Souper Sunday: Roasty Toasty Winter Soup

This week's recipe is from my friend, Jenna McGuiggan, The Word Cellar. Jenna is wrapping up her course, Alchemy: The Art and Craft of Writing, but you can sign up for her mailing list to be notified when the spring session is scheduled. Thanks, Jenna ... this recipe looks delicious and couldn't be more perfect as the days get colder! xo

Roasty, Toasty Winter Veggie Soup*

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces
1 medium yam or sweet potato peeled and cut into ¾” pieces
1 large onion, cut into medium chunks
6 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
Olive oil
4 cups of finely chopped kale
6 cups or more of good lower sodium chicken stock (can substitute vegetable stock)**
3 large sprigs of fresh thyme (or a ½ teaspoon of dried thyme)
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (or white beans of choice), drained and rinsed
7 oz of cubed fire roasted tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place carrots and yams on a rimmed baking sheet. Place onion and unpeeled garlic cloves on second rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on all vegetables. Toss to coat, being sure to coat the baking sheets with a thin layer of oil. Roast vegetables until they are brown and tender, stirring occasionally, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean and chop kale.

When the roasted veggies are done, set aside carrots and yam. Carefully peel the garlic cloves and place in food processor. Add tomatoes and onion and puree until almost smooth.

If there are any browned bits on the baking sheets, pour a ¼ cup broth onto each and scrape up the tasty goodness. Transfer broth and vegetable puree to large pot. Add 5½ cups broth, kale, thyme and bay leaf to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to a strong simmer. Simmer uncovered until kale is tender, about 15 minutes.

Add carrots, beans, and squash to soup. Simmer 8 minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

Serves six.

* Based on the Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup from SimplyRecipes.
**Jenna likes Kitchen Basics brand
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Please don't forget to root around the archives for past Souper Sunday posts. There's quite a collection growing!

And if you have a soup recipe to share for a future Souper Sunday post:

Please send it via e-mail to jakk@magicbeansworkshop.com along with 1) a photo of the soup, you, you + the soup, or anything that captures the mood of the season and 2) a link to the blog or website to which you would like to be linked.