Mushroom & Sweet Potato Soup with a Poached Egg

If there is one thing I want to eat when the weather starts cooling down, it’s a thick, cozy soup that feels like a full meal. And this Mushroom & Sweet Potato Soup absolutely fits the bill. It’s creamy, savory, a little spicy, and topped with crispy mushrooms and a perfectly poached egg, which is truly what takes it over the top.

The sweet potatoes are what make this soup so good – they give it that naturally creamy texture and a subtle sweetness without needing a ton of cream to the base. Then you get those earthy, savory mushrooms, plus a little heat to keep things interesting. I love the contrast of the silky soup with the crispy mushrooms on top, and adding a poached egg makes it feel extra satisfying without making the whole thing feel too heavy.

It’s the kind of soup that feels like it should be complicated, but it really isn’t. Everything comes together in just one pot, and you can easily make it work with whatever mushrooms or greens you have on hand. Serve it with some crusty bread and you have exactly what I want to be eating all fall and winter long.

Ingredients you’ll need

• 2 (1 lb 12 oz) sweet potatoes
• 1 (10 oz) white or yellow onion
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 8-10 sage leaves
• 2 cups (4 oz) oyster mushrooms
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste
• 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon vegetable base dissolved in 4 cups of water, or 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut cream
• 5 ounces kale, lacinato or curly, ribs removed
• 4 eggs

Ingredient substitutions

This recipe is really flexible, nearly every ingredient is adaptable. Here are some substitution suggestions:

• Sweet potatoes – you can swap for butternut squash or kabocha squash. Yukon gold potatoes will also work if you prefer a less-sweet, more savory soup.
• Onion – you can use a yellow or white onion or it can be swapped for a shallot, the white part of one large leek, or a fennel bulb (if you like fennel!)
• Oyster mushrooms – for optimal crispiness, you can use maitake or shiitake, but cremini, baby bella, or any other mushrooms you can slice thinly will also work!
• Garlic cloves – swap for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, or you can omit.
• Extra-virgin olive oil – swap for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or really any oil you like.
• Calabrian chili paste – this can be swapped for red pepper flakes, harissa paste, or if you’re not into heat, feel free to omit.
• Heavy cream – swap for coconut cream or dairy-free heavy cream.
• Kale – can be swapped with spinach, arugula, collard greens or Swiss chard.

How to make this sweet potato & mushroom soup

Step 1 – Prepare your mise

Pierce one sweet potato with a knife and microwave it for 8-10 minutes, or until soft. While that’s microwaving, chop the other sweet potato into 1-inch pieces. Dice the yellow onion, finely chop the rosemary and sage leaves. Peel the oyster mushrooms into thin strips and grate 5 garlic cloves. By now, the first sweet potato should be cooked, so peel it and gently mash it up.

Step 2 – Fry the mushrooms

Place a 7-quart Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1/4 cup olive oil. Fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes, stirring until dark brown and crisp. Remove them from the pot and set aside.

Step 3 – Make the soup

Add the butter, onion, rosemary, and sage, and cook for 6-7 minutes. Then add the garlic and Calabrian chili paste and cook for a minute or so before stirring in the diced sweet potato and the sweet potato mash. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the diced sweet potato is very soft.

Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and mix, continuing to let the soup simmer while you wash and tear up 5 ounces of kale leaves. Add the kale leaves in, cover, and leave this over low heat while you poach four eggs.

Step 4 – Serve

To serve, scoop the sweet potato soup into four bowls, and top each with crispy mushrooms and an egg. Enjoy!

The best way to prepare poached eggs

Poached eggs are a different kind of beast, but I promise they’re easier than they seem and are so delicious. I have three poached egg rules:

• Never let your water go above a simmer
• Crack the egg into a sieve or bowl before you drop it in
• Swirl the water to make a “whirlpool” and drop the egg in the center

For this recipe, I recommend bringing a medium pot of water to simmer. Crack each egg into a small sieve if you have one, then gently drop them into the simmering water. They should be set in about 2-3 minutes. Scoop them out into a bowl and set aside.

Storage tips

Here’s the best way to store it, based on each method:

Fridge: You can portion the soup into individual 16-ounce containers (perfect for one portion), and store them in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, pop them out of their containers and gently heat them in a pot on the stovetop until the soup is at a simmer. Remove from the heat and serve.

I recommend poaching the eggs fresh while reheating the soup.

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

Looking for more soup recipes?

And that’s it for this Mushroom & Sweet Potato Soup!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

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And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3