Vegetables Roasted in Convection for Delicious Soups

Convection and Steam ovens are remarkable tools because they offer many options that can simplify meal preparation. All it takes to benefit from those tools is some planning.

One of the more remarkable aspects of convection is the ability to cook multiple foods at one time with no transfer of flavor. That means that any time your oven is on, unless you are cooking a specialty item that requires precise temperatures, you should be able to cook several different foods at one time.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Since it’s the season for warming winter soups, let's look at how using your Convection or Steam oven can simplify the process and help you create flavorful soups.

Roasting Vegetables in Convection the Key to Delicious Soup

There are several reasons why roasting vegetables for soup makes sense.

• When vegetables are roasted, their natural sugars caramelize so they develop better flavor.

• Vegetables roasted in Convection retain more moisture which translates to better flavor.

• Most of us don’t have a soup pot large enough to accommodate a large quantity of vegetables so roasting vegetables for soup makes more sense.

• Best of all it’s easy to roast a tray of vegetables for soup while you are cooking other foods.

Making the soup base on the cooktop is relatively easy. Slowly cook the foundation ingredients such as onions, leeks, garlic, carrots and celery, add the stock and simmer for approximately 20 minutes before adding the roasted vegetables.

Soups such as pumpkin, butternut squash, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, corn and zucchini can be pureed, but a variety of roasted cubed vegetables can be added to broth soups or soups that feature beans or lentils.

Best Convection Oven Mode for Crisp Roasted Vegetables

Either the Convection Roast or Convection Bake mode will work for oven roasting vegetables. If you roast the vegetables on rack position 1 or 2 counting up from the bottom of the oven the vegetables will be close to the bottom heating element and should caramelize well. If you need a little more crisping, then move the tray up closer to the top heating element for the final 10 minutes of cooking.

Roasting in multiple racks

The ideal cooking temperature and timing will of course depend on your oven. For example 375F in my 24” oven is very powerful but larger 30” ovens may provide better results at 400F. I also notice that when I roast vegetables in my gas oven, too high a temperature can cause burning on the edges. Understanding the rack position and temperature that will work best in your oven is key to successful cooking overall, so don’t follow a recipe blindly, pay attention to how your oven cooks to achieve the best results.

Some vegetables such as fresh corn, peppers or tomatoes, add a lot of flavor to soup if they are cooked in the Convection Broil mode to gain a nice char. Coarsely chopped and added into the soup these vegetables will add wonderful bursts of flavor.

Another important aspect of roasting vegetables is using the right amount of oil. If the vegetables are tossed in too much oil they become limp, not enough and they will be dry. Start with a light coating of oil and adjust as needed.

Steaming Vegetables for Soup

Roasted vegetables give soup a lot of flavor but there are certain soups that are delicious made with steamed vegetables. When you are in the mood for a soup with fresh bright flavors, steamed peas, broccoli, asparagus, spinach and potatoes are a good choice for a lighter soup.

While roasting or steaming vegetables can certainly enhance soup, the key to really good soup is really good stock. Roasting bones for stock or simmering a chicken carcass are easy to do, yes it takes planning, but it is easy and your soup will be so much more delicious made with homemade stock.

So next time you are baking a casserole or baking some potatoes or roasting a chicken consider getting a soup base started on the cooktop and roast some vegetables for another easy delicious convection meal.

Thanksgiving is such an important feast but one that can cause tremendous stress when orchestrating the cooking of so much food. In my next post I will be addressing the best type of pan to use to roast your turkey or turkey breast this Thanksgiving and of course reminding you of the many helpful videos and recipes I have created to help you understand how Convection can ease the stress of the cooking.

Larissa, Your Convection Enthusiast