This vegetarian & gluten-free maple rosemary sweet potato soup is the perfect cozy, cold weather dinner!

Hi! How was your Thanksgiving? We had such a fun time with our extended family, and we’re still working through all the leftovers. (Apple crisp may be my new favorite breakfast.)

When I was growing up, my elementary school always held a “simple meal” the day before Thanksgiving that consisted of soup and cornbread. It was a way to remind us–before the crazy excess of the holidays–of all the truly important things we had to be grateful for. I loved the simple meal as a child, and as an adult, it’s something that I’ve incorporated into my own family’s traditions. Every year, the night before Thanksgiving we have soup, salad, and bread for dinner.

I was planning to make my favorite pumpkin soup recipe, but my sister-in-law was making pumpkin soup as a Thanksgiving first course, so at the last minute I decided to go with sweet potato instead. After flipping though a bunch of cookbooks, I chose Giada’s recipe for maple rosemary sweet potato soup.

I don’t know about you, but I love the flavor and scent of fresh rosemary, especially around the holidays. It’s just so wintery and festive. I seriously can’t get enough. (I’m planning to take my rosemary truffle popcorn to a girls’ movie night this weekend.)

I made a few small changes to Giada’s recipe, swapping vegetable stock for chicken to make the soup vegetarian, and using a bit less liquid overall (I used four cups of stock and one cup of water). I also cut back a bit on the butter, olive oil, and maple syrup. Even with my healthier changes, the soup still came out luxuriously thick, creamy, and so delicious. The mascarpone added a subtle velvety texture, but the flavor wasn’t at all overpowering, nor was it overtly “cheesy.” I mean, Alex doesn’t even like mascarpone and he loved this soup.

Best of all? It tasted even better after a couple of days in the fridge. It would also freeze beautifully. The next time I make this I’m definitely going to double it and stock up.

I’m sorry I’ve been MIA lately. The baby is due in less than a month(!) and we’re so busy getting ready (and so tired!). Also, I feel very acutely that these are my last few precious weeks with Owen as my one and only. I think he feels it too, and we’ve sort of been inseparable. Once we are settled as a family of four I promise I will be back here full force 🙂 In the meantime, I hope to share a least a holiday cookie or two before baby arrives!

Maple Rosemary Sweet Potato Soup

This is the perfect cozy, cold weather soup! It will keep in the fridge for about a week, and up to three months in the freezer.

Servings 6

Author Turnip the Oven

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots chopped
2 large cloves garlic minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes 2 or 3, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 sprigs fresh rosemary 6-inch
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth + 1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary, vegetable stock, water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. With an immersion blender (or in batches in a regular blender) blend the soup until it is completely smooth. Whisk in the mascarpone and maple syrup. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper as needed.