A simple but delicious recipe, this quick and easy Parsnip Soup combines onions, garlic, parsnips, stock and cream for a veritable ‘hug in a bowl’ in just 30 minutes. Plus get lots of ideas for adapting this basic parsnip soup recipe to make it even more delicious!
A hug in a bowl!
To me, a bowlful of rich, earthy, creamy parsnip soup is pure comfort food. Ideal for chilly autumn and winter days when you need warming up from the inside.
Souper simple to make
This easy creamy parsnip soup really is very simple to make. All you need to do is fry onions, parsnips and garlic. Then add vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 15 minutes. Next, blitz in a blender until completely smooth. And finally, return the soup to the pan and add the cream. Stir to ensure the cream is well mixed in, then serve.
(The cream is optional… so if you prefer not to use it, just leave it out!)
Tips for making really good parsnip soup
I have 3 top tips for making really good parsnip soup:
- Make sure you turn up the heat when frying the parsnip pieces, and fry them until they are tinged with brown. By getting some colour on the parsnips, you can get a little of that roasted/caramelized parsnip flavour, without the faff of actually having to roast the parsnips in the oven.
- This is one of the few soups that I think works best when super smooth and velvety. To achieve this texture, I use a proper blender. If you prefer, you can use a hand blender, but you probably won’t be able to get the soup quite so smooth.
- Adding a touch of cream really does take this soup to the next level… but you really don’t need to add a lot – just 50ml will make all the difference.
Make it your own…
I’ve kept this recipe very simple… and it is delicious just as it is. But if you want to jazz it up a bit, by all means! Here are some ideas…
- Add in a couple of chopped carrots to make carrot and parsnip soup
- Add in a teaspoon of curry powder at the same time as the garlic to make curried parsnip soup
- Add in a teaspoon of grated ginger at the same time as the garlic to make parsnip and ginger soup
- Add in a couple of sprigs of thyme and/or bay leaves with the stock (but fish them out before blending!)
- Add in a stick or two of diced celery along with the onions
- Add in half a Bramley apple to make parsnip and apple soup
- Swap half the parsnip for celeriac to make parsnip and celeriac soup
- Swap the cream for coconut milk to make parsnip and coconut soup
What to serve with parsnip soup
Personally, I think the best accompaniment to soup is crusty bread, especially soda bread, which can be made just before and popped in the oven while you make the soup.
What to drink with parsnip soup
This soup works well with Viognier, Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc – especially new world versions from places like South Africa, Australia, Chile and the USA.
What to do with leftover 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 parsnip?
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 Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large onions finely diced
- 1 kg parsnips peeled and cut into small chunks (roughly 1cm cubes)
- 2 cloves garlic grated or crushed
- 1 litre vegetable stock (from a cube is fine, I used 1 Kallo Organic Vegetable Stock Cube)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 50 ml double cream (or to taste – see Note 1)
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 parsnips. Fry the parsnips for 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions and parsnips are tinged with brown. (See Note 2.)
- Turn the heat right down and add the garlic. 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 15 minutes with the lid on, or until the parsnip 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 3.)
- Return the soup to the pan and add the cream. Stir to ensure the cream is well mixed in, then serve.
Notes
- I find that adding just 50ml of double cream is enough to give this soup a luxurious creamy taste, without adding too many extra calories. You can of course omit the cream altogether, if you prefer, or add more to taste!
- 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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Cecilia Gardner says
Excellent parsnip soup recipe.
Very tasty
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thank you so much for this lovely review! I am so happy you and your family enjoyed this recipe so much. Eb 🙂
Barry Mundy says
We had some parsnips languishing in the garden so we used them to make this soup and it was wonderful !
Eb Gargano says
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