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Parsnip and Pumpkin Soup | acalculatedwhisk.com

This comforting soup combines parsnip and pumpkin in a healthy and beautiful bowl of fall goodness.

Did you miss me? I’m finally back from the longest posting hiatus of my three-and-a-half-year blogging career. I really missed sharing recipes, but have been spending a ton of time behind the scenes getting ready for the transition to WordPress. Between that, my full-time day job, trying to unpack from our move, and my efforts to get a little shut-eye, there just hasn’t been any time left. I’ll be around more now that some of the chaos has died down, though (and if you’re ever looking for me when it’s quiet over here, I’m probably still posting all of my breakfasts on Instagram).

So, what do you think of the new site? I still have a lot of work to do fixing little formatting issues in older posts and adding back in some of my sidebar content, but I’m really happy with the change so far. If you happen to notice broken links, have any other issues, or just want to give me some feedback, feel free to send me an email. One thing I’m really excited about is the recipe formatting plugin I’m using in this post, which allows you to get a printer-friendly version of the recipe with a single click. As soon as I find time I’ll be updating older posts so that they’re easy to print, too.

In other news, my cookbook comes out in just over two weeks on November 3rd! It’s been upgraded to release day delivery on Amazon, so if you pre-order, you can get it right on release day without any extra delay for shipping!

To celebrate all of that (and fall’s true arrival in the South), here’s my first pumpkin recipe of the year. It’s a two-for-one deal where pumpkin is swirled into a base made from parsnips, carrots’ lesser-known and paler cousins.

I hope I don’t have to sell you on the pumpkin, but thought you might need a bit of encouragement to get really pumped about parsnips. In case you do, here are three things to love about them:

1. Parsnips are much bigger than carrots, so you don’t have to do as much peeling to get them ready.

2. They’ll be around all winter and will just get better and better: parsnips left in the ground during winter frosts become even sweeter.

3. Parsnip is more fun to say than carrot, and pretty fun to say in general. (Source: an experiment conducted by me, in which I said both words out loud to myself over and over. Try it and I bet you’ll agree!)

Amidst the uncertainty of an actual move and a website migration, this soup made me feel more grounded and happy (as well as much less hungry). I hope you give it a try!

Parsnip and Pumpkin Soup

Name: Parsnip and Pumpkin Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: (1 cup of the parsnip soup from above); 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree*; 1/2 cup low-sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon turmeric; 1 tablespoon honey (optional); Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee; 2 shallots, peeled and chopped; 2 pounds parsnips (about 4 large), peeled and chopped; 1/2 cup white wine (I used Riesling); 2 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 sprig rosemary; 1 sprig thyme; 3/4 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the parsnip soup:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
2 shallots, peeled and chopped
2 pounds parsnips (about 4 large), peeled and chopped
1/2 cup white wine (I used Riesling)
2 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
3/4 cup heavy cream or full-fat coconut milk

For the pumpkin soup:

(1 cup of the parsnip soup from above)
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree*
1/2 cup low-sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter over medium heat in a very large skillet or Dutch oven that has a lid. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and softened, about 3 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the parsnips. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are well browned and the parsnips are browned in spots, 8-10 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble away for 2-3 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone.
Add the chicken stock, rosemary, thyme, and a little sea salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat so the mixture simmers, and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the parsnips are very tender when pierced with a fork.
Carefully transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
Put one cup of the parsnip soup base into a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients listed for pumpkin soup. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 10 minutes.
Put the rest of the parsnip soup base back into the skillet and add the heavy cream or coconut milk. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
To serve, divide the parsnip soup between four or six bowls. Add a generous dollop of pumpkin soup to one side of each bowl, and then use a butter knife to swirl the soups gently together in a circular motion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve hot.

Notes

*I use Farmer's Market Organic Pumpkin Puree. Any canned pumpkin should work (just make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling). Homemade puree will be delicious, too, although the color and thickness of the finished soup may vary.

This recipe makes 4 generous servings or 6 smaller appetizer servings.

If you don't want to swirl your soups, they're also delicious mixed together--after processing the parsnip soup base, just return it to the pot, add all the remaining ingredients, and cook over medium-low until hot. This may not be as pretty, but it will mean you only need to wash one pot!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 773Total Fat: 50gSaturated Fat: 31gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 581mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 12gSugar: 22gProtein: 24g

The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.