Easy Roasted Swede Soup (Rutabaga Soup)

My rich spiced swede soup recipe uses herbs and spices to give an easy twist to a nourishing and comforting dish. Velvety-smooth, this roasted swede soup with parsnip and carrot is warming, fragrant and delicious.

Back to the Roots

I love root vegetable soup. Frugal, easy, and good for you, they can also be mouthwatering and indulgent. Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and produces a smooth, velvety soup. 

This swede soup recipe with carrot and parsnip makes the most of an often underappreciated vegetable. Swedes and turnips were the reliable staple crops that kept farm workers going when all else failed. Perhaps that is why they have fallen out of fashion. It’s a shame, though, that this impressive root rarely gets a starring role. Swedes are nutritious and absolutely delicious when cooked well.

I will admit, however, that I wasn’t always a great fan of the swede and only really grew to love them when I started roasting them. If you have had a bad experience with a bitter root, give them another chance, roasting them slowly. I think you will be surprised. 

Orange vegetables like swede and carrot contain beta-carotene, which the body uses to make vitamin A.

We need vitamin A for healthy skin and mucus membranes, our immune system, and good eye health and vision. It’s easy when trying to “eat the rainbow” to focus on greens and reds and forget that there are plenty of benefits from yellow vegetables like swede, carrots, pumpkin and squash. 

However, it’s important to remember that your body can’t use beta carotene without some fat present. This soup has fat in the form of the olive oil but you can add a drizzle of extra oil (hemp and flax are both excellent as they are high in omega 3s) cream, or a knob of butter.  If you butter your bread, that works too!

My Swede Soup

I’ve used ras el hanout and oregano to add some spice to this swede soup recipe, but other Indian or Middle Eastern spice blends would work just as well. Use your favourite, or whatever is in the cupboard. 

The recipe is very adaptable. You need to keep the proportions of liquid and spice to vegetables about the same, but use whatever you have. Carrot and swede soup or swede and parsnip soup would be just as good as this combination of the three. Add some pumpkin or squash, celeriac, turnip, sweet potatoes, even cauliflower if that’s what’s available. 

Why you will love this

• This swede soup recipe is very adaptable and you can vary the vegetables to suit what you have.
• It’s easy – all you need are some root vegetables, spices, olive oil and stock. 
• Root vegetables are affordable and easy to find and store.  
• Swede soup is perfect for batch cooking, so make a big batch and freeze in portions. Take it to the office first thing and it will be defrosted and ready to cook by lunch time. 
• This easy, frugal soup looks gorgeous and tastes wonderful. 

Swede or Rutabaga?

Not a difficult decision, as they’re the same thing! The root vegetable called a swede in the UK is a rutabaga in the USA.

Roasted Swede Soup Step by Step 

Here is everything you need to know to make swede or rutabaga soup successfully every time, along with some extra handy hints and tips.   

Step one – Peel the vegetables and cut into small pieces (about 1.5 cm / ½”) and put them in roasting tin. Pour over the olive oil, sprinkle on the spices and season with salt and pepper.

Stir well and then roast at 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 for 30–40 minutes until cooked and starting to brown at the edges. Give the pan a good shake half way though cooking. 

Fuss Free Tip

The smaller you cut the vegetables, the faster they roast. Smaller pieces have more exposed edge to caramelise and brown, which means more flavour.  

Make sure that the roasting tin is big enough for all the chopped vegetables to form one layer, because you want them to roast, not steam. 

The easiest way to coat the vegetable cubes with the oil and spices is by hand, so don’t be afraid to get your hands oily! Get in there and mix them well.

Step Two – Transfer the roasted swede, carrots, parsnip and onion to a medium saucepan. Keep a little of the vegetable mix back to garnish the finished soup. 

Step Three – Pour the stock into the empty roasting pan, and give the bottom of the a good scrape with a spatula. This gets all those delicious crispy bits off the bottom of the pan, making it easier to wash but more importantly, gets all those flavours back into your soup.   

Step Four – Pour the stock over the roasted vegetables. 

Step Five – Whizz the soup with an immersion or stick blender. (If you prefer you can use a blender or food processor.) Then taste and add adjust the seasoning if necessary.  

