Senegalese Soup is a healthy, meatless soup recipe that's chock-full of sweet potatoes, chickpeas, warming curry, and coconut milk.
“This soup is AMAZING! It’s my favorite! Interesting mix of ingredients (hello Peanut Butter), but seriously put on your soup to make this winter list!!!”
If it’s cooling down where you live, I’ve got a must-try soup recipe for you to make then hunker down with.
Senegalese Soup is chock-full of healthy ingredients like sweet potatoes and chickpeas, flavored with warming curry, coconut milk, PLUS a secret ingredient, and served over cooked white rice. Translation: it is irresistible!
I can’t take any credit for this delicious dish though because it was sent to me from IGE reader Trish.
Flavor Packed Vegetarian Soup
Senegalese Soup, Trish shared, is not only simple and comes together in 30 minutes, but meatless, naturally gluten-free, and easy to make vegetarian/vegan.
As I mentioned, the soup features sweet potato and chickpeas, is flavored with curry powder and coconut milk, and the secret ingredient? Peanut butter! The combination of peanut butter, curry powder, and coconut milk is giving serious panang curry vibes. DELISH!
Now, I thought Senegalese Soup might hail from the country Senegal in west Africa, where peanut stew is a popular dish, but after doing some research it turns out nobody really knows why this dish has the name it does, as it was most likely concocted here in the US. Regardless, I’m calling it soul-satisfying, healthy comfort food that you’ve got to try sooner rather than later.
Pair with Gluten Free Flatbread to sop up every delicious last drop!
Try Spicy Shrimp Soup
How to Make This Recipe
Start by heating extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped red bell pepper, shallot or onion, and minced jalapenos then season with salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Add minced garlic then saute for another 30 seconds.
Two jalapenos give just the right amount of kick for me, but if you’re very sensitive to spice, stick with one.
Once the vegetables are tender add diced sweet potatoes, chicken broth, canned coconut milk, canned chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed, crushed tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then turn the heat up to bring the soup to a boil.
FYI: if you want to make this dish vegetarian/vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Once the soup is boiling, scoop some of the liquid into a small dish then stir in 3 Tablespoons peanut butter until smooth, and then stream back into the soup. The peanut butter pairs so well with the coconut milk, sweet potatoes, and curry powder!
Last step is to turn the heat down to medium then simmer the soup until the sweet potatoes have softened, another 8-10 minutes.
Just before serving, squeeze in fresh lime juice then scoop into bowls with plenty of cooked white rice and chopped fresh cilantro.
The weather may be cold, but this soup will warm your heart and soul. Thanks again, Trish, for this awesome recipe – I hope you all enjoy as much as I did!
More Veggie-Packed Soups
- 40+ Meatless Meals
- Pastina Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Black Bean Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded then finely chopped
- 1 – 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and diced small
- 4 cups gluten free chicken or vegetable broth
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz can coconut milk, lite or full fat
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- juice of 1/2 lime
- For serving: cooked white rice, chopped cilantro
Directions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallot or onion, red bell pepper, and jalapenos, season with salt and pepper, then saute until vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic then saute for 30 more seconds or until very fragrant.
- Add sweet potatoes, chicken broth, chickpeas, coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then turn heat up to high to bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, scoop some of the liquid into a small dish with the peanut butter then stir until smooth. Stream back into the soup then stir to combine. Turn heat down to medium then simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat then stir in lime juice. Taste then add more salt, pepper, and/or lime juice if necessary.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
We went from 100 degrees to 30 and snowing in Denver yesterday, so I was SO GLAD to have everything on hand for this recipe. I’m not a big curry fan but it wasn’t at all overpowering. My three picky eaters (7, 5, 3) GOBBLED it up. Ate another bowl for lunch. I’ll eat anything topped with lime and cilantro!
Absolutely delicious soup, I even ate it for breakfast.
One of my favorite soups to make! It is perfect for a cooler day.
Agreed! Healthy and cozy!
This is filling with or without the rice and so delicious! I have made for numerous friends and its always a favorite.
I’m so happy to hear that, Carmen! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
would you know how much protein a serving of this might include?
Looks delicious and I do intend to make it, but I thought you might want to know that chicken broth is not vegetarian. The soup would need to be made with vegetable broth to be vegetarian, which would make it vegan, too! Just a note so that if one of your readers makes it for a vegetarian friend, they know to sub out the chicken broth no matter what! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this soup last night and immediately sent the recipe to several friends and I talked about it all day at work! Next time, I will definitely double it; it’s just too good not to share. I’m a huge soup fan; I even started a very popular Soup Group at work. I can’t wait to make this when it’s my turn to make soup again!
Kristin, I made this soup for my sister and brother-in-law after we shoveled snow for 3 hours on a cold day. This soup is fabulous. We all ate 2 bowls! Every ingredient is necessary to combine to make the most wonderful flavor. I’ll make this over and over. Thanks so much for this recipe.
I’m so glad you all loved it, Shelley! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Do you think I can substitute almond butter instead of peanut butter? My son is allergic. This looks really good!
Sure, I think that could work! Cashew butter could be good too!
This soup is too legit to quit! Soooooo good ??
Anyone with peanut allergies tried to sub in any other nut butters? (No tree nut allergy)
While I haven’t tried other nut butters, I made this for years without the peanut butter and truthfully, I think it is just as good without.
Love this soup!!! Thank You for sharing!
I really, really, want to make this! Unfortunately I don’t have any curry powder. Can I omit that? The only spices I have now in my tiny student kitchen are cumin, chili powder, and of course S+P.
Hi Cindy! Tones sells mini spice containers for $.99 if you’re able to pick one of those up!