Love parsnips but have no clue what to do with them? You should definitely make my Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Apples!
Parsnips are one of my favorite Winter vegetables! They’re better later in the season, as the cold weather converts their starches to sugar, making them sweeter and nuttier. I love them roasted, braised, and mashed. There are so many ways to prepare them and this Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Apples is a great one to add to your list!
I love soups in the cooler months, especially hearty ones with substance. This recipe is packed with healthy veggies and an apple for a little bit of sweetness. I find it pairs so perfectly with the parsnips and fennel. There’s an apple pureed into the soup and an apple diced and sautéed to garnish the soup. Who doesn’t want their soup to look pretty?
This parsnip soup is also flavored with thyme and nutmeg. Subtle but delicious flavors to compliment the other ingredients. I also add some pine nuts to the soup. They add a nutty flavor, add creaminess, and help thicken the soup a bit.
Ingredient Notes:
- Apples – I like honey crisp or gala apples. But really, you can use any apple thats not red or green.
- Stock – You can use either chicken or vegetable stock, depending if you’d like the soup to remain vegetarian or not.
- Pine Nuts – They should be raw. You can use blanched almonds as well (no skins). I buy mine on Amazon, right here, they’re way cheaper than buying them in store.
- Fresh Thyme – You can also substitute ½ teaspoon dried thyme.
- White Pepper – I only use white pepper because it’s a white soup and I don’t want to see the specks of black pepper in it. White pepper is also a bit more milk than black pepper. However, this is totally not a big deal. If you don’t want to buy white pepper, freshly ground black pepper is okay too!
- Lemon Juice – I added just a small squeeze into the soup for a little added brightness, but it’s not necessary. However you definitely need a squeeze in the sautéed apple garnish, if you’re choosing to make it.
- Brown Sugar – The sautéed apples need a touch of sweet, and I love brown sugar here. However you can also use maple syrup, agave, or honey.
Parsnip Soup with Fennel and Apples
Ingredients
- Avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion half thinly sliced, half finely diced
- 1 medium fennel bulb stalk trimmed and core removed, bulb roughly chopped
- Kosher salt
- 2 stalk celery roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 large parsnips about 20 oz., peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 honeycrisp/gala apples one peeled and cut into chunks, the other finely diced (skin kept on)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup pine nuts raw
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Lemon juice to taste
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- Fresh herbs as garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat a drizzle of avocado oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, fennel, and ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn golden.
- Add celery, garlic, parsnips, and peeled apple chunks, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Then, add stock, 2 cups water (double this amount if doubling the recipe), pine nuts, three-quarters of the thyme, half the nutmeg, and another teaspoon of Kosher salt.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Add white pepper and blend until smooth. Taste and season with additional Kosher salt and a small squeeze of lemon juice, if desired.
- Meanwhile make the sauteed apple garnish. In a medium pan, heat a drizzle of avocado oil over medium heat. Add the finely diced onions and a pinch of Kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until starting to turn golden brown. Add the finely diced apple and a pinch of Kosher salt and cook, stirring often for an additional 4-5 minutes, until golden. Turn heat to low and add ¾ cup water (1 cup if doubling the recipe), brown sugar, the remaining thyme, and the remaining nutmeg. Cook until apples are almost cooked through, and liquid is mostly reduced and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste. Season with Kosher salt, as needed.
- Serve the soup warm in bowls topped with the sauteed apple garnish and sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Made this soup for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! We loved the blend of the different flavors. Who would have thought to combine all of this together? Thank you for expanding our palette!