Roasted carrot and parsnip soup – a tasty, filling soup featuring roasted carrot and parsnip. Very simple to make using just a few healthy ingredients.
This roasted carrot and parsnip soup is an easy, healthy, winter soup. All you need do is chop up some carrots, parsnips and onions and roast them in the oven. Once they are soft and caramelized, you puree them with some vegetable stock and you’ve got a tasty, slightly sweet, comforting soup.
This is a simple soup – a puree really – no special ingredients or fancy spices – just a hearty, tasty soup – perfect for this time of year. Parsnips are carrots slightly less sweet cousins. They are a great source of potassium and vitamin C. Parsnips help balance out the soup so it’s not too sweet. Carrots are packed with beta carotene and give the soup a lovely orange color as well.
I know this is the second soup recipe in a row for the blog but it was rainy and cool here all weekend so soup just seems like a perfect fit.
A couple of notes:
When you chop up the veggies – don’t cut them too small. They are going to shrink while being roasted – and if they are too small they will burn – so make each slice about an inch long.
Spread all the veggies out evenly on a baking sheet when you roast them. If they are mounded up in a pile they will steam rather than roast.
In order to not burn the garlic while it roasts, you will be roasting the garlic in its skin. So when you toss the veggies with the olive oil, add the garlic (with skin on) and toss so it’s lightly coated with oil. When the vegetables and garlic are done roasting, and the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the clove and the roasted garlic will pop out of its skin. Discard the skin and add the roasted garlic to the rest of the vegetables before pureeing.
Please make sure to only fill the blender up 1/3 to 1/2 way with soup before blending, take the blender cap off and cover the opening with a kitchen towel. This will prevent any kind of blender soup explosion/disaster.
If you don’t have vegetable stock handy, then use 4 cups of water and one bouillon cube.
Adapted from this great Martha Rose Shulman recipe in the NYTimes.
PrintRoasted Carrot and Parsnip Soup
A tasty, filling soup featuring roasted carrot and parsnip. Very simple to make using just a few healthy ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound of carrots – peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 pound of parsnips – peeled and cut into 1 inch slices
- 1 medium yellow onion – peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks – I used half a large onion.
- 3 cloves of garlic – unpeeled
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 8 twists of black pepper
- 4 cups of vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Toss chopped carrots, parsnips, onion and garlic (garlic should be unpeeled so it won’t burn) with 2 tbs of olive oil and black pepper. Toss to combine and spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven.
- Veggies will roast for 40 minutes but give them a stir every 10 to 15 minutes so they don’t burn. You want them caramelized – not burnt.
- Meanwhile, heat 4 cups of stock in a stock pot.
- When vegetables are done, squeeze garlic from its peel and add back to the veggies. Discard peel.
- Add vegetables to stock – scrape the pan to get every last bit of veggies.
- Puree vegetables and stock in a blender a bit at a time. Only fill the blender about 1/3 full and remove the little cap (blender lid insert) and cover with a kitchen towel. If you fill it up more than half and leave the little cap on – you’ll have a blender soup explosion – not fun at all!
- Pour soup into bowls and serve – serves 2 to 4 depending on size of bowl/cup.
Amy
Really lovely soup but definently needs more flavor added I put in 1/4 tsp of curry powder and a bunch of pepper. Also another cup of water and a cup of milk.
Geraldine
Thanks, Amy!
Mariska
This is the second time I make this soup. To give it a bit of a kick I put in a few drops of tabasco. I made it a Christmas with some cream and parsley. My mom loved it.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Mariska!
Violet Thompson
Trying this soup now ,really good reviews.I usually put turnip when l make chicken broth .really brings out the
flavour, l know the soup will be yummy
Geraldine
Thanks, Violet – hope you enjoy!
Sheila
Don’t think I have ever used parsnips in a recipe….big loss. The carrot parsnip combo is great. Photos superb again!
Geraldine
Parsnips were new to me – they definitely work in this recipe though. Thanks for leaving a rating – much appreciated!
