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Mushroom / Sweet Potato / Gouda Soup

This soup is spectacular.

Well, it happened. My beloved root vegetable soup recipe has been ousted by a better version. This one has mushrooms. Lots of mushrooms. It also has sweet potato, gouda, and bacon. I got the recipe from my friend Megan (who got it from here) after we enjoyed it at her place just last weekend. Five days later, nicely in time for a snow day, it was on our table.

As I started cooking, I realized I had no vegetable stock. With snowy roads, I had no choice but to whip up a quick homemade stock. It was easier than I thought. I browned up some onion, celery, and garlic, then poured in water and let it simmer over low with a bay leaf and some thyme. I then set about making the soup, and by the time I was ready to add the stock, it was full of flavor and ready to be strained.

I'm not sure I'll do it again next time, but it's nice to know I have the option.

There's bacon actually blended into this soup! I got a good quality turkey bacon and it added the most amazing richness to the flavor of the soup. A bit of crunchy bacon on top of the soup is nice, too.

To those of you who are currently snowed in (that's everyone, I think) and can't yet buy the ingredients to make this soup, you have my sympathies. Let your Countdown to Making This Soup begin.


The Recipe:
6 slices bacon, crumbled
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 c vegetable stock
3/4 c cream
4 oz smoked gouda
salt and pepper, to taste
  • In a large pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels.
  • Add mushrooms and onions to the same pan. Saute over medium heat until onions are soft and mushroom liquid has evaporated.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Add sweet potatoes, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and stock. Cover and simmer over low heat about 20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft. 
  • Remove the bay leaf. Add the cooked bacon back into the pot, reserving some crumbles for garnish.
  • Blend with immersion blender until smooth.
  • Stir in cream and gouda until gouda is melted. Season with salt and pepper. 
  • Garnish with bacon.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A+
Overall reason: Smoky, rich, satisfying.
Time to prepare: 1 hour
Husband quote: "This is my favorite soup. Of all the soups."

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