Roasted Vegetable Chowder with Bacon

I didn't take a picture of this one, but it was really good. Romer had a bowl while we bottled our most recent homebrew. By the way, who has tried my homebrew? Anyway, I really enjoyed this soup, and am becoming a huge fan of roasting veggies to bring out there flavor. The squash brought some sweetness to the table and I hadn't used parsnips before but I liked the flavor a lot.

ROASTED VEGETABLE CHOWDER WITH BACON
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
From Columbus Dispatch Robin's Picks

Makes 4 to 6 servings

While the veggies take a while to roast, they don’t require your attention while they do. And once they’re roasted, the soup takes little time to get to the table. Serve it with crusty bread and a green salad. To make the soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth.
1 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chopped
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Spread the squash, onions, parsnips, carrots and bacon in a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and brown and the bacon is crispy, about 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the garlic, wine and sage. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents to a Dutch oven.

Add broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables begin to break apart, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.


PER SERVING: 222 calories; 5 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 8 g fat (1 g saturated); 6 mg cholesterol; 734 mg sodium