For a creamier soup, add a knob of butter. I like to add a squeeze of lemon juice, as it lifts and brightens the flavours. Serve the soup garnished with the cubes of roasted vegetables you set to one side at step two, a dollop of yogurt or drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of fresh herbs.  

Hints, Tips & Variations

• Use whichever root vegetables are easy to find. Try swede and carrot soup or swede and parsnip soup, or experiment with whatever you have to hand.  
• You can swap the spices around to suit your taste. I have used a North African spice blend but Middle Eastern or Indian blends would work well too, so choose something you like.   
• Remember to deglaze the pan with your stock before pouring it onto the veg. A good cook never wastes anything with flavour, so make the most of everything!
• This soup freezes well so make extra. Just allow it to cool and pack it into plastic pots. Defrost and reheat in microwave or on the stove top.
• I like soup garnished. Top yours with seeds, a few cubes of the roasted vegetables, chopped fresh herbs, plain yoghurt – whatever you like.  

Fuss Free Tip 

You DO NOT need an expensive immersion blender to make soup.  A basic, cheap and cheerful, single-speed version will always do the job. They are not, however, always suitable for very hot liquid, and are not always dishwasher-proof. My first blender cost £5 and lasted about 10 years. It was in use several times a week. You can get something that will do the job perfectly well for around £12/US$15.  

When buying a blender, look at the wattage (the higher it is the more powerful the blender). You don’t need multi speed and you don’t need lots of attachments (although a whisk is useful). 

To clean an immersion blender easily, first rinse it under the tap. Then dunk it in a jug of warm water with some dish soap and whizz it for a few seconds. Rinse and you are done.

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Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Roasted Swede Soup

A delicious root vegetable soup with a North African twist. Roasting brings out the best in these frugal and nutritious veg.

Servings: 6 people

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Ingredients

• ½ swede (500g)
• 2 parsnips (200g)
• 2 carrots (170g)
• 1 onion (150g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ras el hanout
• 1 tsp oregano (dried)
• 600 ml stock (vegetable or chicken)
• salt & pepper

To serve

• Fresh herbs (chopped)
• drizzle cream, or hemp or flax oil (or a knob of butter)

Instructions

• Heat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Peel and chop the vegetables into small cubes (about 1.5 cm / ½").
• Add the vegetables to a roasting dish with a good pinch of salt, the olive oil, ras el hanout and oregano. Stir together to make sure the vegetables are well coated with the oil and spices.
• Roast for 15 minutes. Then remove the dish from the oven and shake or stir well. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15–25 minutes, until soft and starting to brown at the edges.
• Transfer the cooked vegetables to a saucepan. If wanted, save a few pieces to use as garnish later.
• Pour the stock into the roasting dish, and scrape the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon, to collect all the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Pour the stock into the saucepan with the vegetables.
• Blitz the soup with a stick or immersion blender or puree in a blender or food processor.
• Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
• For a rich and creamy soup, add a knob of butter. A squeeze of lemon juice will lift and brighten the flavours.

Notes

• Use whichever root vegetables are easy to find. Try swede and carrot soup or swede and parsnip soup, or experiment with whatever you have to hand.  
• You can swap the spices around to suit your taste. I have used a North African spice blend but Middle Eastern or Indian blends would work well too, so choose something you like.   
• Remember to deglaze the pan with your stock before pouring it onto the veg. A good cook never wastes anything with flavour!
• This soup freezes well so make extra. Just allow it to cool and pack it into plastic pots. Defrost and reheat in microwave or on the stove top.
• I like soup garnished. Top yours with seeds, a few cubes of the roasted vegetables, chopped fresh herbs, plain yoghurt – whatever you like.  

Nutritional Information 

• This recipe is 6 Weight Watchers Smart Points per portion 

Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Swede Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 126 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 437mg19%

Potassium 523mg15%

Carbohydrates 20g7%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 5796IU116%

Vitamin C 30mg36%

Calcium 79mg8%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Light Meal, Soup

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Roasted Swede Soup, Swede soup

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If you have made my swede chips. this is a great recipe to use up all the off cuts. 

For more soup inspiration, try my zesty carrot and sweet potato coconut soup.