*I didn’t make it vegan, but you can!

I decided to try this recipe from The Kitchn because I’m always on the lookout for easy, affordable vegan recipes. I’m not vegan, but I’m trying to cut back on animal products…sometimes.

Here’s the o.g. vegan recipe…

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sweet potatoes, coriander, paprika, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine; and cook for 1 minute.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer about 2 cups of the soup, broth, and vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Stir the purée back into the soup and serve immediately.

And here’s my #SaraTries spin on it:

INGREDIENTS

“2 tablespoons” olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium potatoes), peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup half & half

NOTES: (1) I eyeballed the oil because I never measure it out, but I’m guessing it was about 2 or 3 tablespoons (2) I can never mind “medium” sized onions and I rarely save half onions [because I forget they’re in the fridge and they rot] so I went with large, which was perfect (3) Like most, I always do more garlic (4) I didn’t have sweet paprika and I keep forgetting to buy it, so I used what I had, which is smoked paprika (5) I keep forgetting to buy dried sage, so I unfortunately had to leave it out, but I’m eager to try it with sage and I’ll update this post when I do (6) I used chicken stock because it’s what I had in the pantry

(7) Gets its own paragraph because I do want to stress that this soup, without the cream (and with veggie stock, I’m sure) is awesome. Very flavorful, light yet comforting. If you’re vegan or you’re watching your caloric intake, you can do the o.g. recipe and it’ll be great.

But I am not watching my caloric intake. I wanted this soup to be creamy… and it’s VERY good with the cream, I have to say. So, do with that info what you will.

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and celery and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sweet potatoes, coriander, paprika, sage, salt, and pepper; stir to combine; and cook for 1 minute.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Take the soup off the heat. Use a stick blender to puree the soup until smooth. Stir in half & half and ENJOY!

NOTES: I did the “half puree/half not pureed” thing and that’s fine but… I don’t know, I didn’t like the texture. Maybe I didn’t dice sweet potato chunks small enough. Plus, the first time I made the soup, I froze some of it and when I reheated it, the sweet potato chunks were kinda grainy and fell apart in my mouth in an unappetizing way.

So, I like to puree the whole batch. I use a stick blender because it’s way easier, but you can use a regular blender or food processor and puree in batches.