A delicious combination of carrots, parsnips, ginger and just a touch of chilli, this Easy Carrot and Parsnip Soup is warming, budget friendly, nutritious and very simple to make.
Warming, nutritious and cheap!
Carrot and Parsnip Soup is one of my favourite recipes during the colder months. It’s delicious, warming, packed full of nutrients from the veggies and spices… and it’s budget friendly too!
Better still, it’s incredibly easy to make… and a great ‘fill the freezer’ option too.
Super easy to make
This soup is so easy to make. All you need to do is fry onions and chopped parsnip, followed by chopped carrot, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Then add vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend until completely smooth and serve.
Make it your own!
While this recipe is delicious just as it is (as with all my recipes, I spent quite a bit of time working out the ‘perfect’ recipe), you can absolutely adapt it to suit your personal tastes and what you have lurking in your cupboards / fridge.
Here are some good options:
- Add a teaspoon of cumin as well as / instead of the ginger
- Add a teaspoon of turmeric and/or coriander
- Add a teaspoon or two of garam masala or curry powder
- Add in other veggies: potatoes, leeks, (bell) peppers and butternut squash all work well here
- Add 100g (4oz) red lentils at the same time as you add the stock
- Use chicken stock or plain water instead of vegetable stock
- Add herbs, such as fresh coriander or thyme
(If you adapt this recipe, do share what you did. I always love hearing about how my recipes are being used and adapted!)
What to serve with Carrot and Parsnip Soup?
Personally, I think the best accompaniment to soup is crusty bread, especially homemade soda bread, which can be made just before and popped in the oven while you make the soup.
Here are some great options:
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread
- Easy Soda Bread Rolls
- Easy Cheese Soda Bread
- Easy White Soda Bread
- Pumpkin Seed and Rye Soda Bread
Carrot and Parsnip Soup served with Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Can you make Carrot and Parsnip Soup ahead of time?
Absolutely – Carrot and Parsnip Soup is a great make ahead option! Simply place the cooked and cooled soup in an airtight container, then store it in the fridge (for up to 3 days) or freezer (for up to 3 months).
What to do with leftover Carrot and Parsnip Soup?
If you end up with leftovers, this soup keeps very well in the fridge and is very easy to reheat. Simply place the cooked and cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
To reheat, tip into a saucepan with a splash of cold water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes or until the soup is piping hot all the way through.
You can also reheat this soup in the microwave, if you prefer.
Can you freeze Carrot and Parsnip Soup?
The soup can absolutely be frozen! In fact, it’s a really great option for filling the freezer. (Top tip – make double and freeze half!)
Place the cooked and cooled soup in an airtight container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Carrot and Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 500 g parsnip peeled and chopped into small chunks (roughly 1cm / ½inch cubes)
- 500 g carrot chopped into small chunks (roughly 1cm / ½inch cubes – see Note 1)
- 2 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 1 litre vegetable stock from a cube is fine (I used Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock)
- Salt and black pepper to taste (see Note 2)
Instructions
- Place the olive oil and diced onions in a fairly large saucepan and gently fry the onions for 5 minutes, with the lid on, until softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the chopped parsnips. Fry the parsnips for 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions and parsnips are tinged with brown. (See Note 3.)
- Turn the heat right down and add the chopped carrot, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Fry for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add the vegetable stock, salt and pepper and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on, or until the parsnip and carrot pieces are tender.
- Tip the soup into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. PLEASE TAKE CARE AS THE SOUP WILL BE VERY HOT! (See Note 4.)
- If necessary, return the blended soup back to the saucepan and warm back up to your desired temperature. (You may also want to check the seasoning at this point and adjust as necessary.)
- Serve with homemade soda bread (or any other bread you like!)
Notes
- I find, because this soup is blended until smooth, there is no need to peel the carrots. Not peeling the carrots has no negative impact on the final soup, means you get extra goodness from the skins and saves you a job!
- I prefer to only add back pepper to this soup, as the salt content of the stock cube makes this soup salty enough for my tastes.
- By turning up the heat and frying the parsnip pieces until they are tinged with brown, you can get a little of that roasted/caramelized parsnip flavour, without the faff of actually having to roast the parsnips in the oven.
- If you prefer, you can use a hand blender, however I think this soup works best when blended super smooth, which is harder to achieve with a hand blender.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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