Roasted Zucchini Basil Soup

So in love with this delicious soup made with a base of perfectly roasted vegetables. Roasting in the oven instead of just sautéing in a pot really brings out the wonderful flavors of the vegetables. I think I made this move out of laziness at the time, but it worked so well that it’s now my go to method. Roasted veggies, vegetable stock, fresh herbs (in this case basil) all perfectly blended together. Great for babies too!

You’ll need :

Ten medium or eight large green or yellow zucchini’s cut into two inch pieces

One and a half Spanish onions cut into quarters

Three cloves fresh, unpeeled garlic sliced lengthwise into thirds (or just coarsely chopped)

6 cups of vegetable stock (a box and a half)

A cup packed fresh basil leaves

Four stalks diced celery

salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Directions:

Toss the zucchini, onion, and garlic with olive oil, and not too much salt and pepper and roast on 400 until the veggies start to turn golden brown around the edges. We don’t want it too dark. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Sauté and soften the diced celery in your soup pot in two tbsp heated olive oil. I like to add a quarter cup of the broth and sweat it with the lid on for a couple minutes. Turn off the heat until the vegetables are ready, lid off. Add the roasted vegetables to the pot with all of the the broth, as well as the basil. Add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 3/4 garlic powder. Bring to an active simmer with the pot lid on, then lower to a calmer simmer, lid half on for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool for 20 minutes if you can, then blend with an immersion blender. Adjust seasonings to taste. Always start with less salt and pepper. You can add but can’t remove.