This simple, creamy root vegetable soup uses a mix chosen for how beautifully the flavours blend together – sweet potato, carrots, celeriac, parsnip, potato, garlic and onion. Nourishing, never boring, and flexible too – in case your harvest basket is missing one or two! 😅
Confession: I don’t harvest, and I don’t live in the country
I’m calling this a harvest root vegetable soup so it sounds like I casually threw in whatever we dug up from the garden during our latest harvest. But the truth is, there was no harvesting involved, and I definitely don’t live in the country. I’m smack bang in the middle of Sydney!
I just wanted to give it a cute name – “root vegetable soup” just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it! 😅 So hopefully I got your attention and now I can convince you to try this recipe. Did it work??!
Root vegetables make great soups because each one brings a different flavour into the pot, and the higher starch content means you get a creamy soup texture without using gallons of cream. A generous serving of this one comes in at just 350 calories – win!
It’s simple to make, and versatile too – switch vegetables out of season or pricey for whatever reason.
Rare soup made with water, not stock
I also love that this soup is nourishing but not boring, and made with water rather than stock. Usually, simple soups made without stock can taste flat because it lacks savoury depth or richness to carry the flavours of the other ingredients. But here, we have a secret ingredient that compensates – curry powder!
No, it doesn’t make it taste Indian. It doesn’t even put it into wannabe-curry territory, it just adds warm earthy spice flavour that lifts the flavours so you don’t need to buy or make vegetable stock for this soup to be tasty.
In fact, most people who tried this soup didn’t even pick that there was curry powder in this, but could tell there was “spicing of some kind” (the official feedback!).
What goes in root vegetable soup
Here’s what you need to make this country harvest root vegetable soup. No harvesting required! 🤣
The harvest root vegetables
Root vegetables are vegetables that are grown underground. Here are the ones we use – as mentioned above, this is a specific combination chosen so no single vegetable flavour stands out too much, but instead compliment each other. But, it’s a flexible recipe – see notes below for comment on substituting.
Onion and garlic – essential flavour base!
Carrots – 2 medium ones, or 1 very large one
Potato and sweet potato – These add creaminess and thickness to the soup in a way that other less-starchy root vegetables cannot, while the sweet potato also adds sweetness. Substitute – Feel free to double up on either of these, they are a good substitute for each other.
Celeriac – A knobbly root vegetable with a texture like radish and flavour like celery (hence, the name, I presume!). Substitute – 3 celery sticks, swede, turnip.
Parsnip – Looks like a white carrot, with a sort of nutty, sweet, earthy flavour. It’s unlike any other vegetable actually, I can’t think of something to compare the flavour to! Substitute – swede, turnip.
Changing the root vegetables – Swap and substitute as you like, especially with the listed root vegetables. Just keep in mind that celeriac and parsnip have stronger flavours, so if you use more, the flavour will be more dominant in the soup.
Non root vegetables – It’s ok! You can use non-root vegetables in this too! However, note that using vegetables with higher water content and lower in starch (like zucchini, capsicum/bell peppers) will make the soup less thick and creamy, and the soup colour will be affected if you stray from orangey/beige toned vegetables. I take no responsibility if yours turns out an un-appetising colour!!
Everything else for the soup
And here are the other things you need for this root vegetable soup. No stock – just water! (See above section for comment on this).
Curry powder (mild, not spicy) – As explained above, this is the “secret ingredient” which makes this soup tasty even though we’ve only used water rather than vegetable stock. I just use Clives (or Keens, though I prefer Clives here) – regular grocery shop Western curry powder.
Cream – Just half a cup of cream gives this soup a nice mouthfeel without making it calorie heavy. Substitute with milk and butter – see recipe notes.
Dried thyme – Just a touch of dried herb for flavour. Substitute with fresh thyme, or dried oregano.
Butter and oil (forgot to put in photo!) – The recipe needs 3 tablespoons of fat to effectively sauté the vegetables. Using just butter gets a little too butter-heavy in flavour so this recipe calls for a combination of oil plus butter. But – fine to use all of either! 🙂
How to make Country Harvest Root Vegetable Soup
Sauté (5 minutes) > simmer (15 minutes) > blitz (1 minute) > dinner!
Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
Add the root vegetables, thyme and curry. Stir well for a few minutes. We’re not trying to cook the vegetables, just give the surface a gentle toasting which also brings out the flavour of the thyme and curry powder.
Simmer – Add the water, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft (check with a knife).
Cream – Add the cream and simmer for another 1 minute.
Blitz with a stick blender, or in batches in a blender (remove the lid insert and cover the hole with a folded tea towel).
Blitzed and ready to serve!
Proof of thick and creaminess:
Garnishing and serving
I know it’s really un-original but a little drizzle of cream always seems to go a long way when serving soup. I only use 1 teaspoon or so per bowl, but it tastes like I’ve used so much more – great bang for your calorie buck!
Climbing a little higher on the originality scale is the suggestion to add a small pinch of curry powder for subtle boost of curry flavour. Then sliding right back down into un-original territory – finish with a sprinkle of parsley and pepper. 🙂
Ah well. Maybe my garnishing ideas won’t win any innovation awards. But the soup itself will hit the spot, especially if it’s a grey dreary day like it is here in Sydney! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Country harvest root vegetable soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
- 1 onion , chopped into large dice
- 3 garlic cloves , chopped
- 1 tbsp curry powder (I like Clive, but any will do, Note 1)
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 litre (6 cups) water
- 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve for table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream, or regular), plus extra for garnish (Note 3)
Root vegetables (Note 4):
- 1 large potato (~300g/10oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes
- 1 medium sweet potato (350g/12oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1″ cubes
- 2 medium carrots , peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces
- 1 small/medium parsnip (150g/5oz), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces
- 1 small celeriac (600g/1.2 lb), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces (~2 heaped cups)
Serving/garnish (optional):
- Warm crusty bread
- Parsley , finely chopped
- Pinch extra curry powder
- Pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté – Put the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
- Add root vegetables, thyme and curry powder. Cook for three minutes stirring regularly, until the outside of the vegetables starts to soften.
- Simmer 15 minutes – Turn stove up to high. Add water, salt and pepper. Stir, then once it comes to a simmer, lower heat to medium high and simmer rapidly for 15 minutes (no lid) until all the vegetables are soft (check with knife).
- Stir in cream, simmer for 1 minute.
- Blitz – Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blitz until smooth. (Note 5 for blender) Adjust to taste – water to thin, salt and pepper if needed, extra cream for more indulgent.
- Serve in bowls. Drizzle with cream, pinch of curry powder, parsley and pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread!
Recipe Notes:
- Parsnip and celeriac – if you increase these, they will dominate as they have stronger flavour than the other veg. They can also be exxy – sub with swedes or turnip.
- Potato – Any all purpose or starchy potato is fine here, I used Sebago (the dirt brushed ones in Australia).
- Non-root veg will also work but as they are typically more watery and less starchy, soup will likely be thinner and less creamy.
Nutrition Information:
More simple, nourishing-but-not-boring soups
Healthy doesn’t have to mean bland!
Life of Dozer
Wow. 700 birthday wishes for Dozer and counting in just one weekend – he’s officially more popular than any recipe I’ve ever published!!! He’ll be expecting a parade and public holiday in his honour next year….what are you doing to me? All this attention is going to his head!!!🤣
wow another winner Nagi Thanks I didnt believe that it could be done without stock so I had my stock cubes as a backup ( usually use Maggie Beer liquid Stock). But it’s delicious just as you instructed. I always use a leek instead of onion as Im allergic. Agree with the person being frustrated by what is a small onion – I just use a whole leek which would be at least 2 medium onions. More leek is better flavour and i presume the same for onion eaters? I did appreciate your weight guidelines on the veges – a big help but as the celeriac I bought was the largest of a group all costing $6 each I added the full celeriac and it didnt overwhelm the other flavours. And a shout to Dozer – such precious time – old dogs are the best!
