Roasted Brussels Sprouts Soup. Hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! Let’s raise a TOAST to a PROSPEROUS and HEALTHY 2107!! Now, who loves Brussels sprouts? I love them roasted or steamed or sauteed. Recently I bought a large bag of Brussels sprouts. Other than the traditional uses, I decided to also make some Roasted Brussels Sprouts Soup. This soup combines the toasty, nutty, and slightly sweet flavor of roasted Brussels sprouts with hearty red potatoes and a touch of heavy cream to finish.
As a kid, I wasn’t a huge fan of Brussels sprouts because they always seemed to be mushy. Most people that grew up in my era didn’t like Brussels sprouts either. The Brussels sprouts were either boiled to death or packaged frozen which threw off the texture. It wasn’t until I met my husband that I changed my mind about Brussels sprouts. He would split the sprouts in half and saute them in butter. Sometimes, he added some garlic and chopped pecans or dried cranberries. I began to really like his crispy Brussels sprouts. And years later, I try to find new ways to use them. We are also trying to eat healthier every year and vegetables are a filling and nutritious option.
For this dish, roast some whole fresh Brussels sprouts in the oven. Don’t skip the roasting step or you will be missing out on a richer taste which makes this soup so good. Then, in a stockpot, caramelize some onions, carrots, and celery in butter and olive oil.
Add some garlic, dried thyme and a bay leaf. Deglaze the pan with some white wine and add chicken or vegetable stock. Add some diced red potatoes and the roasted whole Brussels sprouts.
Let that simmer for about an hour.
When the potatoes are very soft, remove the bay leaf. Use a hand blender or regular blender to puree the soup to a very smooth consistency.
Add more stock to thin if necessary. Stir in some diced ham and heavy cream and warm through.
Garnish with some chopped parsley and serve. ***Remember to REMOVE THE BAY LEAF*** before you puree the soup! And you might even get your kids to eat their Brussels sprouts a little bit easier with this soup. You can also use crumbled bacon as a topping instead of stirring in the ham.
Enjoy!
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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, and left whole
1 T olive oil
1 t salt
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 T dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c dry white wine
3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth and additional water, if needed
1 c heavy cream
1 c diced ham (optional)
2 T finely chopped Italian parsley
Tools: Hand blender or regular blender and parchment paper
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a non-metallic bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts in some olive oil and salt.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the Brussels sprouts onto the parchment paper on the baking sheet.
4. Roast the Brussels sprouts in the oven for 30 – 45 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through, shaking the pan or turning the sprouts over at least once for more even baking.
5. Take the Brussels sprouts out of the oven and set aside.
6. In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil and butter together until the butter has melted.
7. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and saute over medium heat until the vegetables start to caramelize.
8. Add the thyme, bay leaf and garlic and saute a minute or two while stirring the mixture.
9. Stir in the white wine while scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with the spoon. Let the wine’s alcohol burn off while stirring for a few minutes.
10. Then, add the diced potatoes, whole roasted Brussels sprouts, and the stock/broth. Add some water if the stock/broth doesn’t completely cover the vegetables.
11. Bring the soup to a boil. When the soup has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour or until the potatoes are very soft and the soup has reduced slightly.
12. Remove the soup pot from the stove. REMOVE THE BAY LEAF and discard. Using a hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is velvety smooth. You could use a regular blender for this step and puree the soup in batches.
13. Return the pot to the stove and thin with more stock/broth. Then, stir in the heavy cream and the optional diced ham.
14. Season the soup with salt and pepper, warm through, ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Makes about 6 quarts of soup. Serve with my Granny Smith Apple Chopped Salad or my Pretty Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and Cinnamon Pecans. If you like a soup-and-sandwich meal, offer my Favorite Chicken Salad Sandwich or hot ham and melty Swiss cheese on a toasted croissant.
Variations: Use beef stock/broth for a very rich flavor. Use half and half or whole milk instead of heavy cream. Top with real bacon bits instead of stirring in the ham. I don’t recommend using frozen Brussels sprouts for this soup as they may not roast as nicely as the fresh ones do. You can omit the roasting Brussels sprouts step for this soup although you are really missing out on a toasty rich flavor.
Order a nice soup pot from Amazon.com:
Order some reusable “parchment paper” from Amazon.com. I have these reusable sheets and love them:
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