West African Peanut Soup
West African Peanut Soup is a hearty, flavorful stew made with peanut butter, sweet potatoes, white beans, spinach, and a spicy tomato broth. Unique and delish!
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 small onion , diced
- 1 medium sweet potato , peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or ginger paste)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (canned)
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 scant cup natural peanut butter , well-stirred*
- 15 ounces small white beans (such as great northern or cannellini), drained
- 2 ounces spinach leaves , long stems removed, sliced julienne
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- salt to taste
- chopped peanuts , for serving
- minced cilantro leaves , for serving
- green onions , thinly sliced, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 4 quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium until the surface shimmers.
- Add the onions and sweet potatoes and saute until the onions soften and start to turn golden (the sweet potatoes will not be cooked through at this point).
- Stir in the tomato paste, ginger, and garlic until well mixed.
- Pour in the tomates and broth. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup up to an active simmer and maintain for 10 minutes.
- Spoon the peanut butter into a medium sized heat-proof bowl. Add 2 ladles of hot soup and stir until loose and smooth. The peanut butter should readily drip off a spoon. Add more soup if necessary.
- Pour the tempered peanut butter into the soup and stir well to completely combine. Reduce heat to low.
- Add the beans, spinach, and sriracha, stirring well. Let the spinach wilt and the beans heat through (about 5 minutes).
- Serve with peanuts, cilantro, and green onions as toppings.
Video
Notes
* Two notes about the peanut butter:
Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients a peanut butter contains, the better. Some popular brands contain sugar, which is not necessary for this soup. However, oil-free, peanut-only peanut butter usually requires copious stirring before use. It's up to you, of course. One full cup of peanut butter is a lot of peanut butter. By "scant cup," I mean, don't fill the measuring cup all the way up to the top edge. I often use just 2/3rds or 3/4ths of a cup. The goal is to have a hint of peanut butter flavor rather than, "oh, this is soupy peanut butter."
Generally speaking, the fewer ingredients a peanut butter contains, the better. Some popular brands contain sugar, which is not necessary for this soup. However, oil-free, peanut-only peanut butter usually requires copious stirring before use. It's up to you, of course. One full cup of peanut butter is a lot of peanut butter. By "scant cup," I mean, don't fill the measuring cup all the way up to the top edge. I often use just 2/3rds or 3/4ths of a cup. The goal is to have a hint of peanut butter flavor rather than, "oh, this is soupy peanut butter."