Roasted Root Veg Soup
An easy way to use up odds and ends of all kinds of root vegetables: roast to bring out their natural sweetness then whizz with stock to make an economical soup.
Make a whole range of roasted root veg soups by leaving out the dried herbs and replace with Indian inspired garam masala and turmeric, or add cumin, cinnamon and ginger for a North African taste.
Ingredients
- 1 kg mixed root vegetables (see Recipe Notes) weight is after preparation e.g. peeling
- 6 garlic cloves peeled but left whole
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes or mild chilli flakes
- salt
- black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 800 - 1000 ml vegetable or chicken stock you can replace half with milk for a lightly creamy soup
To serve (optional)
- grated or diced cheese
- vegetable crisps see Recipe Notes to make your own
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180° Fan / Gas 6.
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Roast the vegetables
Prepare the root vegetables as necessary (e.g. peel or scrub, top and tail) then dice them.
Put the diced veg and the peeled whole garlic cloves in a large roasting tray.
Sprinkle over all the herbs and spices plus 1 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper.
Toss well, drizzle over the olive oil, then toss again.
Put into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
Take the tray out of the oven, toss again, then return it to the oven.
Roast for a further 10 minutes or until the vegetables are well browned and tender.
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Make the soup
Transfer the roasted vegetables, and any roasting juices, to a saucepan on top of the stove.
Stir in 800 - 900 ml of stock, put on a lid, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes to completely soften the vegetables and meld the flavours.
Use a stick blender to puree the soup to your preferred consistency. If the soup seems too thick, stir in more of the stock.
Check the seasoning and serve with the optional garnishes, croutons, or cheese toasts.
Recipe Notes
Root vegetables suitable for this soup. Almost any mix of root vegetables will work in this soup, even those a little past their best and a little soft. For the soup shown in the blog post I used 1 large onion, 2 sticks celery, 1 leek, made up to a kilo with carrot, sweet potato, parsnip, celeriac, and golden beetroot. You could also use any other type of beetroot, or turnip, swede, kohlrabi, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke.
To make vegetable crisps for a garnish. Slice a few pieces of the larger root vegetables (e.g. parsnip, beetroot, sweet potato) very thinly: they should be almost transparent. If you've time, soak in water for 10 - 30 minutes then rinse and pat dry. Place on a microwave-safe plate and heat on high for an initial 2 minutes. Continue to heat in short bursts, turning a few times, until the vegetables are crisp. Be sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly. When done, put on a wire rack to cool where they'll crisp further.