Parsnip and Celery Root Soup
White root vegetables do the talking in this rich and velvety soup that will leave you guessing it’s laden with cream. Well, guess again. This humble soup is light and healthy, thickened by parsnips and celery root with a good splash of milk. The sweet and nutty root vegetables are tempered by garlic and thyme for a well rounded and slurp-worthy bowl of goodness that promises to keep you warm in the cold weather.
Parsnip and Celery Root Soup
Feel free to change the ratio of veggies and/or add Jerusalem artichokes to the mix. Just be sure to keep the total weight at 2 pounds. Serves 4 to 6.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1 pound parnsips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 pound celery root, peeled, cut into 3/4-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, 2 to3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover 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 to the soup pot. Add the milk, salt and pepper. If too thick, add more milk to your desired consistency and taste for seasoning. Serve warm.
Great recipe! the other day I saw a recipe for a cauliflower bake from an upscale restaurant (that shall remained nameless) – 6 egg yolks, 1.5 cups of cream, milk AND shredded cheese. I say why not omit the cauliflower, because it’s not doing much in there? 😉 … not my kind of recipe. Now, your soup, perfect!
sorry, could not go back and edit… I know how to write proper English, although my comment will suggest I do not 😉
A satisfying winter dinner! I can imagine the mellow flavors from the root vegetables mingling with the thyme for a exceptional soup!
What an absolutely beautiful soup. I love the way you’ve presented it…the photos are fabulous! What a wonderful way to honor what tend to be two very misunderstood vegetables! I love this. 🙂
I would eat this soup even if it wasn’t served in adorable jars as you’ve shown! What a great idea. We are on snow day number two here in wimpy DC (it’s pretty unimpressive, just an couple inches that stuck really) and I could use some of this right now.
I love both parsnips and celeriac and would totally inhale this soup, I know. Love your overhead photo, Lynda!
This looks awesome. We love parsnips, but never end up buying them. That must change.
I love, love, love celery root and using it all kinds of ways lately. This soup looks so velvety – love it! And love them in the little jars!!! Hope the move went well and you’re settling in.
This looks really interesting. I have never seen a soup with these ingredients. For my root soups, I usually stick to carrots. I’ll have to add this to my to do list!
I’m making this soup tomorrow! Where to find the spoons in the picture?