Rich Roasted Vegetable Soup. Do you ever make something that is SO GOOD that you want to make it again right away? This creamy caramel-butterscotch-praline-tinted soup is also SO GOOD that no one will know it’s actually VEGAN. It sure fooled my meat-loving husband! Two of my good friends have moved to a vegan diet in the past year so this delicious recipe is dedicated to them.
The steps and number of ingredients to make this velvety soup might look “involved” but they really aren’t. You can roast the Brussels sprouts and broccoli at the same time on the same sheet pan. While the sprouts and broccoli are roasting, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Once everything is in the pot, it’s just a waiting game until everything’s done! Then use a hand blender, regular blender, or Vitamix to puree the soup. Return to the pan and add some additional stock to thin to your liking.
You’ll need some fresh vegetables. Broccoli florets and Brussels sprouts are the key vegetables. Also you’ll need some vegetable stock. I prefer to use organic ingredients when possible.
If I won’t be consuming all the soup right away, I usually freeze the soup after pureeing and before adding additional stock so I can adjust seasonings after it’s been thawed (plus it takes up less room in the freezer). This is a very velvety soup if you use a Vitamix or regular blender. My Bamix hand blender left it a bit chunky which you may like better than super smooth.
Start out by roasting broccoli florets and halved Brussels sprouts in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven. You can toss them in olive oil before roasting or just let them roast naturally. Spread them out on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast for about 20 minutes or until they have some toasty brown spots on them. Do not burn the vegetables as they will have a very bitter flavor.
Toss the broccoli and Brussels sprouts on the pan a few times while they are roasting.
While the broccoli and sprouts are roasting, make a mirepoix with diced carrot, onion, and celery.
In a soup pot, caramelize the mirepoix (diced carrots, onion, celery) in some olive oil.
Remove the roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts from the oven and set aside.
Check on the mirepoix in the soup pot. It should be nicely browned. Now add some garlic and stir but don’t brown the garlic.
Deglaze the pan with some white wine. Stir to break up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Now add some diced potatoes, diced apples and the roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
Add vegetable stock and spiced apple cider. If you can’t find cider, use regular apple juice or additional vegetable stock.
Simmer the soup for about an hour until it reduces a bit.
Add some fresh spinach and arugula leaves and some chopped fresh pea shoots.
Stir the greens into the soup and cook until the greens are wilted.
Use a hand blender to puree the soup to a smooth consistency.
If you prefer a smoother consistency to this soup, which I do, use a regular blender or a Vitamix to blend to a very velvety consistency.
Return the rich roasted vegetable soup to the soup pot. Thin to an appropriate consistency with additional vegetable stock, warm through, and serve! Garnish with fresh parsley or fresh pea shoots.
Enjoy!!
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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….
Rich Roasted Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh broccoli florets
12 oz. fresh Brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
4 T olive oil or vegetable stock/broth, divided
2 medium onions, diced
2 large carrots, diced
4 celery stalks with leaves, diced/chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c dry white wine
2 lbs. red potatoes, washed, peeled, and diced
2 Granny Smith apples, washed, cored, peeled, and diced
1/2 c spiced apple cider
8 c vegetable stock/broth plus 2 c for thinning after pureeing
2 c fresh arugula leaves (packed)
2 c fresh spinach leaves (packed)
1 c fresh pea shoots, chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 T chopped parsley or whole parsley leaves or whole pea shoots, for garnish
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Assemble the broccoli florets and the Brussels sprout halves on the parchment paper.
4. Toss the broccoli and sprouts with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil or vegetable broth.
5. Roast the broccoli and the sprouts for about 20 minutes, tossing the vegetables as they roast. Remove from the oven when they are slightly toasted.
6. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
7. Saute the diced carrots, onions, and celery until slightly browned.
8. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic has softened, a few minutes.
9. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Stir and simmer the vegetables and wine until the alcohol has burned off, a few minutes.
10. Add the roasted vegetables, diced potato, diced apple, apple cider, and 8 cups of vegetable stock. Lower the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Stir and simmer the soup for an hour or until the potatoes are soft.
11. When the soup has reduced a bit, add the spinach, arugula and optional chopped pea shoots.
12. Stir and simmer until the greens have wilted slightly.
13. Remove the soup pot from the heat. Puree the soup with a hand blender or puree in batches in a Vitamix or regular blender.
14. Return the pureed soup to the soup pot. Thin with additional stock as necessary and warm through. If you are planning to freeze some of the soup, then ladle it into freezer containers before thinning.
15. Season with salt and pepper.
16. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with parsley or pea shoots, and serve!
Makes 3 – 4 quarts of soup, and more when thinned. This is a very velvety soup that can be served warm or chilled. Serve with a salad or a sandwich.
Variations: This is a vegan soup. However, for your “meat eating” friends, you can add some chopped ham or crumbled bacon to their serving bowls. I think they’ll love this soup without the meat! If you hate peas, don’t use the pea shoots. Sprinkle some finely chopped nuts onto this soup as a garnish.
Get a Bamix hand blender and a Vitamix from Amazon.com:
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