Dishing Up the Dirt

Spiced Parsnip Apple & Coconut Soup

I love the addition of parsnips in soups. There is something so rustic and comforting about this root vegetable. It’s taken Taylor quite a while to come around to the earthy flavor of parsnips but over the years he’s decided that he actually loves them and he’ll even requests them on a regular basis. It’s amazing what happens to your taste buds when you work the land and harvest the fruits of your hard labor. Things just taste sweeter, even with a little dirt still on them.

I prepared this parsnip soup for our anniversary. We ate dinner at the farm before heading to the coast the following morning. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed this comforting soup with some crusty bread, a simple salad and a bottle of Champagne. It was the perfect anniversary dinner and I really hope you all enjoy this soup as much as we did.

We topped each bowl of soup with some walnuts, pomegranate seeds and plenty of parsley. Every spoonful was a great combination of creamy soup and crunchy toppings.-the absolute best! I love how the subtle bite from the spices offsets the sweetness from the apple and parsnips. This really is a comforting bowl of wholesome ingredients and I can’t wait to hear what you all think if you whip it up.

This soup tastes best enjoyed with someone you love and a little bubbly. Cheers!

Spiced Parsnip Apple & Coconut Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes    Cook Time: 40 minutes    Serves: 4-6

Soup:
  • 2 Tablespoons walnut oil (or olive oil)
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds parsnips (about 5 cups), chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 medium sized potato, scrubbed clean and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
  • 1 medium sized apple, chopped (no need to peel)
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 heaping teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 5-7 cups of water + more to thin if necessary
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • Additional salt + pepper to taste
Toppings:
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 cup pomegranate seeds
  • 1/2 cup parsley, minced
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon of walnut oil (or olive oil)

Preparation

  1. In a large saucepan heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until beginning to soften. About 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, parsnips, potato, apple and spices (through the salt). Stir until the veggies are coated with the spices and are becoming fragrant. About 2 minutes. Add water (start with 5 cups and and more if need be) bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender. About 25 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and carefully puree the soup. This works best with an immersion blender or high speed blender.  If soup is too thick add a little more water to thin if necessary. Taste test and season the soup with additional salt and pepper. (note, if you use vegetable stock instead of water you may need to use less salt)
  2. Serve the soup warm and divide the toppings between bowls.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide. *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. *Taste test as you go


Leave a Reply

5 thoughts on “Spiced Parsnip Apple & Coconut Soup

  1. Andrea, this is a beautiful bowl of soup! I can’t get my other half to like parsnips, no matter how much I try. Sigh. It does however mean that there is more of this soup just for me! Thank you for sharing 🙂

  2. Anu says:

    Wow! Apple & Coconut Soup sounds so YUM! Absolutely stunning pictures too!:-)

  3. Alissa says:

    That has got to be the prettiest bowl of soup I’ve ever seen!

  4. liz says:

    Made this last night and have invited my girlfriend to join us tonight for left overs. It did thicken up over night so I will add both a little more water as well as coconut milk..
    Great flavor and not too rich.

  5. Andrea says:

    This was the best soup I’ve ever made! Thank you!

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