Roasting is my favorite way to cook vegetables.  It brings all the flavors to a whole new level -rich, caramelized and intensely satisfying.   We’d gone on a produce run last week but time sort of got away from us and left us with a bunch of veggies that were about to go bad.   I love any excuse to use my immersion blender so I decided to make soup!

• 1 zucchini, cut 1″ chunks
• 1 yellow squash, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced
• 1 large white onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 32 oz. carton of chicken broth
• 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup fat free half and half
• sour cream for garnish
• fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 450.  Grab a few cookie sheets and line them with aluminum foil.  Divide your zucchini, squash, fennel, onions and garlic evenly so that they are in single layers.  I needed 3 sheets to do this but it’ll depend on how many veggies you’ve got.   The reason you don’t want to layer them up too much though is that it will create steam which won’t allow the vegetables to roast properly.

Drizzle each cookie sheet with about 2 tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast veggies for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Transfer veggies to a stock pot over medium heat and add in tomatoes, chicken broth and spices.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, remove bay leaves and use immersion blender to puree.  Finish soup by adding in your half and half.

To serve, top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh basil.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture, in batches, to a blender.  Or, if you wanna go really rustic, just skip that step entirely!

Pretty much every vegetable is awesome roasted, so feel free to adapt this recipe by using what you’ve got on hand!