Harvest Soup

Ingredients

2 cups sweet potato, chopped 

2 cups corn 

1 cup squash, peeled then chopped 

1 cup diced carrots 

1 cup diced yellow onions 

1 tablespoon basil (or ¼ cup fresh)

1 ½  teaspoons chili powder

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 Tablespoon coriander 

 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock

½ cup flour 

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup half and half, warmed 

Directions

Step One - The Base (Start about 8 hours before serving)

1. By Hand, or I like to use a KitchenAid food processor, dice the onion and carrots and place them in a slow cooker 

2.Chop up sweet potatoes, peeled squash then chop and broth

3.Add in basil, chili powder, Stir well.

4.Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours 

Step Two - The Roux (1 hour before serving)  

1. In a small pan, cook the bacon. 

2.Once cooked, drain then chop bacon and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted, you can start to gradually add in the flour using a whisk. My favorite whisk to use is the 10” stainless steel whisk by Pampered Chef. It is perfect to obtain the batter like consistency.Whisk for 5 to 7 minutes 

4.Stir in 1 cup of your hot soup and continue to whisk. The roux will start to thicken. Gradually add another 3 cups of the hot soup and stir after each addition until smooth.

(Until consistency will be a creamy mashed potato)    

Step Three

1. Gradually add the roux mixture back into the soup base in the crock pot and stir well.

2.Continue to cook until the roux and soup are well blended and heated through. 

3.Use a hand blender to blend all the vegetables together to create a more creamy soup.

4.Add bacon to the top when you’re ready to serve. 

Enjoy warm bowls of soup!!  

(You can omit the bacon and use vegetable stock to keep this vegetarian)

(Pairs with: French bread or you can make grill cheese to go with the soup . You can also sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top. )