An unusual combination of simple ingredients that render a spicy, tasty soup that's ready in less than 45 minutes!
after tinkering with this recipe, i ended up with more of a stew than a soup (although the recipe as submitted is pretty darn good!). i prefer a fuller stew. i added almost a full cup of crunchy peanut butter (for a nicely added crunch and to make it creamier), substituted the cumin for curry. I also added a minced jalapeno pepper along with a full jar of hot chunky salsa. i omitted the rice and added chopped chicken. I had some red peppers, so i chopped them up and threw them in. yum! even my daughter, who is not a big veggie lover, really enjoys this recipe! thank you!!
Read More This wasn't too bad. My husband is very picky and he actually liked it. I also took the left overs to work and several people tried it and they liked it although one said it looked "nasty". My kids also didn't like it. I doubt I will make this again.
Read Moreafter tinkering with this recipe, i ended up with more of a stew than a soup (although the recipe as submitted is pretty darn good!). i prefer a fuller stew. i added almost a full cup of crunchy peanut butter (for a nicely added crunch and to make it creamier), substituted the cumin for curry. I also added a minced jalapeno pepper along with a full jar of hot chunky salsa. i omitted the rice and added chopped chicken. I had some red peppers, so i chopped them up and threw them in. yum! even my daughter, who is not a big veggie lover, really enjoys this recipe! thank you!!
Sooo good!! I pureed the soup like some of the other reviewers did, and then added the peanut butter, rice, and salsa. I think the presentation is very nice that way. Also added a couple shakes each of ginger and paprika. It's great that such a rich tasting soup can be so healthy! We'll definitely be having this one on a regular basis. Thanks so much for the recipe!
This recipe was absolutely delicious. I used a leftover can of sweet potatoes, added more zucchini, omitted the rice and it worked well. It reminded me of an African Groundnut Soup I ate in Botswana. I think I'll make it again tonight!
Awesome, healthy dish! My husband had a bad dish many years ago with peanut butter in it and has avoided it ever since. He could not rave enough about this soup! I rarely ever saute ingredients first, so did not this time. We used brown rice, substituted another white bean for the garbanzo, otherwise followed recipe. Unusual and very good! will make again for sure!
My 11 year old son cooked this as his first almost unaided meal. He chose an African theme and made "African Curry" and "Mombasa Pumpkin Dessert" with it. He followed the recipe exactly except for the rice which it turned out I was short on and he used Vegan "No Chicken Broth". When I first tasted this soup it was not what I expected. Somehow I was expecting the super salty taste that we expect from Progresso and the like, this soup is more mild. After I took a couple of bites I was hooked. This is a delictabley flavorful soup. It is not all salt and broth, it lets the individual flavors of the ingriedents shine through. We used Medium Salsa, so the flavor was not really spicy, I think that is what threw me. It was truly wonderful though. I will make it again and again.
This was delicious! I was in the mood for a creamy soup, so after I simmered the sweet potatoes I added garbanzos and pureed it all, then added salsa, rice, and peanut butter.
This soup is terrific! I have made it several times and find it always turns out great, sometimes I don't have the beans, sometimes I'm missing zuchinni but it's always a hit! I keep it vegetarian by using water instead of chicken broth and sometimes add coriander and increase the cumin, and sometimes melt some cheddar on top. Mmmmm! Also I find it's a gorgeous soup when nice big chunky vegetables are used. Thanks for this one!
This soup was fantastic! I excluded the rice and beans and was a little short on zucchini so I added celery instead. The flavour was just wonderful. Thanks - this one's a keeper.
AMAZING! Made this last night and am eating it today for lunch. Some minor changes: did 2 cloves of garlic, 2 cups broth/2 cups water, did curry instead of thyme, added 3 stalks of celery which I actually love in this soup for the texture. So easy and delicious!
