African Peanut Soup

a bowl of peanut soup with garnish
Prep Time: 
30 minutes
Number of Servings: 
8
Recipe Source: 

Ingredients

  • 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or water
  • 2 (15-oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 c diced yellow onion
  • 12 c diced celery
  • 4 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 1 tsp seeded and diced hot chile pepper
  • 4 c chopped sweet potato (12-inch pieces)
  • 1 12 c chopped tomato (12-inch pieces), or 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
  • 14 tsp ground black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp wheat-free tamari or other soy sauce (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp Berbere spice mix*, optional
  • 34 c creamy or crunchy peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 12 c roasted unsalted peanuts, for garnish

Directions

  1. Place stock in a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add all remaining ingredients, except peanut butter, cilantro, and peanuts, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Remove about 1 cup of liquid and place it into a small bowl. Add peanut butter and stir until creamy. Return mixture to pot, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add cilantro, stir well, and garnish with peanuts before serving.
  4. Variations: You can sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil before adding the vegetable stock. Replace the peanut butter with almond butter or other nut butter. For a lighter soup, replace one can of coconut milk with an equivalent amount of vegetable stock or water. Add 2 cups of chopped spinach, chard, or kale once the peanut butter is added.

Notes

Add the vegetables as you chop them, to fit this dish into a 30-minute time frame. Serve over quinoa or rice.

*Berbere is a spice blend that consists of up to 10 different spices common to Ethiopian cuisine. You can make your own by combining the following ingredients in a bowl and mixing well:

  • 2 teaspoons of paprika
  • 2 teaspoons of dried ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
  • 12 teaspoon of ground allspice
  • 12 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 12  teaspoon of fenugreek
  • 14 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • 14 teaspoon of ground cloves
  • 14 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. 
Nutrition Info: 
With vegetable stock: 481 Calories, 12 g Protein, 0 mg Cholesterol, 27 g Carbohydrates, 8 g Total sugars (0 g Added sugars), 5 g Fiber, 40 g Total fat (23 g sat), 723 mg Sodium, ★★★★★ Vitamin A, HHH Vitamin B3 (niacin), Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Phosphorus, ★★ Vitamin E, Iron, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium, Zinc

Contributor

Mark Reinfeld

Award-winning vegan chef Mark Reinfeld is the creator of Vegan Fusion, a platform for plant-based, vegetarian, raw, and gluten-free cooking classes and recipes.

Reinfeld is the author of seven books, including the bestselling 30-Minute Vegan series, and offers food counseling services for companies like Google, Whole Foods, and Bon Appétit Management.

He is the 2017 inductee into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame.