Creamy Vegetable Soup with Rosemary Croutons is warming, comforting and nourishing and an easy way to get extra veg into your diet. Served with some warm buttered toast, it’s perfect for an easy Sunday night dinner or for weekday lunches. If green peas are your thing, substitute with a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves. I love the soup served with a dollop of sour cream. I must be a little bossy and say, don’t skimp on the rosemary croutons or, god forbid, leave them out. They elevate this humble soup.
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I love the way the rosemary frizzles so don’t discard it. Sprinkle it over the croutons. It’s crunchy and has a buttery flavor. As the rosemary cooks in the oil and butter it mellows. It’s delicious sprinkled over pasta, soups and stews.
Creamy Vegetable Soup with Rosemary Croutons is a mix of celery, onion, leeks, garlic, parsnips, peas and carrots. Now I’ve opted for frozen carrots but feel free to use fresh. It was more a matter of convenience than anything. I usually keep frozen peas handy but happened to have a bag of carrot and pea combo. Frozen veg is perfect in soups. If like me, you love a good soup, try a warming bowl of one of these creamy soups: Sunshine Veggie Soup; Broccoli and Loaded Potato Soup; Curried Carrot and Lentil Soup; Creamy Curry Cauliflower Soup.
The inspiration for this soup came from the wonderful Irish TV cook Donal Skehan. I love his recipes and have one of his cookbooks. His recipes work, they use a healthy amount of fresh veg and I generally have everything on hand just like I did for this recipe. L
CREAMY VEGGIE SOUP WITH ROSEMARY CROUTONS
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 celery sticks chopped
- 1 leek washed thoroughly & chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- A pinch of Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 large parsnip peeled and chopped
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups 750 – 1000ml chicken or vegetable broth
- 12 oz bag frozen carrot and pea mix about 8 oz carrots and 4 oz of peas
- 1 cup (250ml) cream, plus a little extra for serving (or sour cream for serving)
- ROSEMARY CROUTONS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 cups cubed rustic bread such as ciabatta or sourdough
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celery, leek, onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until softened.
- Add parsnip, potatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, garlic powder, onion powder, a generous pinch of pepper and broth. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes until the veggies are all tender.
- Add the carrot and pea mix. Bring the soup to a simmer, covered. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until hot. Spoon out about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of the vegetables for garnish and if you prefer some chunks in your soup. This isn’t necessary, you can blitz the whole quantity if you prefer.
- Blitz the soup in batches in a blender or with a stick blender until velvety smooth.
- Add the soup back to the pot with most of the reserved vegetables, I keep some aside for garnish. Add 1 cup of the cream; heat until hot. then remove from the heat.
- To make the croutons: while the soup is cooking, heat the oil and butter with the rosemary sprigs in a large pan. When hot, add the cubes of bread, toss well then cook for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and crisp on all sides, stirring occasionally. Season with sea salt.
- Ladle soup into warm bowls. Tops with a drizzle of cream, croutons, the vegetables for garnish and pepper.