I have to say that I wasn't sure about this recipe just looking at the ingredient list. But, I had some sweet potatoes that needed to be used and was up for something a little different...Wow, am I glad I tried it! This was delicious. My husband turned up his nose at the idea of the peanut butter, but when he tried it, he was amazed. My dad and my brother were over, and they loved, loved, loved it. (Even my dad who is very "meat and potatoes" kind of guy who usually doesn't like any kind of unusual food!) Very good. I made a double batch, and I'm glad because now there's leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I changed this to our likings and what I had on hand and it came out great! I used 1/2 a yellow onion and about 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 3 heeping Tbsp of chopped garlic, one large and one small sweet potato, leftover black-eyed peas from New Year's Day w/ the seasonings and juice...about 2 cups, basil instead of thyme plus extra and extra cumin, 2 cubed smoked chicken breast, frozen broccoli and different peppers, and extra natural peanut butter. My husband loved this and kept saying how lucky he and my daughter are to have such a good cook in the house and that it was the most flavorful soup! Sooo goood!
This wasn't too bad. My husband is very picky and he actually liked it. I also took the left overs to work and several people tried it and they liked it although one said it looked "nasty". My kids also didn't like it. I doubt I will make this again.
This was great...I made this without changes and really enjoyed it. Low in fat and healthy but very flavorful. I love the combination of the tomato and chiles from the salsa and the peanut butter. Easy to prepare.
This was a nice dish. I would omit spicy from the description. If you like a good heat, I would recommend adding a hot pepper. The textures were great, but the pb didn't add to much depth- I would lose the calories.
We really enjoyed this soup. I had leftover yams from Thanksgiving already mashed up. Mindful of the other review regarding appearance, I didn't add the chick peas or zuchinni. I also increased the cumin. Very satisfying. Thanks for the recipe.
Wow! This is absolutely delicious! My partner hates yams but agreed to "taste" mine and loved it so much that we ended up making another pot and eating all of it!! We used a can of stewed tomatoes instead of salsa and used a wild rice medley that we added uncooked and allowed it to soak up the flavor of the soup. Tha
I inadvertantly omitted garbanzo beans--it was delicious without them. This recipe has become a winter favorite for our family (kids--something about peanut butter in soup makes them eat it!).
Very nice. I made it with my 10 year old. We liked it very much and my son enjoyed having the rest of the family guess that peanut butter was the secret ingredient. :)
Had mixed feelings with a concern of it being bland for our taste given only thyme and cumin for spice. Made this recipe as written with exceptions of substituting 4 tablespoons of Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce for the peanut butter, and pureed about 1/3 of the soup for a thicker consistency. It was okay when made, but letting it rest overnight significantly elevated the subtle flavors of this soup. Will definitely make again as is and probably experiment with some variation(s) from this theme . . . future variations might add one or more of the following: grilled shrimp or chicken, carrots, jalapeno, fresh cilantro, ginger, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper.
This is a fantastic soup! The ingredients mix seemed a bit odd to me, but they really worked well together. The only change I made was to add an extra tablespoon of peanut butter. It was good the day I made it, but absolutely delicious the next day as leftovers.
I have been making this soup regularly for almost a year now. This soup has a great blend of flavors, all of which come through individually. I make no modifications at all except to use a corn and black bean salsa and add a little cayenne pepper for some zing. Wonderful, healthy soup my entire family loves!
I made this as written, and like the flavors. I would not call it spicy, and I am adding salt in my bowl.
This was amazing! I didn't have chicken broth so I used beef broth, and put in corn instead of zucchini. I will definitely be making this again and again, it tastes so good and is really not very much work.
I don't usually go for veggie dishes, but this was very good. Other reviewers have trashed the appearance - but mine turned out very appetising. Since zucchini is hard to find in the far North, I used a frozen zucchini/summer squash mix crinkle-cut like carrots. My soup turned out a burnt-orange in color, bubbling with pretty yellow and green squash slices and chick peas. Oh yes, and 1/2 tsp. red curry powder complimented the other spices nicely.
Very fragrant, nutritious, inexpensive, easy-to-make soup. Because of the peanut taste, it is even a hit with kids, IF you can get them to try it. The only reason I don't give this dish 5 stars is because it has an unappealing, sloppy look.
this soup is excellent as is! but... there's always room for experiments!! this is great with leftover rice thrown in too or served with crunchy tortilla strips. my kids are fussy if they see what's in the soup so i pureed it into a nice thick chowder. served with a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lime. AWESOME.
