Roasted root veggies make a hearty winter soup

(HealthDay)—Dense root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and parsnips benefit from roasting. They sweeten as they cook, making for healthy comfort food during cold winter months.

Follow these general steps for any hard vegetables: Start by cutting them into uniform pieces, so they'll roast and brown evenly. (Otherwise, you can end up with either burnt or undercooked pieces.) Next, toss the vegetables in a healthy cooking oil like olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt, which helps to bring out their sweetness.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Then spread the vegetables evenly so that all pieces will brown at the same rate. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. The high temperature is key to bringing out the sweet flavor— plus it gets dinner on the table faster.

Serve roasted veggies as a side dish instead of pasta or white rice with your favorite protein like chicken, or blend with broth for this fast and rich-tasting soup to take the chill off a cold evening.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 4 parsnips
• 4 carrots
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 32 ounces low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut the vegetables into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Spread vegetables on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Transfer in batches to a blender and add equal amounts of broth. Puree until smooth.

Yield: 4 servings

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