Next on the prep table - fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic cloves. I left the skins on the cloves - they bake up moister that way. Drizzling of olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, then a toss to coat.
Don't those leaves look gorgeous? These babies are the superest of super foods. And so tasty!
I chopped them in about one-inch strips, slicing down the spine of the larger leaves, so you don't end up with long sloppy greens dangling off your spoon!
Then I got out my favorite soup pot. I just love, love, love my La Cruset pot. It holds temp so beautifully and simmers everything so nicely. Plus I get a little work-out every time I take it out of the cupboard. These puppies are heavy!
About 8 cups of vegetable stock went into that waiting pot.
Once the veggies were done roasting, the garlic cloves were set aside,
and the tomatoes, onions and their juices were scrapped into the pot.
Next, that beautiful kale went in along with some bay leaves and fresh thyme (there's no need to tear the leaves off, you can remove the stems before serving cuz the leaves will have cooked off by then).
While this lovely concoction cooked, for about a half hour, I chopped up the squash and carrots into 1/2 inch chunks.
Once the kale was tender, the remaining veggies went into the pot along with a can of rinsed cannelini beans. This beautiful mixture was seasoned with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a little white wine; and simmered til it was warmed through.
Can you smell it? Can you taste it? The depth of flavor from those roasted veggies, the pepperiness from the kale and the creaminess of the squash makes for a rich, warm, hearty and filling soup.
Soup, glorious soup! Slurp it up with some crusty French bread. Stay warm, my friends!
Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup
4 carrots, peeled and quartered
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 large (or 2 small) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch wedges
8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 can (15 oz) vegetable broth
4 cups kale, finely chopped (or Swiss chard)
1 can (15 oz) white beans, great northern or cannelini
1/2 cup white wine
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange tomatoes, onion and garlic on one rimmed baking sheet. Arrange carrots and squash on a separate sheet, Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake until vegetables are tender and browned, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
2. Set cooked squash pan aside to cool slightly, then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Scrape tomatoes and onions with accumulated juices into the soup pot (or blender, if you don't have an immersion blender). Squish roasted garlic out of their papers and into the tomato pot. Pour wine onto the baking sheet and scrape up any remaining bits, add to tomatoes. Puree mixture until almost smooth (you can add some of the broth at this time to make the blending easier.
4. Add remaining broth, kale, thyme, bay leaf to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 30 minutes.
5. Add rinsed beans and reserved carrots and squash to soup along with remaining seasonings. Simmer to blend flavors, about 10 minutes, Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
