This easy roasted parsnip soup makes good use of sweet, seasonal parsnips for a classic tasting soup with a higher protein twist. White beans are blended in for some extra creaminess and will keep you full for longer, making it into a full meal soup.
Roasting the vegetables makes for a nice hands-off dinner and adds a lot of flavour to the soup. You don’t want to crisp the veg but just soften and get some caramelised edges. Garlic is roasted here as well so you get the sweetness without that bite.
Since this is blended until smooth, you really don’t notice the beans at all, much like red lentils in sweet potato soup. Serve with bread or croutons for a cosy dinner.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Beige shouldn’t be boring when it comes to vegetables. Roasting the ingredients before mixing adds a lot here, with caramelised undertones and a nice herbal flavour.
- It’s filling: with the mix of hearty vegetables and white beans, one bowl goes a long way, especially with a slice of whole grain bread.
- It uses simple, seasonal ingredients: all the vegetables used here are grown locally to me at this time of year and last well over winter.
- Only 10 ingredients: including salt and pepper – it’s the method that makes an interesting dish here, using good basic ingredients.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Parsnips: look for firm, medium sized roots and just give them a good scrub – no need to peel.
- Herbs: I use a mix like herbes de Provence, but you could also use fresh or dried thyme or a mix of your favourite herbs. I recommend rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.
- Vegetable broth: this is a rare recipe that really needs a good broth, and water makes for a poor soup, even if well seasoned. Any light broth can be used.
- Beans: white beans are best, but chickpeas (garbanzo beans) work too. Small or large white beans, it doesn’t matter, but make sure to rinse them well before adding.
Step by Step
1. Prep the veg: cut the vegetables and place them in a roasting dish with the oil and herbs.
2. Roast: bake in a hot oven until golden, about 40 minutes.
3. Add to a pot: blend with the beans and broth (don’t forget to peel the garlic cloves).
4. Blend until smooth: heat before serving if necessary and season to taste.
If you can’t see the recipe video, please watch it here on YouTube instead.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have an immersion blender, the soup can be pureed when it’s cooled (use cold broth, it’ll cool the vegetables more quickly) and then reheated on the stove. Some standing blenders can be used with hot ingredients but you’ll have to check first.
Roasting the garlic in its skin caramelises it, making a really simple version of roasted garlic. You can see this in other recipes I’ve shared, like this roasted broccoli and sweet potato bowl, where it forms part of the dressing.
Heat the broth up in the pot you plan to blend the soup in so that you don’t have to heat the soup up after mixing. Either way works but this can make it a bit easier.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The soup tends to stick to the bottom of the pot slightly when reheating; stir frequently to prevent this.
Freezing: this freezes very well. Simply spoon into freezer-safe containers once the soup has cooled and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before heating.
Expert Tips
- Season to taste: this is important with any dish, but key to this soup. Taste after blending and add salt if needed, as not all of the seasoning will stick to the vegetables and potatoes suck up a lot of salt in any case.
- Make sure you’re using parsnips: parsley root looks very similar but has a much spicier, more pungent flavour. Parsnips are quite sweet, especially when roasted.
- Let the garlic cool a little: I have cook’s fingers, so I peel while the cloves are still hot, but it’s a good idea to remove them from the dish and let them cool down before removing the skin. Don’t forget to peel all the roasted garlic cloves before blending.
More Cold Weather Soup Recipes
Winter Vegetable Minestrone
Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
Cabbage Lentil Soup
Chickpea Soup
If you make this Parsnip Soup or any other soup recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Roasted Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 500 grams parsnips roughly chopped
- 200 grams potatoes roughly chopped
- ½ medium yellow onion cut into thick slices
- 5 cloves garlic skin on
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence or another herb blend
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 400 grams cooked or canned white beans drained and rinsed
- 1.5 litres vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Add the parsnips, potatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper to a large baking dish. Mix to coat the vegetables in the oil and herbs.500 grams parsnips, 200 grams potatoes, 1/2 medium yellow onion, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Place the baking dish into the oven and roast the vegetables* for about 40 minutes, or until lightly golden and softened.
- Once the vegetables are finished, carefully remove all of the garlic cloves from the dish. Set them aside, and peel once they've cooled enough to handle.
- Add the roasted vegetables (with the peeled garlic) to a large pot with the vegetable broth and white beans.400 grams cooked or canned white beans, 1.5 litres vegetable broth
- Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until very smooth. Heat through if necessary (see notes below) and season to taste before serving hot.
Video
Notes
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Dana says
Absolutely loved this soup! I found out it goes very well with a spoon of Austrian pumpkin oil drizzled on top.