Description
A soul-warming soup featuring roasted sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and carrots blended into a creamy, naturally sweet base with hints of cumin and paprika. Topped with caramelized roasted vegetables and fresh Parmesan for the ultimate comfort food experience.
Ingredients
For the Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks (the star of the show – gives natural sweetness)
- 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped into chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, deseeded and chopped into chunks (use whatever colors you have!)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, left in their skins (roasting in the skin keeps them sweet and mellow)
- 1 red onion, peeled and chopped into wedges
For Seasoning & Building:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (don’t skimp – this helps everything caramelize beautifully)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin (adds that warm, earthy note)
- ½ teaspoon paprika (gives a subtle smoky depth)
- 1 litre (approx. 4¼ cups) vegetable stock
- 35 g (about 1/3 cup) grated Parmesan cheese
For Serving:
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme (or whatever herbs make you happy)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) with fan-assisted heat. Trust me, that fan makes all the difference for even roasting.
On a large baking tray, arrange the sweet potato chunks, both bell peppers, carrots, and those garlic cloves with their skins still on. Don’t worry about being too precious – rustic chunks are perfect here.
Pro Tip: I eyeball the vegetable sizes instead of measuring. Thumb-sized pieces work great. If some are bigger, no big deal – just give them a few extra minutes.
Dump olive oil all over everything, then throw on the salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. I just use my hands to mix it all up because it’s faster than getting a spoon dirty.
Stick the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. Try to remember to flip everything after 10 minutes but don’t stress if you forget – I do it all the time.
Take the pan out and add the onion pieces. Mix them around so they get oily too, then put it back for another 10-12 minutes until everything looks done.
Take out the pan. Save a few spoonfuls of the prettiest vegetables for later, then dump the rest into a big pot. Squeeze those soft garlic cloves right out of their skins – they should pop out easy.
Pro Tip: Sometimes I forget to flip them and they still turn out fine. Don’t stress if you’re not perfect here.
Pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil, then turn it down so it’s just bubbling gently. Let it go for about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and use your stick blender to blend everything until it’s smooth. Takes maybe 30 seconds of buzzing it around.
Stir in the grated Parmesan and watch it melt in. Taste it and add more salt or pepper if you want.
Scoop into bowls and put those saved roasted vegetables on top, plus more cheese and some thyme if you have it.
Notes
Don’t cram all the vegetables on one tiny pan like I did the first time. They need space or they just steam and taste bland. Use two pans if you have to.
My stick blender is kind of crappy so I have to move it around the pot and do short bursts. Yours might be better but don’t worry if there’s still some chunks – it’s fine.
Let the soup sit for a few minutes before you eat it. It’s crazy hot when you first make it and you’ll burn your tongue. Also the flavors settle down a bit.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Roasting
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 185
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 8mg