The classic combination of sweet parsnip and warm spices is a winner in this velvety smooth curried parsnip soup.
It has definitely tipped over into soup season this week hasn't it?! Downpours, flooding, digging out the raincoats and umbrellas from the depths of the coat cupboard... we've even lit our fire for the first time since last winter!
What could be more comforting on a chilly autumnal day than a bowl of creamy curried parsnip soup with crusty bread?
There's nothing fancy or complicated about this recipe, though like many of my soup recipes I roast the ingredients together to give a really intense flavour, (see my popular courgette soup, tomato soup, fennel soup and jerusalem artichoke soup).
I finished mine off with homemade parsnip crisps which, let's face it, might be a bit fancy-nancy for a quick weekday lunch, but if you're serving this soup to friends or family they really do give a wow factor for not very much effort, and the crispy, salty crisps are such a good finishing touch to a very creamy soup.
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📝 What you need
Ingredients
Parsnips are in season here in the UK from late August right through to March. The really huge ones can be a bit woody in the middle so look out for some medium-sized ones like mine below.
Curry powder is a ready-blended mix of spices which makes this a super-quick soup. Mine contained coriander seeds, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, cassia, cardamom, chilli powder, star anise, bay leaf, cloves and mace. Let's face it - no one wants that many individual jars in their cupboard! If you prefer to mix your own spices I would recommend ground coriander, turmeric and cumin, and as much chilli powder as you fancy!
Vegetable stock can be deceiving as some have some sneaky milk powder added, gahhhh! So do check the label before you buy.
Vegan cream has become so much easier to find in recent years, and is now stocked in most supermarkets. I like this double cream below but any plant-based cream will work well, or plant milk to make this a bit lighter.
Equipment
There’s no fancy equipment needed to make soup, of course, though to get a silky smooth texture you do need a way of blending it.
I use a stick blender which is so quick and easy as you just shove it in the saucepan, blitz for a minute or two and you’re done. They are reasonably priced, you can pick up a basic model like this one* for just over £10 these days, and if you make a lot of homemade soup you won’t regret it.
Mine is this Dualit model* which also has a chopping bowl and whisk, both of which I use a lot.
Alternatively, if you have a blender or food processor you can pour the soup into it, blitz to a smooth purée then return it to the pan.
👩🏽🍳 Variations
To mix this up a bit how about....
- Making it quicker by cooking all the ingredients together in the saucepan - cooking time will be roughly half of the roasting time, (though the flavours won't be quite so intense). Fry the onion, garlic and curry powder gently first, then add the parsnips and stock, boil until soft, then add the cream and blitz.
- Making it lighter by swapping out the cream for plant-based milk.
- Making it different by using other root vegetables instead or as well as parsnips - how about jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, sweet potato, butternut squash, or the humble potato?
❄️ Freezing your soup
Regular readers will know I have a fridge stacked high with soup, and this one is no exception. Freeze in individual portions then simply cook from frozen in the microwave or saucepan for a steaming lunch in under 5 minutes. Delicious!
Vegan in 15 Cookbook
There are plenty of similarly quick and easy recipes in my new book, ‘Vegan in 15'*.
Hop over to Amazon for a look. Thanks for your support!
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Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
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🔪 What else can I do with parsnips?
Here are a few tempting ideas :
- Vegan Wellington with Parsnips by Mandy at Cook Veggielicious
- Jerusalem Artichoke & Parsnip Soup by The Veg Space
- Parsnip, Chickpea & Cauliflower Korma by Mandy at Cook Veggielicious
🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
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📖 Recipe
Curried Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 4 parsnips
- 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp curry powder mild or medium
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 50 ml dairy-free cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Peel the parsnips and cut into wedges, and place in a roasting tin or baking tray. Peel the onion and slice thickly and add to the tray, then add the garlic cloves - whole and unpeeled. Drizzle over the oil, add the curry powder and season with salt and black pepper, then toss everything together until the vegetables are fully coated with oil.
- Roast for 30 minutes until the parsnips are golden brown and soft. Remove the garlic cloves (keep them for later), and set aside.
- Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Tip in the roasted parsnips and onion, then squeeze the soft flesh out of the roasted garlic cloves, add to the pan and discard the skin. Boil for 4-5 minutes, then remove from the heat, stir through the cream then blitz to a very smooth purée with a hand blender or in a blender / food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- If you wish to make parsnip crisps for a garnish, simply peel strips off a parsnip with a potato peeler. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the strips gently until they are just turning golden brown. Watch carefully - they can burn in seconds! Sprinkle with salt then remove from the pan and keep on kitchen paper until just before serving so they stay crisp.
- Serve the soup with a drizzle of cream and your parsnip crisps.
Nutrition
I'm linking this recipe with this week's CookBlogShare challenge hosted by Jenny at Apply to Face blog.
MMMmmm! A huge yes to curry powder in a velvety parsnip soup. A perfect warming bowl of nourishment.
Yes I love curry spices and root veg, a winning combo!
Such a simple soup recipe but so tasty. I love curry spices in soup, delicious and comforting!
Yes I love soups like this that you can chuck in the oven to roast, blitz and stock up your freezer!
This looks so delicious and creamy and definitely soup is the best healthy and light Dinner option.
Yes we love soup and crusty bread for dinner in the colder months.
My husband is going to love this recipe! Can't wait to make this! Looks so delicious and tasty!
Great! Let me know how you get on x
Parsnip soup is one of our favourites. So warming and comforting in this weather.
Yes you can't beet roasted root veg in the chilly autumn months!
This looks delicious! I think the sweetness of parsnip is a brilliant combination with a bit of spice. I really like the idea of topping it with parsnip crisps too.
My Carlita friend will love this recipe! I'll share to her right now as she's always looking for vegan recipes 🙂
This looks so creamy and delicious!
I love soup made from roasted veg, the roasting seems to give such a deep but sweet edge to the veg. It looks beautiful too! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Love curried parsnip soup! So perfect at this time of year 😀