Light potato soup low on salt, big on flavor

This simple soup with no added salt exceeded our flavor expectations. It would make a nice starter or a light main course on a weeknight, accompanied by hummus and pita chips.

We suggest garnishing it with toasted chopped hazelnuts or fried/frizzled shallots. Adapted from “Low-Salt Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Reducing Sodium and Fat in Your Diet, 4th Edition,” by the American Heart Association (Clarkson Potter, 2013).

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Makes a generous 4 cups (2 or 3 servings)

2 teaspoons corn or canola oil

One 14-ounce sweet potato

1 small onion

1 medium clove garlic

1 lime

3 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Peel the sweet potato, then coarsely chop it into pieces of approximately equal size. Coarsely chop the onion; mince the garlic.

Add the onion to the saucepan and stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Stir in the broth and the sweet potato. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the curry paste.

Transfer half of the mixture to a blender. Remove the knob in the center of the lid and place a paper towel over the opening. Puree until smooth, then squeeze in 1 1/2 teaspoons of lime juice. Pulse to incorporate, then transfer to a container large enough to hold all the soup. Repeat with the remaining soup mixture and another 1 1/2 teaspoons of lime juice.

Taste, and stir in some or all of the remaining curry paste, as needed.

Divide into individual bowls. Serve warm.

Per serving (based on 3): 150 calories, 2 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 330 mg sodium, 4 g dietary fiber, 7 g sugar.