This Sweet Potato & Cannellini Bean Soup is deliciously creamy and so flavorful. It's packed with so many essential healthy nutrients, it will be your new favorite Fall soup.
Last month my husband underwent ACDF surgery, other wise known as Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion to help fuse two discs in his neck. I'll explain a little more about that, but because they make the incision in the front of the neck, swallowing solid food is a little hard to do afterwards.
The doctor recommended high protein foods to assist with the healing process. The food also needed to be soft, so I set out to make a healthy soup. Now this Low Fat Sweet Potato & Cannellini Bean Soup is one of our favorites.
A brief history
For over a year, my husband had been having back issues with numbness in his arms and legs. He was even hospitalized for a few days last year and was given an epidural in his lower back because a test had shown that he had two degenerative discs there.
The shot seemed to help for a year, but then he started complaining about numbness again. The doctor sent him to physical therapy, but the physical therapist told him that he needed to go for a complete CT scan of his entire spine because he had only 25% strength in his left arm.
The test showed that he had two discs (C4-5, C5-6) that had completely degenerated (there was no fluid or cushion around the discs) which was causing the bones to hit the nerve endings that control the movements and functions in his lower body.
If he didn't have surgery soon, he could become a paraplegic. Of course that meant no activity that could cause sudden movements of his head either, so he had to wear a neck brace the surgery any time he wasn't driving in the car and jet skiing on vacation in late July was totally out of the question.
He had the procedure in the beginning of September and so far is doing fairly well; though he still has to wear the neck brace for at least another 2 weeks until we see the doctor again. It will be a long recovery until his spine is completely healed, but we're just glad we found the issue before it was too late.
That brings me back to this soup. Like I mentioned earlier, the doctor said that protein helps with healing by building new cells and repairing injured ones.
Is Sweet Potato Soup healthy?
I made this recipe low fat so that it was a bit healthier, yet was still high in protein, fiber and vitamins and minerals like A, C, calcium and iron to help with his healing process.
Not to mention it had to be creamy and smooth so that he could drink it since his throat was pretty sore; especially for the first week after the surgery.
How do you make sweet potato and bean soup?
To make this Low Fat Sweet Potato & Cannellini Bean Soup, I boiled sweet potatoes, water, apples, scallions and sage until the potatoes were soft. Next, I added milk, vegetable broth and the cannellini beans; then blended it together with my hand held blender.
If you don't have a hand held blender, pour the ingredients into a regular blender and pulse until smooth, but make sure you hold a towel on top of the lid in case it pops off due to the heat so you don't burn your hands.
My husband LOVED this soup and said it was delicious and really filled him up. It would be perfect for lunch, dinner or even served as a starter for your Thanksgiving meal. ~Enjoy!
Visit the recipe index to search for more recipes by category.
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Healthy Low Fat Sweet Potato and Cannellini Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Sweet Potatoes, peeled
- 1 Apple, peeled and cored
- 2 Scallions chopped
- 2 tbsp. Fresh Sage, chopped
- 2 ½ c. Water
- 2 c. 2% Milk
- 2 c. Vegetable Broth
- 1 15 (ounce) can Cannellini Beans, rinsed
Instructions
- Cut the sweet potatoes and apple into cubes and add to a large pot along with the scallions, sage and water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes and apples are soft; approximately 20 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, add the milk and vegetable broth to a small pot and heat until warm, just below boiling so the milk doesn't curdle. Set aside.
- Add the hot liquid and the cannellini beans to the potato mixture. Using a handheld blender, blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy.
Heidi says
Great! Thank you! BTW it is delicious! yum!!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I'm so glad you liked it!
Heidi says
Glad to hear your husband fully recovered! What is the exacted serving size? I gram? So a cup would be 128g?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you Heidi! When I look to convert it looks like 1 cup = 240 grams.
Kelvin Chan says
HI Carries, its 4 years since your husband had his surgery. Hopes he has fully recovered y now.
I can get the Cannellini Beans( white beans) here only in the raw (uncooked) form, so I will have to soak and then pressure cook it to soften it. What is the weight of the beans in your 15 oz can?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
He has thank you so much for asking! You'll need about 3/4 cup of dry beans or 4 1/2 ounces to be equivalent to the can. It may not be exact and if the soup is too thick, you can add a bit more broth to thin it out. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Nancy Marino says
I was out of canned beans when I wanted to make this. I too used dried beans... made the whole pound... will freeze the rest to throw into another soup at a later date. Am using dried sage as well, and salt free chic broth in place of veggie. Vidalia onion as no scallions were on hand. Looking forward to it as it is on the stove as I write this!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Jeanette Schutz says
My niece just had this same surgery. She's not fully recovered yet. Still wearing the neck brace for a while yet. This soup sounds just like something we both would like. Thanks for sharing your story and your recipe!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
You're welcome Jeanette and I hope your niece has a quick recovery!
Beverley Press says
First of all I hope your husband is improving every day xoxo. I am a soup lover and this is right up my street. With all the cupcakes I eat I need to be careful with my fat intake so thank you and sending you lots of love xoxo
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you Beverley. He's been in a neck brace since the beginning of September and can't drive so it's definitely been keeping me busy. Hopefully he can get it off in 2 weeks. xoxo
Beverley Press says
I'll keep my fingers crossed for him, it will change everything when the neck brace comes off. What a difficult time for you all xoxo
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you Beverley, I really appreciate that! xoxo