Description

This Italian Roasted Vegetable Soup is packed with deep, caramelized flavors from oven-roasted veggies and some Italian flair from sun-dried tomatoes. Blended until silky-smooth, this soup is finished with white wine vinegar for a touch of brightness and optional rosemary garlic croutons for a crispy, buttery contrast. A nourishing, cozy meal that’s as satisfying as it is simple to make.

Ingredients

Units Scale

For Soup:

2 red or orange bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped
1 medium celeriac, peeled and chopped
1 small head cauliflower, cored and chopped
1 small leek, cleaned very well and chopped
1 small head of garlic, outer papery skin removed and cloves separated, unpeeled
3-4 sprigs rosemary
1/3 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes plus 2 tablespoons reserved sun-dried tomato oil
Coarse kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 (14-ounce) can navy beans or white beans, rinsed and drained
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth/stock
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, plus more to taste

For Rosemary Garlic Butter Croutons (optional):

1/4 cup garlic butter
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
2 ounces sourdough or Italian bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes (1-2 cups)

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Instructions

Make the soup:

Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place an oven rack in the lower part of the oven.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together the bell peppers, onion, fennel, celeriac, cauliflower, leek, garlic, rosemary, the sun-dried tomato oil, a generous sprinkle of salt (about 2 teaspoons), and a sprinkle of pepper. (If you don’t have the sun-dried tomato oil, swap it with olive oil.)
Roast on the lower rack until the onions are translucent, about 20 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add on the drained sun-dried tomatoes, and stir them together with the veggies and oil.
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the veggies are cooked through and have begun to caramelize, with spots of light browning, 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the rosemary garlic croutons (if using): In a large skillet, heat the garlic butter and rosemary over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, add the bread cubes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread is lightly toasted,8-12 minutes. Lower the heat if needed to prevent the bread from burning. When the garlic bread cubes are golden, remove from the heat and let cool in the pan while finishing the soup.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool until the rosemary is cool enough to handle, 5-10 minutes. Remove the rosemary leaves from the stems and discard the stems. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins.
Carefully transfer the roasted vegetables, rosemary leaves, roasted garlic, and any oil on the baking sheet to a blender (see notes for immersion blender alternative). Add in the drained white beans and 1 cup of broth. Carefully start the blender on low with the cover slightly ajar (see note on blending hot items) to let any steam release. Slowly turn the blender up and purée. Add additional broth as needed to get a smooth purée.
When the mixture is smooth, set a fine-mesh strainer over a large pot.
Pour half of the blended veggie mixture into the strainer and press the soup through the sieve into the pot, discarding any solids in the strainer. Repeat straining with the remaining soup.
Turn the heat to medium. Add an additional 3 cups of broth to the soup . Bring the soup up to a simmer. Add the vinegar and taste and adjust the seasoning and thickness as desired, adding in additional salt, pepper,broth, or vinegar as needed.
Serve the soup hot, topped with rosemary garlic croutons, if using.

Notes

Be careful blending hot liquids—leave the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape. Blending with less liquid makes it smoother; thin it out after straining as needed. Aim for a soup that’s pourable but not brothy, and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Seasoning is the most important part of making this soup, and learning what tastes right to you takes practice. If it tastes bland, it probably needs more salt, more acid, or both. As always, see the article above for more resources and helpful advice.