Winter Root Vegetable Soup

Welcome to the world's creamiest bowl of winter root vegetable soup.

It's sweet, savory, and loaded with all of the flavors of fall, this soup is perfect for a cozy dinner for two, or as the starter at an elegant dinner party!

This pot of goodness is made with roasted squash, carrots, apple, sweet potato and red onion with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar.

It's truly warmth in a bowl!

How to make winter root vegetable soup

Featured Ingredients

• Red Onion: We love red onions, because we think they have a little more bite than yellow onions.
  • If you’d like something on the sweeter side, try a Vidalia onion!
  • The flavor would marry perfectly with the sweet potato, squash, and carrots.
• Granny Smith Apple: When it comes to flavor, Granny Smith apples bring a robust tartness to our soup!
  • Also, their texture holds up well to the roasting process, which makes them a great choice for this dish.
  • However, if you’d prefer an apple that’s a little sweeter reach for a Gala. They also hold up well to roasting.
• Yogurt: While plain Greek yogurt has a delightful place in our kitchen, when it comes to finishing a soup, we prefer old school plain yogurt because it has a thinner texture which makes it perfect for drizzling.
  • If however, you only have Greek yogurt on hand just thin it out with a bit of water or even lemon juice to double down on the tangy flavor. 
• Balsamic Vinegar: The combination of the sweet, and punchy notes of this vinegar will infuse the vegetables with a caramel-like flavor which brings out their natural sweetness.
  • Feel free to investigate the condiment aisle, and check out the labels for the best balsamic that your wallet will allow you to play with.
• Fresh Thyme: Please try to use fresh thyme if you can!
  • It really adds an aromatic layer to the marinade that can’t be replicated with dried herbs.
  • However, if for some reason you can’t use fresh, try to find dried thyme leaves, instead of the ground version.
    • To really bring out their flavor, you can warm them in a small, dry frying pan over low heat for a few seconds to release their natural oils before combining them with the vinegar and oil.
• Fresh Basil: The same goes for the basil! Fresh really is the key to tying the marinade all together. But, dried will work fine in a pinch.
  • Just remember that for every tablespoon of fresh basil, use 1 teaspoon of dried because the flavor is so much more concentrated.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place the onion, apple, sweet potato, squash and carrots on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and half of the salt and black pepper. 
4. Roast until the vegetables are tender and slightly brown around edges, about 35-40 minutes.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a large stock pot and pour in 4 cups of vegetable stock, just enough to cover the vegetables.
6. Heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.
7. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, adding more stock, if necessary.
8. Add the yogurt, sugar, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, thyme, basil and the remaining salt and black pepper.
9. Continue to puree until the soup is very creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
10. Serve immediately with freshly shaved Parmesan.

Recipe Substitutions and Alternatives

• Make it a one pot dish: If you'd rather make this soup all in one pot, you can saute the vegetables in olive oil until very soft, then puree and add the flavorings as the recipe suggests.
• Try it with cream: Instead of yogurt, use half and half or cream.
• Alterate the veggies: Parsnips, turnips, rutabaga and all root veggies can be alternated in depending on what you have on hand.
• Add toppings: While we like to top this soup with shaved Parmesan, a bit of honey or maple syrup, toasted walnuts or pecans or a bit of olive oil.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this gluten free: This recipe is naturally gluten free. Be sure all packaged ingredients are gluten free.
• To make this dairy free: Use dairy free yogurt or canned coconut milk instead of Greek yogurt or half and half. Skip the Parmesan garnish.
• To make this vegan: Use plant-based yogurt or canned coconut milk instead of Greek yogurt or half and half. Skip the Parmesan garnish.
• To make this nut free: This recipe is naturally nut free - just be sure not to garnish with nuts!

Creamy soup recipes:

• Carrot Ginger Soup
• Butternut Squash Apple Soup
• Spicy Zucchini Soup
• Potato Leek Soup with Olive Oil
• Curry Cauliflower Soup
• Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Winter Root Vegetable Soup

Print Recipe

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A creamy pureed soup made with roasted root vegetables, balsamic and warm spices.

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 20-25 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hr - 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins - 1 hr 30 mins
• Yield: Serves 6
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stove-Top, Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium red onion, halved, peeled and cut in to wedges
• 1 medium granny smith apple, skins on and cubed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• ½ medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 4 cups unsalted vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt and/or half and half
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar or brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed
• 3 fresh basil leaves
• Freshly shaved Parmesan, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place the onion, apple, sweet potato, squash and carrots on the prepared baking sheet. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and half of the salt and black pepper.  Roast until the vegetables are tender and slightly brown around edges, about 35-40 minutes.
3. Transfer the vegetables to a large stock pot and pour in 4 cups of vegetable stock, just enough to cover the vegetables. Heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.
4. Puree the soup using an immersion blender, adding more stock, if necessary. Add the yogurt, sugar, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, thyme, basil and the remaining salt and black pepper. Continue to puree until the soup is very creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
5. Serve immediately with freshly shaved Parmesan.

Notes

Additional Topping Ideas: Honey and chopped walnuts or pecans.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ¼ of recipe
• Calories: 189
• Sugar: 14g
• Sodium: 306mg
• Fat: 9g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fiber: 5g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 0mg