This is a wonderful adventure in soup. I love the subtle combination of flavors. I have made this several time and I did tweak it a bit. I did not however omit any of the lovely seasonings. This soup seemed to scream for black beans, so I omitted the garbanzo beans and added two cans of rinsed black beans. I increased the cumin to taste and added an extra tablespoon of creamy peanut butter and an extra clove of minced garlic. I used medium hot salsa and omitted the rice and zucchini, which does not affect the overall flavor of this tasty soup. Just before adding peanut butter I used the emersion blender for a few whirls to puree but left some of the beans whole and various sized hunks of sweet potato. I just made another pot of this delightful soup and I think I will have dinner early tonight as my Spicy African Yam Soup is beckoning me.
WOW! This is by far my favorite soup now! I didn't measure the zuchinni, just cut up two and threw them in! It was GREAT!! My fiancee wanted to add sausage, so on day two, we added link sausage and it was a yummy improvement!!! Will definitely make over and over again.
Interesting AND good!! I'm on my second bowl right now! I forgot to dice the sweet potato and did small cubes instead. Probably would have liked it a little more if I had diced them.
Very good recipe. I added string beans because I had some in the fridge, plus used crunchy peanut butter - nice to have the pieces of peanuts in it.
This soup is outstanding! The flavors all meld together to tantilize the palet! I used a can of rotel as well and increased the spices. Fabulous. My new favorite soup recipe!
This was very good. I decided to puree the soup prior to adding the rice and salsa, though next time I do not think I would add the rice as I don't think it added much to the soup.
I love this recipe and have made it many times as is. When I made it today I made a change. After the yam/onion/chicken stock mixture simmered for 15 minutes, I used a hand blender to puree the soup in the pot. I followed the rest of the directions as is. I really like the pureed texture of the soup base and will make it this way in the future. Enjoy!
Yum! I made this soup for dinner tonight, and it was delicious. I did make a few changes, I used vegetable bouillon instead of chicken broth, added a few red pepper flakes and increased the amount of thyme, garlic, cumin and peanut butter. The flavor is great as is, I just wanted my soup to be a little more intense. Update: I have made this several time, I usually add two bay leaves (remove before adding pb) and today, I added coconut milk (because I had 3/4 of a can left). Delicious!!!
Love it! A great Cozy stay at home soup/stew! I used Yellow squash instead of zucchini. Used navy beans instead of chick peas. And Doubled the spices! Tastes great with a little sour cream!
This was a nice change! I added red peppers to the mix for some added color. Next time I make this I think I'll omit the rice, and serve it on the side, kind of like an African jambalaya!
Great recipe. I added a little more garlic, ginger and cayenne. I'm sure it would have been great without the additions but we were in the mood for a little more intensity. For presentation I also sprinkled chopped peanuts on top. This recipe will go into our soup rotation for sure.
I was really skeptical when my boyfriend said he wanted to try this for a holiday dinner party. Salsa and peanut butter? Weird. But it was the hit of the party -- even one of our picky eaters (age 12) liked it. Everyone had seconds. We used brown rice and Green Mountain medium salsa.
This soup was great!!! I realized (after I started cooking) that I didn't have salsa or garbanzo beans...so I sub'd a can of Italian stewed tomatoes diced, and a can of blackeyed peas. I was worried that the Italian flavor would wreck the recipe, but added enough red pepper flakes to cover up the oregano from the canned tomatoes. IT WORKED!! I also cut the peanut butter in half just in case the italian flavors wouldn't mix well with the peanut flavor. Moral of the story... don't be afraid to substitute, this soup isn't picky.
Liked this recipe very much. Followed it fairly closely but made a few small changes. Left out the rice (only because I didn't have any on hand) and pureed about a quarter of the sweet potates in the broth. This will definitely go into the regular rotation.
I loved this, although I made it with sweet potatoes, not yams :) I served lime corn chips on the side-- a nice combo.
Fantastic! There is a request for me to make this soup on a regular basis in my home. I usually add more zucchini and peanut butter than called for.
I made this soup a few months ago and now I crave it!!! The only change I made was using a yam instead of a sweet potato. This is one of my favorites from Allrecipes. Exquisite, delicious and wonderful!!!
