Make a super creamy parsnip soup vegan with sweet potatoes, white wine and coconut milk. Gluten-free too!
I need soup in my life right now.
All day every day.
It is cold, it is winter time. It is soup overload time. Today I already had two bowls of soup. A sad first showing of miso soup from a packet poured into a hotel room disposable cup and filled with coffee maker heated up water. That didn’t quite hit the spot.
Then at dinner in Los Alamos, New Mexico (which is where the atomic bomb was invented – how’s that for a bit of trivia for ya) I had a bowl of vegetarian lentil soup.
That was a bit better than the miso, but it was made with brown lentils, and I am so much more a fan of the adorable red lentils (which pair awesomely with apples for a divine soup).
What I really wishI had, though, was a hot steaming bowl of creamy parsnip soup.
I know, parsnips are not the first ingredient you think of when it comes to a creamy soup, but you’ve got to give this delicious root vegetable a chance. I feel like parsnips are a highly underrated vegetable that you don’t see as the star of a dish too often. I mostly only see parsnip sprinkled around a bag of root vegetable chips. And that’s not ok, because parsnip is a star vegetable and needs to be embraced on it’s own! It does not need to be the backup act all the time.
I make roasted veggies all the time with butternut squash, sweet potatoes and parsnips, and seem to find myself gravitating to eating mostly the parsnips out of the bunch. There’s just something earthy and comforting about parsnips. They might currently be my favorite veggies.
So why not let those white carrot looking veggies shine on their own as the star of a hot creamy parnsip soup? Are ya with me?
This soup does require a bit of prep work since you first have to dice up the parsnips and sweet potatoes and then roast them, but trust me every bit of effort is worth it for this ever so slightly sweet, fragrant and spicy soup. If you have a kitchen assistant (boyfriend, fiance?) have them help you out here to make this process move along faster.
Once the veggies are roasted the soup making begins with a bit of onions sauteeing then deglazing to be followed up with a pour of broth and coconut milk. Then add in those fragrant veggies mix, and puree. Your creamy parnsip soup is almost ready!
The additional rosemary and crushed red pepper flakes make the soup flavors really pop and the parsnips are ever so slightly sweet and smooth.
Serve the creamy parnsip soup drizzled with a bit of high quality olive oil for a finishing touch!
Let me know what you think of this soup recipe in the comments below.
I recommend peeling parsnips before adding them to recipes like this parsnip soup. If you don't peel them, you'll likely be adding a bitter taste to the soup. Why is my parsnip soup bitter? If you leave the peels on the parsnip, it can cause your soup to taste bitter.
Don't sweat root vegetables – particularly carrots and parsnip if you don't want intense sweetness in your recipe. Once this does happen, you can tone down the sweetness by adding spices like cumin, nutmeg or lemon juice. Deviate from the recipe to reduce sweetness.
Young, small parsnips don't really need peeling – just scrub clean and serve whole. Older parsnips should be peeled very thinly with a peeler or sharp knife, then chopped into evenly sized chunks. If the central core is very fibrous, this should be cut away.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
However, if parsnips have been allowed to grow too big or remain too long in storage, they tend to get woodier and bitter. Thus, it is recommended that larger parsnips be peeled and that the “woody” core in the middle be cut out before preparing.
Look for medium sized parsnips at your grocery store – the larger parsnips can sometimes have a thick woody core that is not edible and needs to be removed. A lot of the parsnip flavor is close to the skin, so I recommend scrubbing your parsnips well instead of peeling them!
Parsnips are a starchy root vegetable and running them through the food processor too long or at too high of a speed can cause the starches to congeal. I recommend pulsing the parsnips with additional coconut milk or water to prevent an undesirable gummy texture.
Did you know that parsnips are primarily harvested in winter because they taste better when the weather is cold? Once parsnips experience frost, they becomes sweeter and tastier. Stored starches in the parsnip are broken down and converted to sugar, which is why they have that delicious sweetness.
For those who don't know, PARSNIP refers to taboo issues that shouldn't be addressed in the classroom, namely: politics, alcohol, religion, sex, narcotics, –isms, and… pork. This has been a somewhat flexible rule in the industry, in the classroom, and in materials for a long time.
Remember, once you peel them, you'd have to cook them–or the parsnips will start to discolour. If you're cooking with old, large parsnips, you should also discard any very fibrous centres that you find, as those might be bitter and unpleasant to eat.
To cut up parsnips, start by peeling away the tough skin and discarding the top and bottom ends. Then feel free to slice them into matchsticks with julienne cuts, cut them into disks on the bias, or core them and divide the more tender parts into small chunks. Bon appétit!
To prepare: Very small parsnips don't need peeling, just wash them and top and tail. Medium to large parsnips should be peeled and chopped into even-sized chunks, halves or quarters. To cook: Cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Parboil the parsnips in boiling salted water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Pick the thyme leaves. Toss the parsnips with the honey, thyme, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, 10g of the butter and 2 tablespoons of oil. Tip into a roasting tray and arrange in one layer, then roast for 40 minutes, or until golden.
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