Root Vegetable and bean soup

METHOD

1. Ensure you have a good mix of root vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, potatoes including some onions and a couple of garlic cloves.

2. You can use leftover roasted vegetables or make a new batch If making a new batch, preheat your oven to 180C. Scrub the vegetables well but don’t peel them and chop them in 2.5cms cubes (more or less). Peel and quarter the onions and smash the garlic cloves on a cutting board with the side of a knife.

3. Line a baking tray with parchment to avoid having to scrub the pan afterwards and put your vegetables in, add a good glug of regular olive oil, mix them all up a bit with your hands, add salt and pepper and maybe some herbs like rosemary and sick in the oven for 45min to 1hr.

4. I prefer not to use extra virgin olive oil for roasting and frying because its smoke point is lower than refined, so it becomes rancid and releases harmful free-radicals more quickly than other oils. I tend to use regular olive oil or rapeseed oil which have smoke points of around 200C.

5. Put your roast vegetables and beans in a food processor, add a large cup of stock and process, keep adding stock until you get to your a consistency you like – thinner for grownups, thicker for babies and toddlers (less mess, more nutrients!!) You can add a bit of cream if you like or some cream cheese to get a creamier texture.

6. You can use bought chicken stock or good quality stock cubes but make sure they are monosodium glutamate (MSG) free and are low in salt, especially if feeding babies If you can’t find good chicken stock or don’t have the time to make it, this soup is delicious made with water.

7. This is a great soup for vegetarians as it has a good source of protein in the cannellini beans, which also full of fibre and may help lower cholesterol levels.

8. For babies you could use breast or formula to make the soup.

INFORMATION

For babies you can use formula or milk to make a soup.

VARIANTS

Add a few basil leaves while you blend the soup.
Add some toppings….lightly toasted almonds, some seeds, grated cheese and most definitely croutons.

FOR A VEGETARIAN VERSION…..Replace chicken stock with vegetable stock or water.