Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon

I just started getting Cooking Light magazine and I LOVE it!! So many great recipes! That is where this one came from. I was looking for a good soup recipe and this one was a winner. Perfect for fall and goes very well with freshly baked bread.

Sweet Potato Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 6 bacon slices (cooked and crumbled)
• Sun-dried tomatoes for serving
• Parmesan cheese (grated) for serving
• Parsley for serving
• Croutons for serving

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place cut-side down in a microwave-safe baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. 
2. While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat; swirl the oil to coat the pan. 
3. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes until onion has softened. 
4. While onion is cooking, in a skillet or in the microwave, cook the bacon until it is crispy and can be easily crumbled (5-10 minutes). 
5. To the saucepan with the onion, add the cumin and red pepper and cook for a couple more minutes. Then, add the broth to the saucepan and bring to a boil. 
6. Once sweet potatoes are cooked, cool slightly and separate from potato skin. 
7. Place half of the sweet potato and half of the broth/onion mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid (to allow heat to escape) but place a towel over the opening in the lid to avoid a mess. Puree in blender until smooth. Pour pureed mix into a large bowl. 
8. Repeat Step 7 to puree the other half of the sweet potato and broth/onion mixture. When finished, add the remaining pureed mixture to the large bowl. 
9. For serving, top each bowl with crumbled bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and croutons in the desired amount.