Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Soup

SECRET INGREDIENT: carrot juice

Roasting vegetables caramelizes their sugars and brings out their sweetness. It’s a fantastic technique for intensifying the flavor of a sauce or soup. It also helps to use carrot juice in place of plain old broth as the soup base.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves
• 12 ounces all-purpose potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups carrot juice
• 12 ounces plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water

How to make it   1 hour

• 1

  Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• 2

  In a roasting pan, combine the oil and garlic and roast until the oil begins to sizzle, about 5 minutes.
• 3

  Add the potatoes, bell peppers, and rosemary and toss to coat. Roast until the potatoes begin to color and soften, about 15 minutes.
• 4

  Add the squash and onion and roast until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes longer.
• 5

  In a medium Dutch oven, combine the carrot juice, tomatoes, tarragon, and salt and bring it to boil over medium heat. Add the roasted vegetables.
• 6

  Pour the water into the roasting pan and scrape up any brown bits. Pour the pan juices into the Dutch oven and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.