I love this soup and suspect you will too. Even better, you might already have all the ingredients in your kitchen. And if you don’t, I’ll suggest some easy substitutions down below. Peanut soup is the best kind of meal in a bowl, and the leftovers are even better than the original.
Peanut Soup: Inspiration
The foundation of this soup is similar to many West African peanut stews. Or, more specifically, what my version of a vegetarian take on it might look like. It’s in regular rotation around here (I even included it in Super Natural Simple), and I tend to make it with a lot of the pantry items kept on hand – crushed tomatoes vs. tomato paste, homemade curry paste(s) from the freezer – typically a red curry paste for dimension and heat. And by keeping a couple bags of frozen spinach at the ready, I nearly always have the other components to pull this together on a whim. I love it over rice, over polenta, over quinoa, or alongside a good baked potato.
Ingredients (and Substitution Ideas)
- Onions: The recipe calls for an onion. If I don’t have an onion, I’ll substitute 3-4 shallots. You could also use spring onions or a finely diced red onion.
- Curry Paste: I typically grab my Thai red curry paste from the freezer, but you can experiment. I’ve cooked this with massaman curry paste, powdered Madras curry powder, and yellow curry paste. They each bring a different flavor profile, but are nonetheless delicious. If you’re nervous about making the soup too spicy, start with a little curry paste when called for in the recipe, and add more later in the cooking process until it is just right for you.
- Peanut Butter: I tend to use smooth peanut butter for this soup, but chunky peanut butter is great too. There are times when I don’t quite have the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe. My solution? Top it off with almond butter. You could even do a version of this soup using almond butter and almonds in place of the peanuts. Although, I do love the peanut version.
- Tomatoes: This soup gets extra depth from using canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes if you spot them. Regular canned tomatoes work well here too.
- Spinach: I call for frozen spinach here, because I typically think of this as a pantry soup, and frozen spinach is easy to keep on hand. That said, if you have fresh spinach, or kale, collard greens, etc. – by all means chop and go! I’ve also enjoyed a version of this using chopped cabbage in place of the spinach. The goal for me when I’m thinking about making this is to avoid a trip to the store.
- Carrots: Many of the West African versions of peanut soup use sweet potatoes. This recipe calls for carrots. You can use whatever you have. Other ideas include: potatoes, butternut squash, kabocha squash, etc. Or use a medley!
- Miso: I have a country-style miso I like to use here. The main thing? Try not to skip the miso. You can use white, red, yellow – the miso brings extra body, depth, and flavor to this soup.
- Citrus: I used lemon in these pictures, but a big squeeze of citrus over the top of each bowl of soup is what you want before taking the first bite. Lime is great. Orange, also really good. My favorite to date? A squeeze of Rangpur lime.
This is one of those soups that works well for a wide range of people. It’s hearty, filling substantial and delicious and you can serve it to vegans, vegetarians, people with gluten issues, dairy issues. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! -h
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Consider making your own homemade bouillon powder. So easy, and nice to keep on hand!
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