Great, changed some things, but overall wonderful.. I would put in less peanut butter though.. it was too much in my opinion
Awesome with mango salsa! I like the peanut butter so much, I generally add a little more to the recipe, too. Yum!
This was a very comforting tasty soup/stew!! Thought because it was called spicy african YAM soup that it had Yam in it... so I added Yam and I added sweet potato... I wouldnt have done it any other way! they worked perfect together! Put extra crunchy peanut butter in it and omitted the thyme... thought that ingredient didnt fit...
This was very easy to make and very tasty! I doubled the recipe, omitted the zucchini, and substituted quinoa instead of rice. I recommend using a hot salsa to ensure there's enough of a kick to the soup.
This was delicious! It tastes very authentic, only in Africa you would serve it over rice instead of adding the rice to the soup. I substituted some chopped broccoli for the zucchini because that's what I had on hand, but otherwise made it according to the recipe and am so glad I doubled it! I would highly recommend it! The ingredients are odd but they blend together marvelously! For my own taste, I added black pepper, and my husband added red pepper flakes, but it is a great base to adjust to individual tastes!
This is one of my favorites. I have made a pot of it to take on Holiday visits. Impressive! I have it committed to memory and usually add a lot of curry powder.
This soup is delicious... i doubled it and made it as written. Super good healthy soup, especially when it's -30 outside.
I really enjoyed making and eating this soup. I didn't have any zuccini, but I had some celery that needed to be used up so I added it at the beginning with the onions and sweet potatoes. This was only change I made to the recipe. The soup was deliscious, attractive, filling and healthy. I'll definitely make it again. It was as spicy as I was expecting (based on the name), but that's probably because I used medium salsa. My boyfriend thought it was amazing and said it was the best soup he'd had in a long time, maybe even ever.
Excellent and so easy to throw together. I used black beans in exchange for garbanzo beans and crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth - the nuts were a great addition. Since I'm vegetarian, I used veggie broth instead of chicken and thickened it up by using my hand held blender. Fantastic soup! Thank you for posting this recipe!
Yum! This was great for several meals in a row, and it used up some extra salsa I had in the fridge.
This is a really good soup but I recommend making a few modifications, as it could turn out very bland otherwise. I used vegetable broth versus chicken so maybe that is why. First of all, for a pot of soup this big, you'll need about 3 tsp kosher salt (decrease if using table salt), and add black pepper too. Second, increase the garlic and cumin by about 3 times (3 cloves garlic; 1.5 tsp cumin); increase the salsa to your taste but I used about 1 and 1/4 C and could use more. I had fresh thyme rather than dried, not sure of the conversion of that but I used quite a bit - probably a tablespoon or more fresh thyme. You could even add another tablespoon of the peanut butter if you want a creamier texture and more peanut flavor (but I only used 2 TBSP per recipe). Finally, decrease the simmer time for more texture to your vegetables. I would say 10 minutes and 10 minutes, rather than 15 and 15 per recipe. To do 15 and 15 made the vegetables mush. All in all, the foundation for a great soup is there, the ingredients are good, but definitely needs these tweaks to make it more enjoyable (just my opinion). I will definitely make this again and thank you Colleen for the recipe!
This was fantastic. The only thing I changed was to add 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and a dash of cayenne pepper. I also added just a bit more peanut butter. Delicious. This will be in heavy rotation.
A wonderful and unique recipe that wows every time I make it. The chopping of all the ingredients is a little time consuming, but cutting the veggies small makes the consistency more manageable.
Did it today for a party and it's a big success. I did not put rice. Also there are people alergic to peanuts and some cannot take spicy food so I put aside some without sausa and peanut butter. People loves it too. Will do it again.
I think it could have done without the salsa, or maybe less. I added 2 cups of coconut milk instead of all chicken broth. I think next time I'll add only 1 cup of coconut milk and 3 cups of chicken broth, because it turned out really rich. I also added 1 jalapeno, a little agave nectar, some chopped cashews, ommitted the rice and zucchini, increased the cumin and sage, and added a pinch of salt. It was definitely a good soup, and was very easy to adapt to my liking.
WHOA! This was something else. I had no zucchini, but I did toss in some asparagus that I needed to use up. Really satisfying for a meatless soup. I confess, I tossed in some chopped up leftover chicken, too ;) Outstanding. Make it again. And, again. And.....
