Sweet Potato Chowder

Anyone else noticing the meteoric rise of the sweet potato?

What was once relegated to holiday meals only, has now become a cult favorite online. People are using sweet potatoes in ways never seen before. They are substituting their more starchy cousin for everything from potato salad to fries.

Sweet potatoes have also been speaking my love language lately. The creamy, slightly sweet orange flesh calls out to me in the evenings. I don’t have a working oven right now, so I’ve been having to get creative in how I cook them.

I’ve boiled them for recipes (slightly bland, but still good) and I’ve microwaved them whole for barbecue stuffed potatoes (a better option, in my opinion, if you don’t have a working oven). I’m coming to grips with not having an oven for probably the next month (darn you slow home warranty process!) so I’m going to have to keep coming up with creative ways to skirt around it.

Thankfully we’re in soup season, so I can get away with just using my stove top for most recipes. This recipe combines my love affair with sweet potatoes with my yearning for more soups in my life.

I have to say, this is an excellent soup. It’s creamy, hearty and extra delicious. I accidentally grabbed a package of maple bacon at the store instead of regular, but decided to use it anyway and wooo…it worked. It really worked.

This soup just exudes fall flavors. From the maple bacon to the creamy sweet potatoes to the nutmeg, it’s the ultimate fall soup.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Chowder

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 40 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A creamy autumn soup with sweet potatoes, bacon, carrots and spinach.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 strips maple bacon, diced
• 1 TBS. butter
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. sage
• salt & pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Cook bacon in a large pot. Once bacon is crispy, remove to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Add butter to pot and onions and garlic. Saute until tender, around 2-3 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper and then pour in potatoes, carrots and chicken broth.
2. Let mixture come to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Stir in spinach, half the bacon and heavy cream. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve topped with remaining bacon.