West African Peanut Soup

Makes roughly 15 servings, and it freezes well

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 yellow bell peppers, diced
10 cloves of garlic, minced
4 dried cayenne peppers (thin red pepper, about 4" long, usually available dried), diced with seeds
28 ounces (2 cans) fire roasted tomatoes, with juice
8 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice
18 ounces creamy organic peanut butter (Big brands, like Jiff, will add a lot of both sugar and salt to your soup and will skew the flavor profile.)
1/2 cup chopped plain peanuts (roasted or raw, your preference)
1/4 cup sugar in the raw (use light brown sugar if you need a substitute)
salt and pepper

fresh basil, chiffonade
roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped


Over medium/high heat, heat olive oil in a stock pot. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, pepper, and cayenne peppers. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add rice and stir. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.

When rice is cooked, whisk in peanut butter, peanuts and sugar and return to a simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with a garnish of chopped peanuts and fresh basil.

This delicious and hearty soup keeps very well, but it does tend to thicken. Not to worry, just add a bit of water when you reheat it.

Recipe by: Kelly Sink