Good. I used organic vegetable broth instead of chicken and also added curry powder. I think I would double the zucchini next time.
Simple with readily available ingredients, but my hubby said that "Spicy" in the title is a misnomer. I think you either have to use a hot salsa (I used mild) or add some red pepper flake. Either way I enjoyed and is a fun change of pace on a chilly day.
Increased spices & stock to account for adding turnip and additional amounts of sweet potato/zucchini. Used a full can of diced tomatoes instead of salsa, which still worked great. Kept PB ratio the same. Also doubled the rice to yield a thicker, stew-like consistency. Would be excellent for cool fall evenings. Hearty and filling while still being vegetarian/vegan (depending upon your soup stock). We will definitely eat this again!
Absolutely great. Didn't have chickpeas or salsa, added some celeri... added chilli pepper flakes and extra cumin. The mixture of spices and peanut butter was different and really good. We loved it.
Absolutely delicious. A perfect fall dish. Not all that spicy though. Great served with crusty bread!
Excellent soup, though it didn't strike me as particularly spicy or African, save for the use of yams. Maybe "African-inspired?" But semantics aside, this was one worth sharing and making again. It's also delicious with the salsa left out -- I prefer it that way; one could always substitute ground cayenne pepper for some heat.
This soup is absolutely wonderful! I have made it a handful of times and everyone who has tried it, has been impressed. One of my friends who was apprehensive at first, since he "is not a big vegetable fan", loved it. He even wanted seconds! My roomate was jealous she didn't get any on that batch since we ate it all before she got home. The soup has a lot of flavor (especially the second day) and doesn't make my stomach feel heavy after I eat. I usually substitute the zucchini for mexican squash since I like the flavor better and the garbanzo beans for kidney beans. It's is good with jalapenos as well. I'm cooking some more right now for dinner :) I added tomatillos this time instead of jalapenos, so I can't wait to see how that turns out!
This delicious soup turned out very thick, almost more of a stew. Great flavor and easy to make. Definitely a keeper.
Maybe I did something wrong but I found this soup bland and unexciting. Maybe I should have used hot salsa? I'm surprised too because it seems to be so well rated.....
Very good! Doubled the recipe - only used 1 can of white beans and 3 Tbls of peanut butter and extra rice. Pertty versatile and it can be added or changed pretty easily. Tastes better the longer it sits.
I was a little afraid of this recipe because the ingredients are a pretty funky mix, but it worked out great! It was yummy, and I used vegetable stock to make it vegan.
I'd give this 5 stars for taste but three stars for appearance, so I've averaged it out to 4 stars. I would definitely make it again but I would puree the sweet potatoes, onion, garlic, salsa, and zucchini. Then, I would add the garbanzo beans (you could even dry roast them with some cayenne pepper for additional flavor) and leave out the rice entirely. As written, this comes out more as a stew than a soup (delicious stew, but still). Initially this combo of flavors doesn't look very good but it really does taste fantastic. All you really have to do to make it vegetarian is use veggie broth.
The title and ingredients really appealed to me, but the flavor didn't measure up. It needs a lot more spice to be called spicy. Next time, I will triple the cumin. And I'll put the yam in later, as it was too mushy.
Good flavor, and works with Vegetable Bullion to make it vegetarian also. I also think that it looks a little unappetizing, but the taste is good, and it makes for good leftovers.
1/31/14 Good soup! I am not a fan of cumin but i put it in anyway and I was pleasantly surprised. My favorite part of this soup recipe is the LACK OF ADDED SALT! It is not easy to find such well balanced recipes without salt. I had some last evening and put the rest in the freezer. Will trot it out when my husband is back from his trip.
This wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad. I left out the zucchini and rice, and pureed some of the soup before I added the chick peas. I like the texture more creamy, rather than a broth based soup with stuff in it. Not bad, but not something I'd soon make again.
Fantastic base recipe. Here are the changes I made to make the soup more to my taste Omit Zucchini. Instead of Salsa, I use whole canned tomatoes and 2 seeded/diced scotch bonnet peppers. Instead of cooked white rice, I add 1/3 cup dry Cambodian red rice at the start and after simmering for 45 minutes, it will be cooked. I cut the sweet potato in alternative sized pieces, so the smallest will disintegrate into the soup base, while the larger pieces remain solid but soft after cooking. I frequently make double batches of this for lunches. Thank you for the recipe!
