Soup recipes to keep you warm and cozy as the Autumn nights turn chilly
ROASTED GARLIC & POTATO SOUP
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 ½ tsp butter, plus 2 tbsp butter
- 2 lbs potatoes (6 med.), peeled and cubed
- 2 med onions, quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth, divided
- 4½ tsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove papery outer skin from garlic (do not peel or separate cloves); cut top off bulb. Melt 1½ tsps butter; drizzle over garlic. Wrap in heavy-duty foil. Place on a baking pan; set aside.
- Place potatoes and onions in a single layer in an ungreased baking pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Bake the garlic and the potato mixture at 400°F for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring vegetables once. Cool slightly.
- In a blender, combine 2 cups broth and half of the potato mixture; cover and process until blended. Repeat with 2 cups broth and remaining potato mixture; set aside.
- In a large saucepan, melt remaining butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add remaining broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the saucepan. Stir in milk and pureed vegetables; heat through.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP
prep time: 15 mins | cook time: 55 mins | servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 large cauliflower (about 2lbs), cut into bite-size florets
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- fine sea salt
- 1 med red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth (32ozs)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (maybe more if needed)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley, chives and/or green onions for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On the baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 2 tbsp
- of the olive oil, arrange the cauliflower in a single layer and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized on the edges, 25 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway.
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ¼ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the broth.
- Reserve 4 of the roasted cauliflower florets for garnish. Transfer the remaining cauliflower into the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, to give the flavours time to meld.
- Once the soup is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary.
- Add the butter and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice and nutmeg and blend again.
- Add additional salt and lemon juice, to taste and blend again.
- To serve, top individual bowls of soup with 1 roasted cauliflower floret and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, green onion and/or chives.
FRENCH ONION SOUP
French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food.
prep time: 20 mins | cook time: 1hr 40 mins | serves: 4 – 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 lbs sweet onions (5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small baguette, cut into ½” slices
- 1 tbsp dry sherry
- 8 ozs Gruyère cheese, grated (2 heaping cups)
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions only occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tbsp of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
- Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
- Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
- While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- If the soup needs a deeper flavour, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it’s not quite sweet enough, add ¼ tsp sugar.
- Adjust an oven rack 6” from the broiler element and set the oven to broil. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks. Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and then Parmesan cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving.
- If you don’t have individual crocks, you can divide
- the soup into bowls then make the cheese toasts separately and add them to the top of the soup bowls.
- NOTE: This soup can be made and refrigerated up to
- 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or up to 3 months ahead and frozen.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH APPLE SOUP
prep: 25 mins | cook: 50 mins | serves: 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 6 cups butternut squash, peeled & cubed
- 1 can chicken or veggie broth (14½ ozs)
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1½ tsp fresh thyme, minced or ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup half-and-half cream
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large saucepan melt the butter.
- Cook the onion in the butter (stirring frequently) over medium heat until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the squash, broth, apple, water, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly.
- In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to the pan; stir in cream and heat through (do not boil).
PUMPKIN CARROT SOUP
A healthy and creamy soup .. perfect for the fall!
prep time: 10 mins | cook time: 30 mins | serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cups pumpkin (about 1 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into 1” chunks
- 1 ½ cups carrots (about ½ lb), peeled and cut into 1” chunks
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
- roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
- In a large pot, melt the butter then add the onions and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the pumpkin, carrots, broth, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Turn the heat off and puree with a handheld immersion blender until smooth. Or you can puree in batches using a blender.
- Add the heavy cream and honey and stir. Bring to a simmer and taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed. If you need to thin the soup, just add some water. Serve in bowls and top with some thyme and pumpkin seeds.
CHANTERELLE MUSHROOM SOUP
prep time: 5 mins | cook time: 20 mins
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lb chanterelle mushrooms
- 1 small onion or leek, diced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
- 5 sprigs sage
- ½ tsp sea salt + more to taste
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup coconut cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
- In a medium soup pot on low heat add the olive oil and the onion. Sauté with a pinch of sea salt until they are soft and translucent, making sure not to burn them.
- Add the minced garlic and give it a good stir. Cook 30 seconds then add the
- chanterelle mushrooms and toss to coat. Sauté together for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms start to wilt. Reserve about 1 cup of the mixture for garnish. (Or you could reserve about ¼ lb of the fresh chanterelles and pan sear them with a little olive oil and sea salt just before serving.)
- Add the stock to the soup pot together with the thyme, 1 sprig of sage and the sea salt and bring to a simmer. Cook together at a gentle boil for 10 minutes.
- Using a handheld immersion blender carefully puree the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and remove from the heat. Adjust seasonings to your taste with more sea salt.
- Meanwhile in a separate skillet melt the butter (or olive oil) and add the remaining sage leaves. Cook together until the sage is crispy and butter is golden brown.
- Serve the soup with the reserved chanterelles on top, sprinkled with the crispy sage and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
