Roast Vegetable Medley Soup

Now that the New Year has begun and Christmas is behind us, I vow to spend more time in the kitchen, cooking food from scratch. I’m also committed to trying new foods and recipes. During the winter months I find soup to be highly comforting yet not too filling. Plus, soup is a great way to get your servings of vegetables. I recently came across a hearty soup using root vegetables and decided to give it a try.  It calls for rutabaga which I’ve never eaten, so I was especially intrigued to taste it. The verdict? I love this recipe for Roast Vegetable Medley Soup.

You can tell this is a thick and hearty soup just by looking at it. I don’t eat meat and often crave beef, so when I find savory recipes I gravitate to them. Roast Vegetable Medley Soup satiates my beef craving because it’s so flavorful.

I think soup is one of the best way to get a couple servings of vegetables. I plan to share more veggie soup recipes with you in the future. I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do.  And don’t be afraid to branch out and try new veggies … like root vegetables.

And here it is! The rutabaga that I ate for the first time in this soup recipe. If you don’t like rutabaga (it does have a distinct flavor), you could simply use a few more of the other vegetables in the recipe. Technically, a rutabaga is a cross between cabbage and turnips. Some people think it tastes like carrots without the sweetness. I sensed a slight anise flavor to it.

This is a really easy soup to make. Basically you just cut everything up, roast the veggies in the oven, then puree half of them with vegetable stock. You want to make sure you roast the vegetables long enough to slightly char them. The charring really gives it a savory, somewhat smokey flavor that’s heavenly.

I found the recipe in this fabulous cookbook … The Ultimate Soup Bible! I bought this cookbook for hubby because soup is his favorite food and he loves to cook. Of course, I get to use it too!

Serve this rustic vegetable soup with a rustic bread. I broiled my bread in the oven with a little butter and some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. I also paired it with a wonderful wine, but you’ll have to visit my other site, Blonde on Wine to see what wine I enjoyed with it.

Get your own copy of The Ultimate Soup Bible!

You’ll love it!

Roast Vegetable Medley Soup

4 parsnips, peeled and cut in 1″ chunks
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
2 leeks, sliced thickly
1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut in small pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks
4 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
4-5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the prepared vegetables in an even layer in a large roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and sprinkle thyme over the vegetables. Toss well to coat everything with the oil. roast for 35-45 minutes until vegetables are tender and slightly charred. Remove from oven and when cool enough to touch, squeeze the soft garlic cloves from their skins onto the vegetables.

Process half the vegetables with the stock in a blender until almost smooth. Pour into a medium sauce pan or soup pot and add the remaining vegetables. Bring to a boil and add the salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a rustic bread.