baked the sweet potatoes in advance, the soup came together really quickly, in spite of needing to roast the apples in some coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

But, you’ll make the soup base while the apples roast so everything times out nicely. Easy stuff here, guys!

Once the spiced apples are roasted, you’ll puree them into the soup – peels and all to boost flavor and nutritious fiber – until it’s silky smooth and gorgeous. Then you’ll sauté some whole wheat bread cubes in a little butter and toss them with maple syrup riiiight before you top the soup with them.

You definitely don’t want soggy croutons so hold off ’til the end before you make these little guys!

A sprinkle of chives and a dotted drizzle of cream around the top of the soup and you’re ready to go!

This sweet potato and roasted apple soup would make a fantastic starter course for Thanksgiving dinner but it’s just as delicious on a Tuesday afternoon. Grilled cheese optional, of course.

Sweet Potato and Roasted Apple Soup with Maple Croutons

Name: Sweet Potato and Roasted Apple Soup with Maple Croutons
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 large apple, cored and diced into about ½-inch pieces (leave the peel on for added fiber); 2 tsp coconut oil, melted; Kosher salt; 1 tsp light brown sugar, packed; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg; Extra virgin olive oil; ½ medium onion, chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and roughly diced; 1 tsp sweet curry powder (see note below); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 bay leaf; 3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked or uncooked and peeled then diced very small (see note below); 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth; 5 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, cubed (about 3 cups); Pinch of Kosher salt; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; ¼ cup maple syrup; Heavy cream; 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Sweet potato and roasted apple soup with maple croutons will wrap you up in a warm hug when soup days arrive. A bowl of this warmly spiced sweet potato soup is a fall must-make meal that's easy to prepare and a cozy joy to eat. Don't skip the maple croutons - they're a crunchy showstopping addition!

Ingredients

For the soup:

1 large apple, cored and diced into about ½-inch pieces (leave the peel on for added fiber)
2 tsp coconut oil, melted
Kosher salt
1 tsp light brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Extra virgin olive oil
½ medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and roughly diced
1 tsp sweet curry powder (see note below)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked or uncooked and peeled then diced very small (see note below)
6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

For the maple croutons:

5 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, cubed (about 3 cups)
Pinch of Kosher salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup maple syrup

For serving:

Heavy cream
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Instructions

To make the soup: Preheat oven to 400° F. Scatter the apples on a small baking sheet and toss with melted coconut oil, a pinch of salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well-coated. Roast for about 20 minutes, flipping once. The apples should be soft but not mushy.
While the apples roast, heat oil in a large dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, curry powder, a good pinch of salt and a few cranks of pepper; cook for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned.
Scoop out the cooked sweet potatoes from their skins and add them - or the uncooked, diced potatoes, if you're going that route - to the pot along with the bay leaf and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Stir in the roasted apples and continue simmering for another 5 minutes.
If you have an immersion blender, blend the soup until completely smooth directly in the pot. Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a blender and blend until smooth then return the blended soup to the pot. Keep warm while you make the croutons.
To make the maple croutons: Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the diced bread and a pinch of salt into the butter and cook, stirring frequently until browned and crispy. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the croutons to a plate to cool completely.
To serve: Divide the soup between serving bowls. In a medium bowl, toss the croutons with the maple syrup until lightly coated. Scatter a few croutons over the soup bowls. Drizzle a little heavy cream in a circular motion around the outside of the bowls. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve while soup is still hot.

Notes

The great thing about this soup is if you already have baked sweet potatoes, or if you want to bake them to intensify their flavor, you're good to go from the start for this soup. If you have raw potatoes and don't feel like baking them, just dice them very small - like large pea-size - and add them to the soup. You'll want them diced pretty small so they don't take forever to cook in the soup.
The curry powder doesn't make this an Indian-spiced soup. It lends a little bit of warmth and savory flavor to the soup and balances out the sweetness from the apple and sweet potatoes. Try not to omit the curry powder if at all possible.

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