Puree of Roasted Vegetable Soup

Puree of Roasted Root Vegetables
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Prep time: 15 minutes
Vegetable Roasting time: 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender
Soup Cooking time: 10-15 minutes (see below if you want to make your own broth…add a couple of hours. I usually make my broth the day before if I don’t have any in the freezer)

Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 lb/450g carrots, peeled
1 lb/450g parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash (about 2lb/950g), peeled and seeded
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

6-8 cups roasted vegetable broth

Directions:
Vegetables:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.

2. Cut all the vegetables into 1¼ - 1 ½” pieces so that they all cook at the same time and lay them in a single layer on the baking sheet….you might require two or more sheets. Do not crowd the vegetables and then drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

3. Roast for about 20 minutes or until soft, turning the vegetables once during the roasting. You might need to add more olive oil.

This step can also be done a day ahead.
Soup:
1. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat 6-8 cups of broth and add the vegetables for 5 minutes or so.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the vegetables to a consistency you like. Some people like it totally smooth, others like to have part creamy with lots of vegetable chunks. Just remember that if you are going to freeze the soup, you should really puree the vegetables completely or else they will be spongy once you defrost it.

Great with a crusty bread and crunchy salad.