• In a large stockpot, saute onions and garlic in a few Tbsp of veggie broth for about 3-4 minutes until they become nice and brown. Add another tablespoon of broth or water and stir to incorporate that caramelized flavor.
• Drain and rinse beans (if using canned) and dice the sweet potatoes. Some of the white beans I use in this recipe are navy or cannellini. Chickpeas don't work well for this, in my opinion, because of their firmness even after being cooked.
• Add beans, sweet potatoes, spices, and seasoning to stockpot with onions and garlic. This will be all of the soup ingredients except cilantro and spinach. Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes.
• Add veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until potatoes are tender.
• Using a cup or ladle, scoop out 2 cups of the sweet potato and white beans and set aside. Use an immersion blender to blend the remaining ingredients in the pot until smooth.
• NOTE: If you don’t have an immersion blender, simply pour the contents of the stockpot into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, then return it to the pot.
• Return the 2 cups of sweet potatoes and white beans to the pot with blended soup. Add the fresh spinach and cook for approximately 2 minutes. You just want the spinach leaves to wilt a bit.
• Ladle into bowls and serve warm fresh cilantro. Sometimes we even add a slice of avocado. And, we have differing opinions when it comes to the bread to serve with this soup. I love crusty sourdough bread, and my husband prefers cornbread. Either way, you can't go wrong.

Crockpot Instructions:

• For the best flavor, I suggest sauteing the onions and garlic first. It adds so much to this soup, I believe it's worth the extra effort.
• Place all of the soup ingredients into your slow cooker (except the spinach and cilantro) and allow to cook for 4-5 hours. When it is done, add the fresh spinach leaves and close the lid until they wilt nicely.