Root Vegetable Bisque (vegetarian)

Root Vegetable Bisque

I am trying to expand my vegetarian recipe repertoire.  My ultimate goal is to find things my husband, teenage stepsons, and frequent dinner guests will eat, love, and not complain about lack of flavor or meat. In an attempt to clean out the produce section of my refrigerator, I stumbled upon a total winner. It also happens to be vegetarian, amusingly simple, and very nutritious.  Oh--and finished in 30 minutes (bonus).

INGREDIENTS:

• Potatoes, raw, 2 medium or large (3" to 4" dia.)
• Turnip, 1 large 
• Onions, raw, 1 small 
• Carrots, raw, 1 large (7-1/4" to 8-1/2" long) 
• Garlic, 3 cloves 
• Vegetable Stock, 4 cups (I like Trader Joe's)
• Half and Half Cream, .5 cup 
• Salt, to taste
• Rosemary, dried, .5 tsp 
• Thyme, dried .5 tsp 
• Sage, ground, 1 tsp
• Cheddar Cheese, 1 cup, shredded 

Peel vegetables and roughly chop (1 inch pieces are fine).  Add vegetables to a large soup pot. Add vegetable broth (you can use chicken stock, just be wary of the added salt) and bring to a boil.  Add dried herbs and simmer until all vegetables are fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Add half and half. Puree with a wand blender until smooth.  Add more vegetable broth if bisque is too thick. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese. I also like to garnish with crumbled crackers. Serves 6 as a side dish or 4 for entree.

I also found an easy recipe calculator (free too) http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp.  This is what it came up with. I'm pretty sure the sodium content is way too high, because the vegetable stock I used had very little sodium, and the website made me choose "vegetable broth" instead, which would have a lot of added salt.  All in all, I think this bisque packs a satisfying and nutritious punch. All of my boys raved about it. It is also fantastic the next day, so it would be a great make-ahead for a dinner party or a work-week lunch. Cheers!

Nutrition Facts Root Vegetable Bisque
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		227.7
Total Fat		8.8 g
	Saturated Fat	5.5 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.5 g
Cholesterol		27.2 mg
Sodium		1,563.8 mg
Potassium		686.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		29.4 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.9 g
	Sugars	4.0 g
Protein		8.4 g

Vitamin A	41.3 %
Vitamin B-12	3.7 %
Vitamin B-6	23.3 %
Vitamin C	54.9 %
Vitamin D	0.6 %
Vitamin E	1.0 %
Calcium	19.4 %
Copper	9.3 %
Folate	8.4 %
Iron	8.9 %
Magnesium	10.7 %
Manganese	14.9 %
Niacin	8.0 %
Pantothenic Acid	6.2 %
Phosphorus	20.5 %
Riboflavin	9.5 %
Selenium	5.5 %
Thiamin	9.3 %
Zinc	8.1 %