Home Kitchen Sweet Potato Tomatillo Bisque

I could never be sick of soup.

The moment Michigan’s weather hits below 70° it’s soup season, at least in our house it is. From then on I make at least one soup recipe a week for dinner, and this week I remade and reshot an oldie but goodie – Sweet Potato Tomatillo Bisque. This especially velvety and well-seasoned soup is the reliable end-of-summer and beginning and throughout fall recipe. It consists of simple whole ingredients; roasted sweet potatoes, tomatillos, roma tomatoes and a jalapeño blended with sherried shallots and garlic and then combined with broth.

It’s a little sweet, earthy and garlicky with a little back of the throat heat.

And I couldn’t love it more.

To cook this Sweet Potato Tomatillo Soup Will Need:

• sweet potatoes – I try to buy sweet potatoes similar in size so they roast evenly.
• tomatillos – Lends a smoky, mellow and slightly sweet tangy flavor once roasted.
• roma tomatoes – Lends sweetness, sweet and savory with rich umami flavor.
• jalapeño – Remove the seeds and ribs for less heat.
• olive oil – Lends richness and flavor.
• kosher salt – Softens vegetables while sautéing and roasting and enhances flavors.
• shallot – Adds delicate onion flavor.
• garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
• dry sherry wine – Lends complex and nutty flavor to soup.
• low-sodium chicken broth – Or use low-sodium vegetable broth if vegetarian.
• white pepper – Or freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat your oven to 450°F (or 230℃).

Scrub 1½ pounds of sweet potatoes, pat dry and place them on a rimmed quarter baking sheet. Stab the tops with a fork or knife to allow steam escape when roasting. Then set off to the side.

Line a separate quarter sheet pan with foil (for easier clean up). Cut 8 to 10 medium tomatillos (about 3/4 of a pound), 2 roma tomatoes and 1 medium jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed for less heat) in half and place cut side up (except for the jalapeño) onto the prepare pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt.

Note: Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño for less heat.

Slide both pans into your preheated oven. Roast the tomatillos/tomatoes/jalapeno for 25 to 30 minutes and remove. Continue roasting the sweet potatoes until a knife glides through effortlessly, about 20 to 30 minutes more (45-60 minutes total, depending on size).

Once the pan with the tomatillos have roasted, add them along with any juices that accumulated in the pan, into a high-speed blender (I linked mine below in the printable recipe).

Meanwhile, add 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1 medium shallot with a pinch of salt to a 4-quart dutch oven.

Stir a cook 4 to 6 minutes until softened. Then add in 6 cloves of minced fresh garlic.

Stir and cook for 1 minute. Lastly, pour in 1/4 cup of sherry wine, bring to a bubble and reduce until most of it has reduced.

Once the sweet potatoes have cooled enough so they are safe to handle, remove the skin and add the flesh into the blender. Next add in the sautéed shallot and garlic.

Lastly pour in 1½ cups of low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth.

Secure the lid to your blender, remove the center plug out of the lid and cover with a kitchen towel while pureeing until smooth. Stop once the mixture smooth, velvety and fine-looking.

Pour the purée into a 4-quart Dutch oven and add the remaining 2½ cups of broth. Stir to combine. Feel free to add more broth until you reach a desired consistency.

Taste and season with 1½ to 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon white or black ground pepper.

Stir well to incorporate and heat over medium-low until warmed through.

This is the dependable late summer, early fall soup and did I mention that it’s so incredibly smooth?! Worth keeping a especially smooth soup, but I also need that especially smooth soup to have some sort of texture.

So I like to serve it topped with kitchen-made croutons, roasted pepitas and snipped fresh chives.

HOW TO STORE Sweet Potato Tomatillo SOUP:

Allow the soup to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container or containers.

HOW LONG WILL Sweet Potato Tomatillo LAST?

If stored properly, this soup will last 3 to 5 days.

CAN THIS SOUP BE FROZEN?

Yes! Allow the soup to cool completely and store in freezer safe container. Thaw and then reheat low and slowly on the stovetop.

MAKE IT A MEAL:

I like to serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich and/or this Michigan cherry salad or this ancient grain and arugula salad.

Enjoy! And if you give this Sweet Potato Tomatillo Soup recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!