Satisfy your desire for rich, indulgent comfort food while still eating healthier with this creamy roasted rutabaga soup. Filled with roasted vegetables and just a drizzle of cream, it’s a healthy addition to your favorite cozy soup recipes.
Have you ever roasted your vegetables before making soup before? Perhaps roasting tomatoes before adding them to a bisque or minestrone? All I can say is that it is amazing and the extra effort is completely worth it.
Roasting slightly caramelizes most vegetables, bringing out the sweetness and more flavor for a soup that absolutely wows. And that is something so important when you aren’t including meat or grains. It turns a simple vegetable soup into a full and satisfying meal.
Like my carrot and turnip soup or pumpkin lentil curry, it is perfect for all occasions. Dress it up with lots of fresh herb garnishes and serve it at a dinner party. Make it a warm and cozy supper for the whole family with a side of garlic bread. Or add it to your cold weather meal planning rotation and prepare it ahead of time for an easy bite to eat after a busy day.
How are rutabagas different than turnips?
It can be easy to confuse rutabagas and purple top turnips at first glance. But rutabagas (referred to as swedes in some places), have a distinct flavor that absolutely shines in this soup.
Rutabagas are a hybrid between turnips and cabbages. I know that doesn’t seem like it would work, but the result is a buttery root with a bit of sharp bite to it. They also have even more nutrients than turnips making them an excellent choice for a winter meal.
Visually, you can tell the difference between rutabagas and turnips with several indicators. Rutabagas have a richer color, slightly more yellow than white, with a darker purple/magenta top. In general, most of the rutabagas you see will also be larger than turnips, but like any vegetable, both grow to a variety of sizes.
Health benefits of rutabagas
For a root vegetable, rutabagas are amazingly healthy. They do have a high proportion of carbohydrates, but also a lot of good nutrients to balance that out. Rutabagas contain almost as much potassium as a banana, a good amount of calcium and iron, and lots of vitamin C. They also have folate, one of the B vitamins that is important for brain and heart function.
Basically, rutabagas are really good for you and so is this soup. Even though there is a good drizzle of cream, the high proportion of vegetables makes this one of those soups that is both healthy and cozy. It is the perfect meal for cold winter nights to ward off illnesses and keep you going.
If you are the sort of person who likes to be prepared, make up a batch of this rutabaga soup ahead of time and portion it out. That way, when you’re busy, you can just heat up what you need and have a healthy meal without much effort.
Creamy Roasted Rutabaga Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 medium rutabagas , peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 6 tbsp olive oil , divided
- salt and black pepper , to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 onions , finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery , finely chopped
- 2 large carrots , peeled and finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 6 cups hot vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- finely chopped parsley for garnish , (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the rutabaga chunks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 35-45 minutes until the rutabaga is soft and slightly browned.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a medium pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and saute for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the ground nutmeg, roasted rutabaga, and hot vegetable stock. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth or transfer to a blender that can process hot liquids.
- Either stir in the heavy cream now or add it separately when serving. Give a taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
9 Comments
Jane McCormick
January 16, 2022 at 6:55 pmI have very small rutabagas so wonder how many cups of chunks to make this soup?
Jovita
February 2, 2022 at 1:12 pmAh, unfortunately, I didn’t measure rutabagas in cups for this recipe. I would say that it should be about 1 1/2 lb of rutabagas, if that helps 🙂
Nancy
September 7, 2022 at 3:39 pmI’ve never heard of rutabagas before but this recipe looks really interesting. I will go hunt for some now
cam
September 7, 2022 at 3:55 pmI can’t wait to try this soup! I am compiling a list of comforting yet healthy soup recipes for the fall and can’t wait to eat it!
Biana
September 7, 2022 at 4:17 pmThis soup looks delicious! Will be great to serve with some crusty bread.
Elizabeth
September 7, 2022 at 4:42 pmThis looks so filling and tasty. The perfect meal for a cool Fall day. Thank you for all the information you shared. Definitely going to give this a try!
Casey
September 7, 2022 at 4:51 pmThis was creamy deliciousness! Will be making over and over this fall!
Hilde Henkel
September 19, 2023 at 1:26 pmReady to harvest some whopper rutabagas…does this freeze well or should I roast and freeze the rutabagas for later souping?
Jovita
September 20, 2023 at 10:19 amYou can freeze this soup for up to 1 month. But I would recommend skipping heavy cream and adding it later after reheating the soup 🙂