This week we are dishing up steaming ladles of this roasted vegetable soup with our special pistachio pesto in the Tuesday Foods Kitchen!

This delicious pureed soup, is packed with nutritious winter root vegetables. We love to roast them until golden and caramelized to add lots of extra flavor.

Recipe inspiration: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa . One of our favorite “go-tos” for comfort food recipes.

Roasted Veggie Soup

For the soup:

4 cups veggie stock
Roasted Root Vegetables (prep instructions below)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Roasted Root Vegetables:

1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled and seeded
Optional: 1 kabocha squash, peeled and seeded (see Chef’s notes below)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Pistachio Pesto: (Note: you can use store-bought pesto for a short cut)

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Place the basil, pistachios, garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, zest, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth.We love it served with toasted pistachios, a sprinkle of red chili flakes and drizzle of olive oil.

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roast the vegetables: Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 2 inch cubes. Place all the cut veggies in a single layer on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until tender, turning once half way through. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of the veggies to be used as a topping.

3. Make the soup: In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of veggie stock. Using a food processor, blender, or a hand blender, coarsely puree the Roasted Root Vegetables and the warm veggie stock. Pour the soup back into the pot and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Thin with remaining veggie stock and reheat. The soup will be thick - add more stock and/or water until desired consistency.

4. Serve with reserved roasted veggies, a drizzle of pistachio pesto and a crusty piece of bread!

Chef’s Note: We love the addition of kabocha squash in this soup. If you can find it in the market, we encourage you to try it! It adds wonderful depth to the color, flavor and texture of the soup