Description
Creamy sweet potato chowder brings hearty comfort from Southern kitchens with a smooth blend of rustic vegetables and rich, warming spices. Nourishing ingredients combine perfectly, offering a deeply satisfying meal you’ll savor from first spoonful to last.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 3 cups sweet potato, chopped (about 1 inch in size)
- 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
- 4 ounces (113 grams) pancetta, diced
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
Seasonings and Finishing Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup cream (half and half, or coconut cream/milk)
- 3 tablespoons roasted salted pepitas, for topping
Instructions
- Render pancetta in a spacious pot over gentle heat, allowing its rich fat to release and transform into crispy morsels, approximately 6-8 minutes. Transfer the golden pancetta to a paper towel-lined surface, reserving the flavorful drippings.
- Melt butter in the same pot, introducing diced onions, minced garlic, aromatic sage, warm nutmeg, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Sauté until onions become translucent and tender, roughly 5 minutes.
- Incorporate julienned carrots and cubed sweet potatoes, thoroughly coating them in the fragrant butter mixture. Pour chicken stock into the pot, elevating the heat to trigger a robust boil.
- Reduce temperature to a gentle simmer, allowing vegetables to become fork-tender. Cover and let the chowder develop its flavors for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Introduce cream or coconut milk, blending thoroughly to create a velvety texture. Taste and recalibrate seasoning with additional salt and pepper as desired.
- Moments before serving, fold fresh kale into the chowder until it softens but retains a vibrant green hue. Ladle into warm bowls, garnishing with reserved crispy pancetta and crunchy roasted pepitas.
Notes
- Crisp pancetta adds a delightful salty crunch that elevates the chowder’s rich flavor profile.
- Choose fresh, firm sweet potatoes with vibrant orange color for maximum sweetness and creamy texture.
- Coconut milk works wonderfully as a dairy-free alternative, bringing subtle tropical undertones to the soup.
- Roasted pepitas provide a delicious nutty crunch and boost the nutritional value with healthy fats and minerals.
- Sage and nutmeg create a warm, comforting spice blend that perfectly complements the sweet potato’s natural sweetness.
- Cooking the vegetables low and slow helps develop deeper, more complex flavor layers in the chowder.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg