This recipe is less of a recipe, and more of a formula. It's a great way to clean out your fridge and use up lots of veggies at the end of the week, and our SECRET INGREDIENT is the thing that brings all the flavors together. This soup is something that we recently served at our Fermentation Celebration - it was very simple to prepare for a very large crowd and so tasty and nourishing to eat on a rainy fall day. 

This big delicious vegetable soup can really be a mix of whatever you have on hand you, but we recommend adding some basic elements- beans, greens, starchy and non-starchy vegetables. Below you'll find one version of this soup that I made with what I had stocked in my house, but really you can use whatever you'd like. 

The Soup Formula:

1 part aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, fennel)
3 part non starchy veggies (green beans, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes) 
​1 parts starchy veggies (potatoes, winter squash)  
4 parts liquid (crushed tomatoes/bone broth/stock) 
3 parts cooked beans  
4 parts greens 
seasoning  // optional protein

​Okay...it's time to shine a spotlight on the SECRET INGREDIENT. Our Root 5 Farm Herbes Salées. This herb salt adds a ton of savory flavor and really bumps up any soup that it's added too. Herbes salées is a traditional Quebecois preservation method that makes it easy to put up large amounts of herbs for use all winter. This is more than just salted herbs- it's super versatile. Beyond just adding to soups and stews, mix into salad dressings and tomato sauce, mix with cream cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese for dips, spreads and snacks.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bulb fennel, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup sweet bell pepper, diced
1 cup zucchini
1 cup green beans
3 cups of cooked navy beans (2 cans or 1 cup dried)
3 cups winter squash, peeled and cubed
2 cups cabbage, chopped
2 cups spinach (I had some frozen from earlier in the season!)
4 cups crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp R5F Herbes Salées

Method of Preparation

1. Chop all the veggies and heat the biggest pot you own on medium heat. First, cook your aromatic veggies like onion, carrot and bell pepper for 5 or so minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic.

2. Cook for a few minutes more, and then add squash (or whatever starchy vegetable you're using). Add the quicker cooking veggies (chopped zucchini, green beans, or cabbage). Toss everything together and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring every so often.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes and the drained cooked beans. Cook for at least 20 minutes, or longer to really let the flavors all come together. You may need to add some water or more cooking liquid depending on what vegetables you end up using in your mix. 

4. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the chopped spinach and a big spoonful of Herbes Salées. Add salt and pepper to taste. We recommend serving it with some crusty bread or a biscuit!

Inspired by a method we learned from America's Test Kitchen, this soup is bringing some green goodness to your tables. It might feel strange to make a hot soup during summer, but we've expertly timed this recipe to drop right as we come into some rainy forecasts, and it's a great use of our gorgeous crop of summer broccoli and abundant spinach. 

This soup is smooth and creamy, so it relies on some blending. This can be achieved with an immersion blender or regular blender, whatever you have access to. If using a blender, allow the soup to cool a bit first, then return back to heat on the stove top. 

If you have some carrots, onion, or celery hanging around... you can add those to the soup in the first step, but we love the simplicity of two staple veggies: broccoli and spinach. The recipe calls for a few garlic cloves, but if you're a garlic lover like me, you can use a whole bulb. 

One last note- it is best to shred the cheese yourself instead of relying on a pre-shredded cheddar. Pre-shredded cheeses have additives that keep the pieces from fully melting, giving the soup a grainy texture. If you already have shredded cheese and don't want to buy more, you can minimize the effects by rinsing the shreds in cold water. 

Ingredients

1-2 heads of broccoli
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 cups vegetable stock or chicken bone broth
2-3 cups of water
2 BIG handfuls of spinach
​1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 
salt & pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Prepare the broccoli by cutting the head into 1 inch florets. Then peel and trim the stems and slice thinly. You want 5-6 cups of chopped broccoli. 

2. In a large dutch oven melt the butter on medium heat. Add the chopped broccoli, garlic, and a big pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

3. Next add 1 cup of water and the baking soda and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring a few times just to ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pan. 

4. Remove the lid and add 3 cups of stock + 1 cup of water. Bring back to a simmer and add 2 large handfuls of spinach, cooking until wilted. 

5. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, adding all the cheese and some Dijon mustard. If using a standard blender, blend half of the soup, pour into a bowl and then follow with the other half, returning everything back to the dutch oven. Blend for about 1 minute until the spinach and broccoli are broken down.

6. Simmer the blended soup on the stove and taste, adding more salt if needed. If soup is too thick for your liking, add up to a cup of water (or even milk). 

7. Serve with more shredded cheese, croutons, chili crisp, chopped bacon, or your favorite soup toppings. 

Method of Preparation
1. Add oil to a soup pot with tall sides and turn the burner to medium. 

2. When the oil is hot add the sliced onions and stir to soften- about 10 minutes

3. Add sugar & a sprinkle of salt/pepper and mix well.

4. Cook for another 20-40 minutes, only stirring every 5 minutes or so. This will allow your onions to caramelize slowly, making them sweet but not burnt. You can choose how dark you like them or how much patience & time you have. Add your minced garlic at the very end, along with your thyme. 

5. If you like a thicker soup, add 1 Tbsp of flour and stir together with the onions on low for a few minutes.

6. Warm up your stock and add to the onion mixture, stirring to combine. 

7. Simmer on medium low for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, if your stock isn’t salted you may want to add some here. You can also add some soy sauce or coconut aminos for added savory flavor.
8. Enjoy the soup as is, or top with garnishes.

Garnish
This soup can hold its own without any additional add-ons, but French onion soup really is a vessel for lots of crusty bread. You can top with toasted bread croutons that you cut into squares, or you can lay a whole slice of bread on top of your oven-safe bowl and broil for a few minutes. It makes your bread a combo of crispy and soft and it soaks up the onion broth perfectly. I also recommend adding shredded cheese, melting that on top of the bread too!

​​
Spiced Carrot Soup ​
This carrot soup is really easy to put together and has the perfect warm fall flavors. To get it nice and silky smooth you do need a blender or immersion blender. It’s very comforting and sweet, with a hint of harissa spice and coconut.This recipe makes a big pot: 6-10 servings depending on how much soup you like to eat.

Ingredient
1 lb of carrots, peeled & roughly chopped
1 onion (white or yellow), peeled & roughly chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored & roughly chopped
3-6 garlic cloves, peeled & left whole
1 Tbsp coconut or olive oil
1-2 Tbsp harissa (you can use dry or a paste, if you can’t find any you could also use a curry powder)
1 can of coconut milk
2-4 cups of vegetable stock (less if you like a thicker soup, more if you like a thinner soup)
salt & pepper to taste

​Serve it up! 
I always serve this soup with a side of white rice, especially if I’m just having this for my main meal. You can make some great garnishes too- a spiced sour cream topping, a drizzle of basil oil, or chopped vegan bacon all goes really well. But my FAVORITE topping is chhonk.

To make a chhonk you just need to fry aromatics like dried & fresh herbs in some hot fat. Here’s how I make a simple one for this soup:Heat a few teaspoons of oil on low heat until it’s glistening. Toss in a teaspoon of whole mustard seeds until they start to pop a bit. Then add about 1/4 of fresh sage leaves and give them a quick toss in the oil to coat.
​
That’s it! You can use any herbs/spices that you prefer, but I love the taste of the sage with this sweet and creamy soup. The fresh herbs get nice and crispy and the dried herbs get beautifully toasty and aromatic. I just pile the chhonk on top of the soup along with any remaining oil since it’s so nicely infused with the spices.

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs roasted winter squash (I used kabocha squash here)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
1-2 stocks celery (optional)
2 apples peeled/cored and chopped
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp butter
4 cups water
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 cup grated/aged cheddar cheese
2 cups whole milk
Nutmeg for garnish

Method:
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the winter squash in half, scoop out the seeds and flip face down on a baking sheet. Roast for about 1 hour, or until you can easily poke through with a fork. 

While the squash roasts, chop the onions, celery and apples. Ready the garlic. Once you have these items prepared, heat butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add onion, celery, apples and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper. Stir well. Reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook for 10 more minutes.

Remove the lid and add 2 cups of water and the herbs. Bring to a boil. Cover again and let the mixture gently boil for 8-10 minutes. Reduce to low and let simmer until the squash is ready. (You can also prepare the squash ahead of time so this timing works out better).

Once the squash is ready, scoop the squash out of it's skin into the pot. Add the additional 2 cups water and stir well. Allow this to cook over medium heat for 10-15 more minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Perfect dinner for a chilly fall day. This warming and healthy soup is great with some hearty wheat bread and a side salad.

Ingredients:
2 Tsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 large sweet potatoes, baked and skinned. (You can also just peel and cube the sweet potatoes, pre-baking is not crucial)
1 bunch lacinato kale trimmed and chopped (any kale works)
4 cups broth (I use veggie broth, but chicken or beef stock works too)
2 Tsp tamari
2 Tsp crushed rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cheese of choice, to garnish
3 Tbsp parsley, chopped, to garnish
Optional: Can of white beans, drained and rinsed well

**If you're baking the sweet potatoes, you can do this ahead of time.**
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the potatoes with a fork many times. Wrap each potato in tin foil. Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until tender. Remove from the oven and let set until cool. Open the foil wrapping and peel skins off potatoes. Store in a container in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the soup!

Method:
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the kale and the sweet potatoes. Stir well and add broth. Bring to a boil. 

Once you bring the soup to a boil, let cook for 15-20 minutes. Add the tamari, rosemary, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook 15 more minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Sometimes I will add red pepper flakes too.

​Serve in soup bowls garnished with parsley and cheese. I like parm or cheddar.