Roasted Vegetable Soup

Look what Aaron got me for Christmas!

He is so awesome! And, as it turns out, really into getting me stuff for cooking. Even before I had made this post, he had already purchased me my very first Le Creuset. So there it was, beautiful and blue, and I needed to come up with something to cook in it. Soup, obviously, because it's a soup pot and you shouldn't cook something non-soup the first time. Not in this pretty French baby, oh no.

Anyway, last week it was very cold and we were very hungry. Based on what we had in the house and the very low temperature outside, I decided that instead of just having roasted veggies, which I love, we should have roasted vegetable soup. It's delicious, pretty quick, and you will be so happy and warm.

Roasted Vegetable Soup:

Serves 6

½ onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves
1 ridiculously large potato, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
3 c. broccoli
1 c. corn
½ c. peas
2 Tb. butter (optional)
3-4 c. veggie stock
Large pinch herbs de provence
Olive oil
Grated parmesan (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Take chopped potato, sweet potato, and broccoli and spread on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes. You don’t want these to be all the way cooked through, but getting soft and the broccoli should be looking slightly browned and crispy. Set aside.

In your amazing Le Creuset or other heavy bottomed soup pot, heat butter and a little bit of olive oil over medium-low heat. I like the flavor combination of butter and oil, but you can make totally vegan without it and it will taste fine. Add onion and cook, 3-4 minutes or until softened and slightly brown. Add in garlic, corn, and peas. Add in roasted vegetables and herbs de provence (French herbs for my French pot!) and cook for another couple of minutes. Add in veggie stock, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. It’s done when you can get a fork easily into the potato pieces.

Serve immediately with bread and a little grated parmesan.

I love vegetable soup and I think roasting the veggies first makes it just that much more delicious. A good veggie stock is key to a good soup and I think my veggie stock is awesome. Make a bunch and freeze it. It's not hard and making your own is just that much better. I had two large bowls that day and then two more the next day. It’s perfect for these cold winter nights and is flexible enough to match the produce you have in your house.

Plus, it’s a great way to break in your soup pot. Clearly I am very happy about this!