Gretchen
Per the photo – definitely not a soup. Purée? Maybe. But definitely not a soup.
Geraldine
Hi Gretchen – thanks for your comment. A puree is made with a lot less liquid. If you want a puree then only add 1 cup of liquid to the roasted vegetables before blending. This is a very thick soup, so if you want a thinner soup then add 5 cups of stock instead of 4 to the roasted vegetables before blending.
Jean McCormick
If we can’t find parsnips, then maybe some sort of potato to give the soup some body? Here in my tiny town, we don’t always have access to parsnips, usually only in the dead of winter, and that is not now…This is the end of April. Thanks in advance for your reply if you have time to make one.
Geraldine
Hi Jean – I haven’t tried potatoes. Not sure if that would be a good substitute for parsnips. Parsnips have a slight sweet flavor that works really well with carrots. If you try potatoes – let me know how it works out for you. Thanks!
Kelly @ Trial and Eater
This soup looks and sounds like the perfect winter comfort food! I have been on a big parsnip kick lately – Haven’t paired it with carrots yet in soup so I’ll have to add that to my list. I like mashed parsnips and also parsnip fries (I baked them with rosemary and it was delicious!) I think I might add some rosemary to this soup too!
Geraldine
Hi Kelly – I think rosemary would be a great way to jazz this soup up a bit! This is my first time cooking with parsnips and I’m definitely going to use them more often – the mashed parsnips sounds great. Have a good one.
Crystal | Apples & Sparkle
Keep those soup recipes coming! So perfect for this time of year. I love this combination of carrot and parsnip together. Beautiful photos too! : )
Geraldine
Thanks, Crystal. I could eat soup everyday for lunch in the winter. A bit of bread and a small salad with soup and I’m good to go! Have a good one!
Julia | Orchard Street Kitchen
It’s been bitterly cold here in Chicago, so I’m definitely appreciating your soup recipes lately 🙂 I love simple vegetable soups like this one. Isn’t it amazing that roasted veggies and broth can create such a creamy texture when pureed? Thank you for sharing this, Geraldine!
Geraldine
Hi Julia: I used to live back east and I definitely don’t miss the bitterly cold weather – I can’t image what Chicago is like in the cold with the wind blowing off the water. Stay warm!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
Gorgeous! I totally love your photos, especially the carrot gradient 🙂
Geraldine
Hi Medha – thanks so much for the compliment! Have a great day.
Annie @ ciaochowbambina
I would be happy to eat these soups every day of the week during these cold winter days! There is nothing better than roasting vegetables and then pureeing for a hearty healthy soup. And the color is divine! Beautiful photography, once again, Geraldine! Thank you for sharing!
Geraldine
Hi Annie – I agree with you about soup in the cold weather – it’s what I want everyday for lunch. Have a good one!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext
This looks and sounds like my sort of soup! Love the flavour from the veggies, so good.
Geraldine
Thanks, Jess! Hope you try it – have a good one!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I have to try this recipe out – I usually make carrot soup but never have added parsnips before.
Geraldine
Hi Thalia – the parsnips give the soup an earthy flavor – cutting the sweetness of the carrots a bit. Hope you try it.
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron
Bring on the soups! We are in a deep freeze right now, and nothing looks more comforting to me than big bowl of soup! This looks like a delicious soup, and I bet roasting those veggies brings out a ton of flavor!
Geraldine
Right, Denise! I felt a little guilty about posting two soups in a row but then I thought – it’s soup – who doesn’t like soup this time of year.
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
Two soups in a row? I’ll take it Geraldine! Love your photography, especially of the carefully arranged carrots and parsnips… ! The veggies are perfection roasted; I can only imagine how delicious and creamy this soup is! I think your dippers from last week would be fabulous with this soup too!
Geraldine
Thanks, Traci. I decided that two soups in a row were okay since one soup was loaded with cheese and tomatoey goodness – a splurge really – and this soup is loaded with healthy simplicity! Have a good one.