{Adapted from  Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook}

This simple, quick Roasted Winter Vegetable Soup with Homemade Croutons is a great way to serve leftovers from the Roasted Winter Vegetable recipe here.

TIP: Make a double batch of the Roasted Winter Vegetables and then a double batch of soup (Remember to adjust your recipes when doubling).  This gives plenty of leftovers for lunches and  hectic weekday dinners.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 3-4 C Vegetable Broth (or chicken stock)
• 1/2 recipe Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Salt and Pepper

Step 1

Heat the broth in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Step 2

Puree the vegetables with an immersion blender.  See our demonstration here:

Serve with homemade croutons and drizzled olive oil.

Homemade Croutons

Makes 7-9 cups.

Ingredients

• 16 oz. loaf of bread (We use Angelic Bakehouse Sprouted Seven-Grain Bread) ~ (Ina recommends using brioche or challah loaf)
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

TIP: The difference between kosher salt and regular salt is that kosher salt has not been heavily refined.  The kosher salt retains its multifaceted crystalline structure which helps it absorb more moisture.  In this case, it can be used to add crunchy texture to our croutons.

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2
Slice and dice bread in 3/4 inch. cubes. (Be sure to remove the crust first.) You should have 7-9 C of croutons.

Step 3
Place croutons on a sheet pan and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (Feel free to add a sprinkle of your favorite herbs too.)

Bake for 10-15 minutes, tossing once half-way through cooking time.

The croutons are done when nicely browned.

Cool to room temperature before serving.

Store in an air-tight container.