Hearty Vegetable Soup

4 from 1 vote

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With all of the overindulging that comes with the holiday season, here’s one recipe that will warm you up without weighing you down. This is by far the best vegetable soup I have ever eaten! The rich and flavorful broth is enhanced by roasted vegetables and a full head of garlic.

Once the garlic has been roasted and simmered, it is squeezed out of its skin and into the broth to thicken and flavor it. A hearty blend of vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, celeriac, and lima beans, are then added to the stock to create a balanced, hearty vegetable soup.

If your New Years resolution is to eat healthier and shed a few pounds, this flavorful soup is a surefire way to keep you on track!

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Hearty Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 2

Servings: to 6 servings

4 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

For the Stock:

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped medium
1 rib celery, chopped medium
1 medium onion, chopped medium
3 medium portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 medium head garlic, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste, heaping
9 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 medium leeks, about 1 pound, green parts chopped, white parts sliced thin crosswise
10 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed

For the Soup:

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, tomato pieces chopped coarse
2 small russet potatoes, about 12 ounces, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium celeriac, about 12 ounces, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 small head escarole, about 12 ounces, washed, stemmed, and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 heaping cups)
1 cup frozen baby lima beans, 6 ounces defrosted
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and ground black pepper

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Instructions

To make the stock, heat oven to 450 degrees. Place carrot, celery, onion, portobellos, and garlic head in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Add tomato paste and toss until evenly coated. Spread vegetables in even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, set garlic head cut-side up; roast until vegetables are well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven combine roasted vegetables, broth, leek greens, parsley, thyme, bay, and porcini; cover and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Remove garlic head; using tongs, squeeze garlic head at root end until cloves slip out of their skins. Using fork, mash garlic to paste in small bowl and set aside. Strain stock through large fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids in strainer.
To make the soup, rinse out and wipe Dutch oven; add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, celeriac, reserved whites of leeks, strained broth, and garlic paste to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender when poked with a paring knife, about 25 minutes. With back of wooden spoon, mash some potatoes against side of pot to thicken soup. Stir in escarole and lima beans; cook until escarole is wilted and limas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.