Hi Rosalie, Thank you so much! Love that you trusted the no-stock method and even better that it worked! So glad the weight guidelines helped, and great call using the whole celeriac.
Rename it seasonal harvest soup.
I’m allergic to curry. What can I use in place of the curry powder?
Ps Happy Birthday to Dozer!
Hi Julie, I would suggest you to use a combination of grated fresh ginger and fresh turmeric to replace the curry powder. Just add it at the same time as the vegetables.
I love you Nagi, you always make me smile. And thank you Dozer, you always make me laugh.
You are always a good start to my day, up here in Canada.
Happiest of birthdays, my sweet Dozer…may you celebrate lots more healthy and happy ones
Well let’s make it 701 Happy Birthday wishes for Dozer. After all, you’ve said he is the most important employee at RTE and he’s such a handsome guy too so I’ll vote for a national holiday to celebrate his birthday.
Can you define “1 onion” by some form of measurement? eg; oz/g/cups
I don’t understand why it became common for recipes to not specify when it comes to onions! Some will say “1 medium onion” which is also not very helpful.
AND Happy belated birthday to Dozer!! He shares a birthday with my mom 🙂
Hi Kate, Great question! In our recipes, we usually use medium-sized vegetables—including onions—unless we specifically say otherwise. We totally get that “medium” can be a bit vague, so for reference: a medium onion is roughly 150–170g / 5–6 oz / about 1 cup chopped.
Thank you!!
HA! HA! HA! HA! Dozer Day!! XD
Happy Birthday Big Guy.
I know your day will be wonderful – you bring joy into my day – I check out what you are up to before I even look at recipe..
You are blessed with a wonderful companion in life – you and she do make a difference in so many lives…..
Again, happy birthday and many more..
I love a soup recipe that does not require making veg stock ( or buy it.) It never lives up to my tastations! This is a great recipe for CSAers as root Veg’s can be 90% of a winter share. And a big Happy Birthday to King Dozer. Wait are those trumpets i hear!?
Happy birthday to your gorgeous sidekick Dozer , thank goodness I doubled the recipe as it’s one of the nicest soups I have ever eaten , thanks for the fabulous recipe
Thank you, Nagi For all your fabulous recipes you are my number one chef I so look forward to all your posts. You make my day a brighter day! and happy birthday to your faithful Companion Dozer.
Happy, happy belated birthday, Dozer! Please thank your mum for her great recipes.
Oh Nagi, You and Dozer make my day! Happy Birthday to the beautiful boy!!! Wishing you both much health, happiness and success! Keep your emails coming!!!
love all your recipes. PLEASE share some of your Dover recipes. I would love to cook for my Border Collie, Molly. She is so picky these days.
This is delicious and so cheap to make. It makes a big pot. Useful if you have veggies looking a bit sorry for themselves Margaret
Belated happy birthday to the legendary Dozer.
Tucking this recipe away for autumn in the UK… can’t wait!
Perfect! 🙂 🍁
Many thanks for another lovely soup recipe Nagi (and team), very timely as the weather is cooling in Sydney.
And many returns to Dozer for his 13th birthday! What a coincidence, 26 April is the same birthday/month as our gorgeous girl Tilly, who we said the hardest goodbye to just over 4 years ago. Perhaps a sign of great dogs xx
I’m sorry you lost your beautiful girl. I love that you still remember her birthday. She was lucky to have you as her mum! – N x
Sign me up for Dozer’s parade!
😂 OK, you’re on the trumpet, I’m on the pom poms!
Thank you for creating a recipe that lets me explore of “the other” root veggies I see in the store but don’t really know how to use! Yup your title for this soup was intriguing. But I would have opened it no matter what you had named this soup – finding an email from Nagi in my inbox is like discovering a special prize in the box – I always open your link and jump to Dozer – have to see what antics he’s been up to!
Hi Jamie, what a lovely message — thank you! We’re so glad the recipe inspired you to explore those “other” root veggies, they’re such hidden gems!