Root vegetable stew

This stew is a labor of love that your whole family will enjoy! It can be eaten as a soup or served over mashed potatoes for a delicious new take on your holiday dinner. This stew was inspired by one of my dad's old cook books and tailored for maximal flavor and texture! In total, this stew takes ~ 1.5 hours, but it tastes like it's been cooking all day!

Ingredients:

Root vegetables (5 lbs total)

- Turnips

- Parsnips

- Sweet potatoes

- Carrots (large, soup carrots)

- Golden beets

- Fennel (1)

Red onion (1)

Garlic

Tomato paste (2 tbsp)

Whole tomatoes (canned- 28 ounces)

Vegetable stock (32 oz)

Kale

Grape tomatos

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Thoroughly wash and chop root vegetables (parsnips, turnips, sweet potato, carrots, golden beets, and fennel), garlic, and place on baking sheet.

3. Toss vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

4. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

5. As vegetables are roasting, place a large soup pot on the stove and heat olive oil over medium heat. Chop red onion and add to olive oil, stirring until browned and translucent.

6. Add tomato paste, stir, and let cook down for ~ 1 minute.

7. Open up canned, whole tomatoes and add to the onion and tomato paste mixture.

8. Break apart the tomatoes with a wooden soup spoon until they are both chunky and smooth.

9. Cook onions and tomato over low heat and mix until homogenized. Add oregano and Italian seasoning and stir.

10. After the root vegetables are finished cooking, remove from the oven and put to the side.

11. Add 2 hand fulls of kale to the tomato and onion mixture and let cook down for ~ 5 minutes.

12. Add root vegetables and vegetable stock to the pot, stir, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.

13. Serve as a soup or over mashed potatoes and enjoy!!