This soup absolutely screams fall and makes excellent use of the bounty of vegetables available this time of year. Sweet potatoes are definitely the star of this dish, but the cider vinegar added towards the end adds a wonderful acidity and depth of flavor. This soup wouldn’t be complete without the accompanying pesto bruschetta. The pesto can be made with any variety of herbs but I like to use parsley and carrot tops. A bit of the pesto can be stirred into individual portions of the soup to add even more flavor. A healthy dusting of freshly grated Parmesan completes the meal. 

Autumn Harvest Soup

Serves 6-8

Adapted from Entertain and Celebrate 2017

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 4 oz. green beans, stemmed and halved
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
• ½ red bell pepper, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ of a 16 oz. bag of frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add onion and cook 6-8 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and green beans and raise heat to high. 
2. Add sweet potatoes, red potatoes, and red pepper along with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, thyme, and oregano. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook on med-low heat for approximately 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes and red potatoes are just tender. Add a bit more chicken broth if the soup is too thick. 
3. Stir in frozen peas, tomato paste, and vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Serve soup topped with pesto and parmesan and with bruschetta on the side. 

Parsley and Carrot Top Pesto

Ingredients:

• ½ cup toasted walnuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¾ cup Italian parsley
• ¾ cup carrot tops
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and Pepper
• ¾ cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 Baguette, sliced

Directions:

1. In a food processor or Vitamix, blend walnuts, 1 garlic clove, parsley, carrot tops, parmesan, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, until minced and well blended. Slowly blend in the olive oil in a slow steady stream, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. 
2. Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil and bake in a 350-degree oven until golden brown. Cut 1 garlic clove in half. Remove bread from the oven and rub with cut side of garlic. Spoon pesto onto baguette slices and serve alongside soup. 

Related Recipes: