Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
&w=3840&q=75){kind=small}
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion – chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds parsnips – peeled and sliced 0.5-inch thick
- 2 sprigs thyme sprigs
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 1 tbsp lemon juice – fresh
- 1/2 cup water – hot, if needed for thinning
- chives – finely snipped (for serving)
Instructions
1. Peel the parsnips, slice into 0.5-inch rounds, chop the onion, and thinly slice the garlic. Finely snip the chives for serving and set aside.
2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium heavy pot over medium heat until the butter foams.
3. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of the measured salt and cook, stirring, until translucent and tender without browning, 6–8 minutes.
4. Stir in the parsnips, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Season with the remaining salt and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes to start softening the parsnips.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook until the parsnips are very tender and easily crushed with a spoon, 20–25 minutes.
6. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Blend the soup until completely smooth using an immersion blender, or carefully in batches in a countertop blender.
7. Stir in the heavy cream and return the soup to a gentle simmer. If the soup is thicker than you like, stir in up to 0.5 cup hot water to thin; if too thin, simmer uncovered 2–3 minutes to reduce.
8. Season with the black pepper and lemon juice, then taste and adjust salt as needed.
9. Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with the snipped chives. Serve hot.
Parsnip Soup is a silky, gently sweet, and earthy potage that showcases the cool-weather charm of parsnips. The root’s natural sugars soften into a mellow sweetness as it simmers, while onion and garlic provide savory backbone. A finishing splash of cream rounds the texture into a velvety, comforting bowl, brightened by a lift of lemon and fresh chives.
Widely associated with Britain and Ireland, parsnip soup draws on centuries of European cookery where parsnips were a cold-season staple. Medieval and early modern cooks relied on parsnips for sweetness before sugar was common, and the vegetable remained beloved in soups and mashes. Modern versions range from minimalist, cream-enriched broths to spiced adaptations, but the core technique—sweating aromatics, simmering until tender, and puréeing smooth—has endured.