Zimmy's Nook

@zimmysnook

roasted vegetables

Roasted Vegetable Soup

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Two bowls of soup with croutons, cheese and pepitas plus a pot of soup.

This roasted vegetable soup started out as a way to clean up some odds and sods of vegetables I had in the kitchen… but after my mother proclaimed this to be one of her favourite soups ever, I figured I’d better write the recipe so that I can recreate it for her again.

Ingredients
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil (plus more for roasted vegetables)
  • 2 pound butternut squash (halved lengthwise, seeds removed)
  • 3 carrots (cut into 2 inch pieces)
  • 1 medium red onion (quartered)
  • 1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons yellow onion, diced
  • 3 medium yellow potatoes (cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • 1 small sweet potato (cut into 1 inch pieces)
  • 3 leeks (large white and tender green parts, thinly sliced, raised well & dried)
  • 7 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 8 cups stock (vegetable or chicken – no salt added)
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt (plus more for roasted vegetables)
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (plus more for roasted vegetables)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For serving
  • blue cheese, crumbled
  • pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • croutons
Preparation

Position oven rack in middle position of oven. Preheat the oven to 400°.

Lightly brush the cut side of the squash with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place the squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the carrots, red onion, sweet potato, and thyme drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, mixing carrots, onions and sweet potato and thyme halfway through. Remove carrots onions and sweet potato, discard woody thyme sprigs then return squash to the oven and roast for 20 minutes more until tender. Let cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop the squash from the skin.

Roasted squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan warm the olive oil over low heat. Add the yellow onion, celery, leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the carrots, red onion, sweet and yellow potatoes, salt, pepper and cinnamon to the pot, then pour in the stock. Simmer over moderate heat for 20 minutes. Add the squash and cook for 10 minutes more until potatoes are tender.

Stock poured into a saucepan with onions, celery, leeks, carrots and potatoes, salt and pepper.

Use an immersion blender and purée until very smooth. Alternatively, use a blender or food processor to puree the soup in batches until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pan, taste, and season with salt and pepper if required.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with sprinkle of blue cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds, croutons and a drizzle of quality olive oil. (Or try sour cream, chives & bacon)

A pot of roasted vegetable soup surrounded by vegetables.
This soup was made and served in my Hestan ProBond Forged Stainless Steel 4-quart Saucepan

Hope you enjoy this Roasted Vegetable Soup recipe! I would love to hear your feedback in the “comments” below!

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy)

Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are always my own.


Roasted Red Onion Flowers

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Roasted red onion flowers in a roasting pan.

Date night bone-in ribeye and roasted red onion flowers! You only need five ingredients for this easy and delicious side and approximately thirty minutes for roasting! Blooming beautiful!

Ingredients
  • 4 red small onions
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper
Preparation

Blooming onions, Preheat grill or oven to 425°F (if using grill, grill indirectly).

Lightly grease a baking dish (large enough for the onions to fall open).
Peel the skin off the onion.

Slice off a little of the root to create a flat surface.

Cut onion down the middle being careful not to slice all the way through (leave about 3/8” intact).

Rotate the onion and cut in half again, creating 4 quarters (don’t cut all the way through)

Cut each 1/4 in half creating 8 equal segments all still joined at the bottom.
Repeat with additional onions.

Place onions in prepared baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (Use about 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and 1/2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar per onion.)

Season with salt & pepper.

Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes until onions have opened and are nearly tender.

Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

A top down image of a bone-in ribeye steak with roasted red onion flowers, potatoes and broccolini.

In addition to this Roasted Red Onion Flowers recipe, you can find more of my favourite sides here.

Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon

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Large sheet pan with twenty chicken thighs on top of a variety of roasted vegetables.

Making extra chicken to use for the next day’s lunches or dinner is an easy way to take the stress out of weekday meal prep. This Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon recipe is one of the easiest ways to make delicious tender chicken, while you go about your routine and let the magic happen on just one pan. The vegetables, rosemary and tarragon add even more amazing flavor to the dish, and the steam helps to create a lovely sauce at the bottom of the pan! Make a pot of rice and serve everything over the rice to sop up the delicious juices!

Ingredients
  • 10 Chicken Thighs – Raised by a Canadian Farmer
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons local honey
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 6 sprigs rosemary
  • 6 shallots, halved
  • ½ red onion sliced
  • 10-12 medium carrots (heirloom if available)
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
  • 4 sprigs of tarragon – small tender leaves left whole and larger leaves chopped
Preparation

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken thighs to a resealable bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and massage the chicken with the marinade to coat well. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

Add the carrots, onions, shallots & rosemary, to a sheet pan that just holds everything (not to big as the chicken should sit on top of the vegetables). Drizzle with the oil and season with salt & pepper. Toss well to coat. Spread the vegetables evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken pieces on top of the vegetables allowing the marinade to drip off into the bag before adding to the pan. Add remaining marinade to a small pot, bring to a boil, turn off and set aside.

A sheet pan of veggies and chicken thighs ready to go into the oven

Bake chicken & vegetables for 25 minutes, then baste with reserved marinade. Add the tomatoes to the sheet pan and return to the oven. Cook for an additional 20 – 25 minutes until chicken is golden brown and cooked to 165 degrees F. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the tarragon, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving with the softened vegetables.

Close up photo of a sheet pan of chicken thights with rosemary, taragon and veggies.

This Sheet Pan Lemon Honey Chicken with Rosemary & Tarragon recipe was developed in partnership with Chicken Farmers of Canada who uphold quality standards we can trust! Opinions in this post are my own.