Warm up with a cozy, nourishing bowl of Roasted Parsnip Soup. Its earthy and slightly sweet flavors are just the thing to warm your bones on a chilly day.

This smooth and creamy bowl of vegan Roasted Parsnip Soup is the second in a series of recipes I developed for a winter entertaining collaboration with some local businesses- it was recently featured in The Venue Report! Check out my Horchata White Russians to see the first recipe I shared from this fun and whimsical shoot.

I was asked to create a few winter recipes that would be perfect for entertaining during the holiday season. I immediately thought of a warm and cozy soup that could be served in mugs with some elegant toppings.

I landed on this Roasted Parsnip Soup topped with crunchy beet chips. A drizzle of Meyer lemon oil helps to brighten up the earthy sweetness of this soup, and a sprinkle of a few thyme leaves adds a welcome touch of green and echoes flavor from the sprigs of thyme that are added as the soup is simmering.

Chef’s tips for the best Roasted Parsnip Soup

Space the parsnips evenly when roasting them to ensure even caramelization, which will translate to a more intense roasted flavor in the finished soup. If you pack the parsnips too tightly the water that is released from the parsnips will wind up steaming them instead of evaporating. Use a second baking sheet if necessary!

An immersion blender works great to blend this soup right up in the pot, which means less dishes! But to get that super velvety smooth texture, I find that a high speed blender like a Vitamix is the best tool to use. Just take extra care to release the steam so that you don’t wind up with a soup explosion. If your soup is very hot when blending, you may want to remove the smaller cap from the lid and cover the top loosely with a towel to allow steam to escape while blending.

Variations on parsnip soup:

• This soup is already fairly thick, but if you prefer a much thicker texture, you can add one peeled and chopped potato to the pot when simmering the soup.
• Conversely, if you want to thin out the soup’s texture, just stir a little bit of vegetable broth or water after the soup has been blended until the desired consistency is reached.
• The recipe for this soup is vegan, but if you don’t need it to be, you could stir in a touch of heavy cream at the end for added richness.
• Smooth, pureed soups beg for lots of delicious toppings! Here I made beet chips as a garnish along with Meyer lemon infused olive oil and some fresh thyme, but you could also add croutons, gruyere or parmesan cheese, chives, sauteed mushrooms, micro greens, etc!

How far in advance can I make this Roasted Parsnip Soup?

Feel free to make this soup several days in advance! The flavors will only develop more as it sits in the fridge, although you may need to taste and season with more salt before serving if you make it ahead of time, as things that have sat in the refrigerator may absorb the salt over time.

This soup also freezes beautifully if you want to make a large batch and save some to enjoy another time.

If you make this Roasted Parsnip soup, be sure to post it on Instagram with the hashtag #LePetitEats!

Photos by Lindsey Drews.

5 from 1 vote

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Roasted Parsnip Soup

Warm up with a cozy, nourishing bowl of Roasted Parsnip Soup. Its earthy and slightly sweet flavors are just the thing to warm your bones on a chilly day.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword parsnip soup, soup with parsnips, vegetable soup with parsnip

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 290 kcal

Author Denisse

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds parsnips chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1/2 pound yellow or white carrots
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Meyer lemon oil for garnish (optional)
• Store bought or home made beet chips for garnish (optional)
• Fresh thyme leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss parsnips with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange parsnips in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender and lightly caramelized, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
2. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
3. Add roasted parsnips and broth to pot, along with bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
5. Using an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender, in batches if necessary), blend until smooth. Season with salt and stir in 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Taste and season again with more salt and remaining vinegar if necessary.
6. To serve, ladle into bowls or mugs and garnish with a drizzle of Meyer lemon oil, a few beet chips and thyme leaves.

Recipe Notes

Variations on parsnip soup:

• This soup is already fairly thick, but if you prefer a much thicker texture, you can add one peeled and chopped potato to the pot when simmering the soup.
• Conversely, if you want to thin out the soup’s texture, just stir a little bit of vegetable broth or water after the soup has been blended until the desired consistency is reached.
• The recipe for this soup is vegan, but if you don’t need it to be, you could stir in a touch of heavy cream at the end for added richness.
• Smooth, pureed soups beg for lots of delicious toppings! Here I made beet chips as a garnish along with Meyer lemon infused olive oil and some fresh thyme, but you could also add croutons, gruyere or parmesan cheese, chives, sauteed mushrooms, micro greens, etc!