This rich and velvety soup will have you guessing it’s laden with cream. Well, guess again. A thick puree of celeriac (celery root) and parsnip is evened out with milk and chicken stock, providing a light and smooth yet surprisingly rich soup. If you haven’t tried celeriac, it’s time you did. Don’t let its gnarly exterior dissuade you – the inner meat is nutty with mild celery notes. When cooked, its flavor is mellow and sublime, which provides a nice balance to the sweet and earthy parsnip. Thyme and garlic round out the flavors of this slurp-worthy bowl of soup which promises to keep you warm and sated in the cold weather.
Parsnip and Celery Root Soup
Serves 4 to 6.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1 pound parnsips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 pound celery root, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup whole milk plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the parsnips, celery root, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are very soft, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs. Carefully transfer the soup to a food processor (or use an immersion blender) and purée until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Add the milk, salt, and pepper. If the soup is too thick, add more milk to your desired consistency. Gently heat over medium-low heat until hot and taste for seasoning. Serve hot.
Uuuuh, it looks and sounds delicious!
Love this healthy version – usually I add cream and defeat the purpose of a healthy and homemade soup.
A delicious soup! Wonderfully wintery and warming.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a wonderful coincidence! I just made a very similar soup last week, and intend to blog about it at some point – unfortunately it might take me a while, so much stuff waiting…
celeriac is a veggie that doesn’t get much respect, poor thing, looks so ugly but it tastes great!
Oh my….the perfect treat for a below ZERO day here in the Northeast. Love that you achieved this rich, thick soup without the use of cream. Not that I have anything against cream, mind you….I’m just saying’.
I love celery root and your soup has to be delicious…perfect for our cold weather.