Instructions

1. Wash the vegetables, scrubbing them vigorously. It's especially important to wash potatoes thoroughly since they are on the Environmental Working Group's "dirty dozen" list of fruits and vegetable with the largest amounts of pesticide residue.

2. Cut the vegetables into 2- to 3-inch chunks, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Include at least one large carrot with any other root vegetables, because carrots are among the sweetest of the root vegetables and will add sweetness to your soup.

3. Add other ingredients to the roasting pan that will deepen the flavor of the soup and balance any bitterness in the vegetables. A few cloves of garlic and half an onion, for example, will turn sweet with roasting and bring complex flavors to the finished soup, helping to mask bitterness.

4. Roast the vegetables in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft when you pierce them with a fork. The sugars in the vegetables will begin to turn brown and will bring sweet flavor to the soup.

5. Add the roasted vegetables to your soup stock for a chunky soup, or blend them using an immersion blender or regular blender to make a pureed soup. Add a tablespoon of sherry or balsamic vinegar to the finished soup for an acidic note that gives the soup depth of flavor and helps mask any bitterness.