West African Peanut Soup

This sleeper of a recipe tastes so good you would never believe it's good for you. Heavy and hearty, but with bite and crunch it's the perfect stand alone January lunch or great served as soup shots as an appetizer. It is also a nice rich starter. All in all, this recipe has legs so try it out. 

west african peanut soup

West African Peanut Soup

Serves 4 

2 TB olive oil

3+ cups low sodium vegetable broth 

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 ½ inch thumb of ginger, peeled and grated

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup smooth peanut butter

4 TB tomato paste

15oz can crushed tomatoes

Sriracha to taste

3-5 stalks of kale, center ribs removed, chopped into 1 inch strips

Salt and Pepper

Chopped roasted and salted peanuts for garnish

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Add onions and sweat for 4 mins, until translucent and softened. Add garlic and ginger, season with salt and pepper, and cook for a minute or so more, stirring so the garlic doesn't burn. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add in broth, stir to break up tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes. Add peanut butter, crushed tomatoes and however much sriracha you would like (I like a lot but remember you can always add more later). Season soup with a little more salt and pepper, simmer for 15-20 further minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the peanut butter. Allow to cool slightly so you don’t burn yourself. 

Puree the soup in a blender until really smooth, thick and airy. Return to pot and turn on low heat. Add a little splash of stock or water if soup seems too dense. Taste and add a little salt and pepper if it needs it. Add kale to soup and cook for 2 minutes: you want the kale to darken and soften slightly, but still have a little crunch. 

Serve garnished with chopped roasted peanuts