Any Vegetable Soup

By Melissa Clark

Published March 20, 2020

Any Vegetable Soup
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(939)
Comments
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When it comes to stocking the pantry with root vegetables, most people stop with potatoes (regular and sweet), carrots, onions and garlic. And those are excellent to have on hand. But there are loads of other, more neglected roots, like rutabagas, turnips, radishes and celery root, worth having on hand. All root vegetables will keep for months in a cool, dark place, and they come in very handy, whether you want to roast up a bunch with olive oil and spices, or you want to make them into soup. This soup may not be the most beautiful of dishes, but it's hearty and nourishing, and highly adaptable, easily made with just about any root vegetables you have on hand.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 4tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1large onion, 3 shallots or 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
  • 2celery stalks, diced
  • 3garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3rosemary, thyme or sage sprigs (optional)
  • 2bay leaves
  • 3pounds mixed root vegetables (any combination of potato, sweet potato, turnip, rutabaga, parsnip, carrot, celery root, fennel bulbs), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2quarts water or stock, more as needed
  • Fine sea salt, to taste
  • 1quart fresh greens (kale, spinach, mustard, Swiss chard), or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen greens, thawed
  • Juice of ½ lemon, plus more to taste
  • Red-pepper flakes or other chile flakes (optional)
  • Grated Parmesan or pecorino (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

204 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 7 grams protein; 1089 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt butter or heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Stir in onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, herb sprigs, if using, and bay leaves; cook 1 minute more. Add root vegetables, water or stock and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove, and discard herb sprigs, if using, and bay leaves. Add greens and simmer until they are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Using an immersion or regular blender, purée soup until smooth. If the soup is too thick, add a little water. Season with lemon juice and more salt to taste.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, flaky salt and red-pepper flakes or grated cheese, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
939 user ratings
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Comments

hb

I always love Melissa's recipes, I save most of them. But when I make this sort of vegetable soup, I always partially roast the vegetables, and then I add the liquid to complete the cooking. In this way, the flavor is much more intense.

Mary

This is so needed right now, Ms. Clark. I haven't made it yet, but thank you for continuing to make so many awesome recipes (that I've been heavily relying on for the past 8 days), especially the vegetarian ones. Stay safe and healthy!

Hannah211

I made this today with parsnips, rutabaga and butternut squash; it came out quite delicious and sweet. I added a little curry to kick it up a bit. This is a good base recipe for the winter vegetables, and very nice for dunking a warm piece of crusty bread in.

Amanda S.

Love this recipe's customization to fit what's in the pantry and fridge :)

kf

This is a delicious soup, one of the best soups I have ever made- very flavorful. I used sweet and regular potatoes and butternut squash for the root vegetables, kale and swiss chard from the garden for the greens. I will make this again and again.

patty vedros

Melissa Clark you score again, I do appreciate your talent for creating delicious food. I used better than boillion veg stock, added 1 cup rancho gordo cranberry beans and broccoli rabe. Delicious!

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