My whole family loved this soup! I followed the directions as provided. The peanut butter really added a nice element to the taste. I might have added a little more sweet potato, but perhaps the ones I used weren't big enough. I would definitely make this again!
I omitted the zucchini. I "skinned" the garbanzo beans . It takes longer to make this way, but I like not having the translucent skins floating around in my soup.
We loved this. Very easy to make. I used turkey broth and substituted frozen green beans and frozen cauliflower for zucchini because that's what we had. Also tossed in 1 cup of leftover turkey but would have been fine without it. Will definitely cook this again.
I played with the balance of ingredients to get it to my liking, but loved the combination of flavors. I used 4 small yams, added a can of stewed Italian tomatoes and some Castillo habanero hot sauce in place of the salsa, brown rice, extra garlic and some salt and coriander. I also garnished the dish with some peanuts which added a nice texture.
Very good and easy to make! Followed recipe as written for most part, used homemade chicken broth, chunky organic peanut butter, brown rice, doubled thyme and cumin, and added pickled jalapeño pepper for spice. Salt to taste! Soup pretty with Irish colors so served on St Paddy's Day :)
Very unique and good! I didn't have the zucchini on hand so I chopped up around 2 cups of brussel sprouts and cooked those with the onions. Also used just 1 can of the chick peas added one can of black beans instead. I used 1 cup of peanut butter since others recommended adding more, but next time I plan to leave out the peanut butter altogether. I think the combo of spices would be good without the over powering peanut taste. Served this with homemade cornbread, delicious!
I was intrigued by the peanut butter in this soup and must say I was very impressed! I love this dish and will gladly prepare it again. We have even dehydrated a portion so we can enjoy it on a backpacking trip!
I left out the rice and doubled the cumin and thynme. Other than that, I followed the recipe just as written. I did not fine mine bad looking, but I think all that depends on how you cut your vegetables, etc. I left my onions and zucchini in big chunks and cut my potatoes up small. I would double the peanut butter next time - I was disappointed that I couldn't really taste it as is. This wasn't bad, but not great. I think African Peanut Soup on this site is much better.
Really tasty, really satisfying - I'm vegetarian so I used vegetable broth, which I thought complemented the sweet yam taste a little better. I added a half cup more salsa and a bit more cumin, because, well, you can't have too much salsa or cumin, now can you? Overall a great recipe and very easy to make, with little prep time.
Wish i could give this more than 5 stars. it was amazing. I have never had this. The only changes I made was using white beans instead of garbanzo. I used whole wheat orzo instead of cooked rice (orzo cooks in 5 minutes so it was perfect for this) I sauteed, chayote, onions, garlic, corn, with seasonings, then used only water, added real yam cut in smaller portions, 3 tlbs of peanut butter, and cooked for 45-50 minutes. It was a hit. I will make this often. Ty so much for the healthy and wonderful comfort food.
I loved this spicy soup. It is quick, healthy, and tasty; great for lunch or a light dinner. I will make it again! I modified the recipe by adding 1/2 cup of chopped celery, reducing the peanut butter to 1 tablespoon, and adding 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper.
This was fantastic! Such wonderful flavor! The only thing I changed was to substitute small white beans for the garbonzos. I used brown rice, probably a little more than the 1/2 cup called for, and when the rice and peanut butter were added, the soup thickened to the perfect consistency. Thanks for the recipe. I love it!
Going into this, my thoughts were "yams, garlic, salsa, and peanut butter...what the heck?" But reviews were good and I wanted a recipe for sweet potatoes. Odd as the combination of ingredients sounded, it turned out to be delicious. I used ingredients exactly as suggested in the original recipe. After the first 15 minutes of simmering, I added zucchini and garbanzo beans for 15 mins, then pureed per advice of others, then added salsa, rice, and peanut butter. The consistency was a thick soup, otherwise it would have been more stew-like. Rich and filling, while still healthy. Highly recommend, even for those who are skeptical.
