As a side dish the other evening, UC and I had roasted root veggies. I decided to use the leftovers to make a hearty stew. This is the best way to do this and make the most of the veggies, but you can always make the roasted roots especially for the stew. It was perfect, and gorgeous. The lovely color comes largely from the beet and beet tops.
This is a budget-friendly, seasonal meal that really fills you up. There’s no real “set” recipe, as it depends what roots are on hand, but below are the basics. If made with vegetable stock, it’s completely vegetarian-friendly, too!
Roasted Root Vegetable Stew Recipe
-Root veggies, cleaned but not peeled. Ideally, you’ll want to include some beets for color. Top them, clean and chop the tops. I stay away from using a lot of potatoes, instead opting for more rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, onions, beets, carrots, and fennel root (this last is expensive, so it depends on my budget). Be creative!
-For additional flavor and color, I like to add roasted red peppers. Not necessary, but nice.
- Chunk roots to about 1/2 inch. Toss to coat in olive oil, salt, and Herbs de Provence. Spread in a baking dish, one layer deep. Bake at 350F for about an hour, until roots are tender, turning once to caramelize.
-In large stockpot, sweat half a zesty onion in some olive oil. Add about 2 quarts of stock of your choice (chicken and vegetable are my favorites), as well as beet tops, some rosemary, salt, thyme, savory, garlic/garlic powder, and pepper. Boil for about 30 minute, then add 2/3 of root vegetables (reserve other third).
-Puree everything in the stockpot with emulsion blender. Make as chunky or creamy as you like.
-Add rest of root veggies, and allow to simmer for another 20 or so minutes before serving. Adjust seasonings.
This is even better, as with many soups, on day two. Condiment ideas: dallop of sour cream, grated cheese, parsley, chives, croutons. Enjoy with fresh bread, a salad, or corn muffins! Also good with quiche.
Filed under: Food, Personal Chef, Recipes, Whole, cooking, cooking light, family cooking, food porn, greens, lacto-ovum vegetarian, roasting, seasonal, soups and stews, vegetables
[...] call for fresh pomegranate. I could always use it for garnish). 8. Eclectic Edibles invented this Roasted Root Vegetable Stew as a way to use up already-roasted veggies. However, roasting veggies is so easy that it would be a [...]
[...] call for fresh pomegranate. I could always use it for garnish). 8. Eclectic Edibles invented this Roasted Root Vegetable Stew as a way to use up already-roasted veggies. However, roasting veggies is so easy that it would be a [...]
[...] call for fresh pomegranate. I could always use it for garnish). 8. Eclectic Edibles invented this Roasted Root Vegetable Stew as a way to use up already-roasted veggies. However, roasting veggies is so easy that it would be a [...]
Thanks for a great recipe. I just used it as the basis for my first ever vegetable soup to get rid of a bag of carrots. It was perfect!
I am so glad you liked it! It’s always fun to hear that folks actually read and/or use this page for something
We just made it again last week, and this time I added some homemade bonito broth, which I highly recommend. It gave it that deep, rich taste the cooking world is now dubbing “umami.” I didn’t do it for that–I needed to use up the bonito flakes–but I was pleased with the results.
[...] on two posts I read and saved into my google reader “recipe” tag. The first was the Roasted Root Vegetable Stew post from Eclectic Edibles and then I read the Smooth Soups post on Gourmet’s Choptalk. You [...]
I really enjoy this recipe and your view on food and how we’ve gotten so far away from our relationship with food. Kudos!
[...] I found a great one! A fellow blogger and food advocate, called Ecclectic Edibles. Check out the root veggie stew recipe they [...]