Copper Colored Dreams — A Hearty Harvest Veggie Soup
This hearty harvest veggie soup recipe includes my favorite cooking technique — roasting vegetables on a sheet pan.
There’s an old Ladino saying, “Vinieron los huesos a su lugar,” which roughly translates to “Your bones have come back in their place.” It is a colloquial way of describing something that is restorative, to body and soul. For me, that magic elixir is soup.
Almost every Friday night dinner at my home begins with soup on the menu. It’s a ritual inherited from my mother, who started every Shabbat meal with it. As a child, I remember the comforting aromas that wafted through the house. The gentle bubble of the chicken broth, the savory scent a reminder that soon enough we’d all be gathered around the table.
Soup has that kind of power. It signals that you’ve arrived and that the week’s rush and noise can finally fall away. The first spoonful seems to whisper that you’re home now. Sit down. Breathe.
On Friday nights, that message feels even more profound. After a long week, when everyone’s been moving in different directions, soup brings us back to center. It marks the transition from the outside world to the sacred space of the table, a place of connection, gratitude, and rest.
My mother’s soups were never fancy, but they were always full of care and always nutritious. Sometimes it was a rich, golden saffron-infused chicken soup, served with matzah balls or thin noodles. Other times, it was her now famous velvety vegetable soup. Whatever she served, it set the tone for the meal, simple yet deeply comforting.
Now, I carry on that tradition. Even when I’m tired or tempted to skip it, I find myself reaching for the soup pot. Because Shabbat just doesn’t feel right without that first warm bowl. It’s my way of saying to my family that the week is done and that being together is precious.
As that old saying reminds us, sometimes the thing we need most is something that can put us back together, one flavorful spoonful at a time.
—Rachel
It is an oft mentioned cliché that Los Angeles doesn’t have seasons. While it may be true that the weather in Los Angeles is more temperate, there is a fall feeling in the air. There is a cooler breeze, the days are shorter and the leaves are definitely falling off the trees.
These are the days that make us crave a warm, comforting soup. This hearty harvest veggie soup recipe includes my favorite cooking technique — roasting vegetables on a sheet pan. We layered tons of root veggies—butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and turnips — with aromatics like leek, onions, garlic, tomatoes, sage and thyme. We seasoned with olive oil, turmeric, Himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous drizzle of honey.
After the vegetables were roasted to caramelized, deep earthy perfection, we puréed this perfect base with a pareve chicken consommé broth to create a silky, smooth, copper-colored soup.
My daughter Alexandra made croutons from a sourdough French country loaf drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a generous dash of za’atar and garlic powder.
The crispy croutons are a perfect contrast to the vibrant, nutrient-packed soup. It’s a delicious and warming recipe that incorporates simple, seasonal ingredients for a surprisingly healthy, luscious soup.
—Sharon
Harvest Veggie Soup
1 large butternut squash, cut into thin 2″ wedges
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
8 oz. petite carrots, cut in half
2 medium turnips
2 onions, cut into wedges
1 leek, cut into thin rounds
8 large garlic cloves
8 Campari tomatoes, halved
6 sprigs fresh thyme
10 leaves fresh sage
2 Tbsp turmeric
2 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
8-10 cups parve consommé
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Layer all the vegetables and all the herbs on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Season with turmeric, salt and pepper.
Drizzle with olive oil and honey.
Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender.
Working in batches, place the roasted vegetables and consommé in a blender and purée.
Transfer puréed mixture to a pot and bring to a boil before serving. If soup is too thick, thin out with water. Adjust seasoning according to taste.
Note: Soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
– Sharon
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food.
