Vegetable Soup’s On

By Leslie Kedash

I think soup weather is defined by rainy days and chilly evenings, and we’ve recently had our fair share of that. A good soup is one you can make on a moment’s notice, (or a few moments, anyway)…and this one is quick and tasty.

I tried this recipe this week and liked it enough to share. It contains plenty of good winter vegetables.

Two steps (two recipes combined, actually) and it’s on the table, served with salad and bread.

The recipes come from The Barefoot Contessa Family Style.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

The high temperature carmelizes the outside and leaves the inside tender and moist. This is a very flexible recipe; you can add any root vegetable you have in the house to this mélange.

1 pound carrots, peeled

1 pound parsnips, peeled

1 large sweet potato, peeled

1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded

3 tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 and a quarter inch cubes. They’ll shrink while baking, so don’t cut them too small.

Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 25 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste, and serve hot. (or in this case, use them in the following recipe)

Roasted Vegetable Soup

This is  very versatile—you can also throw in last night’s mashed potatoes and even the tossed green salad from lunch. It adds wonderful flavor and goodness. A great way to get vegetables into your kids without their knowing it.

6 to 8 cups chicken stock

1 recipe Roasted Winter Vegetables

Kosher salt and pepper

For Serving: Croutons and quality olive oil

In a large saucepan, heat 6 cups of the chicken stock. In two batches, coarsely puree the roasted vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pour the soup back into the pot and season to taste. Thin with more chicken stock and reheat. The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until it is the consistencey you like.

Serve with the croutons and a drizzle of olive oil.