Soup season. Who doesn’t love a good soup? I make vegetable soup all year, changing the ingredients as my fresh vegetables change. Having a small kitchen garden means that I often have little bits of many vegetables. Like a few beans, a potato or two, one squash - you get the idea - not enough for serving alone but just the right mix for a soup. This is simple recipe full of seasonal flavor. I used grass-fed ground beef, but feel free to skip that if you want a vegetarian version.
A chill in the air, shorter days, time for fall planting……… It all makes me want a slower pace and warmer foods. The big tomato plants have been cleared, leaving me with a counter top crowded with not so perfect tomatoes. Some are ripe and some will ripen over the next few weeks. Roasting the end of season, not so pretty, tomatoes adds extra flavor and richness to the soup base.
Larger tomatoes, with the skins still on, are cut into quarters and placed in a single layer in a high sided baking pan. Add some garlic cloves and fresh sprigs of thyme. Drizzle the pan with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Liberally salt and pepper. Throw it all into a hot oven for an hour and the magic happens.
After an hour you remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven. Let the pan cool to touch. Once the tomatoes are cool, use your hands to remove the tomato skins. The skins will easily peel away at this point. Also, remove any of thyme twigs. Discard the thyme twigs and the tomato skins. Squeeze the tomatoes into bite-size pieces.
NOTE: Store bought tomatoes work well and get a better flavor once roasted. If all this roasting is not for you, buy a large 24 ounce can of already roasted tomatoes and skip the roasting altogether.
Now make the soup! Sauté the chopped onion, celery and carrot over a medium heat until the onion is translucent. Be careful not to burn the onion.
Once the onion is translucent, move everything to the side of the pan and add the ground beef. Sauté the beef just until it is browned. I leave any fat in the pan but you can remove it if that is not your thing.
Add in the whole pan of roasted skinned tomatoes and all the liquid from the pan. Stir in the remaining spices and your chopped vegetables. Bring it all to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 1 hour.
For vegetables, I used corn sliced from 2 ears, a couple of zucchini and a potato. Other good seasonal options are green beans, shelled beans and peas, okra, turnips and sweet potatoes. Finely sliced winter greens like choi, collard, turnip, kale and cabbage are great too.
Serve hot from the stove with a crusty bread!
Roasted Tomato Vegetable Soup
INGREDIENTS FOR ROASTED TOMATOES:
Pan full of large tomatoes quartered
Olive oil
Sprigs of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
METHOD FOR ROASTING TOMATOES:
Heat oven to 425F.
Using a 13”X9” baking pan, fill it with quartered large tomatoes, garlic cloves and thyme. Generously drizzle on good olive oil. Salt and pepper.
Bake for 60 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool to touch.
Using your hands, remove the skins and discard them. Remove any thyme twigs. Squeeze the roasted tomatoes to break them into pieces.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGETABLE SOUP:
Pan of roasted tomatoes and all pan drippings or a 24 ounce can of roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 pound grass-fed ground beef (omit for a vegetarian option)
3 cups water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 large potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 - 3 cups of additional seasonal vegetables (I used sliced zucchini and corn)
METHOD FOR SOUP:
Warm olive oil in a large soup pot. Sauté onion, celery and carrot until the onion is translucent.
Add the ground beef to the soup pan and cook until it is just browned.
Add the pan of roasted tomatoes along with all the pan drippings.
Add 3 cups of water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar.
Give it all a big stir. Add in chopped potato and seasonal vegetables.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.
Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve hot with a crusty bread!
NOTES: Use whatever vegetables you like. In season and fresh is best but frozen vegetables work too. Extra points if you froze them yourself.