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This Parsnip and Potato Soup is creamy, slightly sweet, and everything you want in a homemade soup.
HOMEMADE PARSNIP POTATO SOUP
Hello my lovelies! I hope you are having a beautiful and blessed Sunday. I want to hug you all for always coming by here and reading my words, taking in my silliness, and hopefully laughing with me and not at me. 😛
Pictured above are two bowls filled withParsnip and Potato Soup. A warm, silky, chunky, and VERY good soup. Like, lick your bowl to the last drop good. I wish we had taste-o-vision!
I’m totally trying to sell this soup with potatoes and parsnip, but I shouldn’t try so hard. It speaks for itself. It’s delicious!
On another note, I’m totally on a soup kick and it’s all because of that white stuff on the ground – it won’t go away! Don’t worry, I won’t talk about the weather, but you should know that I really want sun. That’s all.
Just a few short days ago, we enjoyed some French Onion Soup, and two days before that we had this Parsnip and Potato Soup – I had to keep us warm, somehow. The thermostat goes only up to 85. Oops. There I go talking about the weather again. Sorry. So, how are you? How are the kids? How’s the weather by you? Is it warm? That’s nice. We’re freezing.
But, even if it’s warm by you, you still need to taste this soup. I mean, you still need to eat your parsnips, right? How often do you eat parsnips? See! Not very often. I knew it! Now you get to have two parsnips all at once!
This soup is so simple and it comes together in like, I dunno, 47 minutes. You chop up a few root vegetables, chiffonade some fresh basil, (chiffonade? I sound like I know what I’m talkin’ about!) pour in some veggie stock, and let the soup go to town! Don’t forget the seasonings – you know, salt ‘n peppa. They kinda add flavor to like everything.
Once your house is filled with a delicious aroma, the soup is nearly done. Next thing is to just reach for your immersion blender and give this soup a couple of spins here and there. I don’t puree all of it – I leave a few chunks for texture. I am big on texture. You can also use a blender. Or not. You don’t have to use either one. You can have this soup in a chunky form. Noone will judge.
ENJOY!
Parsnip and Potato Soup
Katerina | Diethood
This Parsnip and Potato Soup is creamy, slightly sweet, and everything you want in a homemade soup.
2tablespoonschopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1bay leaf
4cupslow sodium vegetable broth, or enough to just cover the vegetables - you can also use 2 cans (14.5-ounces each) of vegetable broth
1/2cup2% milk (you can also use half & half or heavy cream), optional
1/4teaspoonchili powder, optional
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large heavy pot and pour in the olive oil.
Add the chopped parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the vegetable broth.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Discard bay leaf.
Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender and blend until smooth. This should be done in several batches.
Return soup to pot and, if using, add milk; add in chili powder and stir to combine.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Why isn't my potato soup creamy? Most creamy soups require you to add dairy of some sort into it. If you're finding your soup is too thin adding milk, add in cream instead, or whole milk.
Tip: Cornstarch will thicken your soup more than flour, but both are a good option if you need to thicken a very thin soup. Pour in 1 cup (60 g) of instant potato flakes for a quick fix. This will add extra potato flavor to your soup, so you don't have to worry about changing the taste.
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.
Possibilities include cream, coconut milk, yogurt, or even pureed avocado. If you choose coconut milk, be aware that it will impart a sweet, coconut flavor, which might not be right for every soup. Yogurt will add tanginess.
Similarly to half-and-half, milk makes a good heavy cream substitute when it's combined with melted butter. Combine 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup melted butter for every cup of heavy cream.
It might be tempting to add sour cream or softened cream cheese to help thicken the soup, but these dairy products only work in certain circ*mstances. You must blend cream cheese or sour cream, either with an immersion blender or a full-size blender, for it to thicken a soup.
This soup-thickening hack couldn't be easier. Unlike using flour, which requires either making a little roux before you start cooking or a beurre manié afterwards, or using a cornstarch slurry that can create a gloppy texture, the instant mashed potato flakes can simply be sprinkled into the finished dish.
Herbs: Fresh chives, thyme, or cilantro stirred in just before serving. Spices: Your soup is probably salty enough, but what about simmering a bay leaf in there for a while (don't forget to remove it before serving)? Depending on the soup's flavor profile, you could shake in some cumin or red pepper flakes.
Milk or Half-and-Half: This is the other magical ingredient that turns your homemade chicken noodle soup into the creamiest soup ever. Use 1 cup of whole milk or 1 cup of half-and-half.
Try adding a little more salt. That's usually the answer to any issue of blandness, no matter the recipe in question. A basic Appalachian style potato soup uses only a handful of simple ingredients, leaning on milk and water and often bouillon to create the brothy soup base.
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.
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.
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.
Cumin, coriander and mustard seeds will help. I've added in all of that. I think I'll freeze it overnight. Parsnip is still sweet but has very bitter aftertaste.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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