Roasted Carrot, Parsnip and Potato Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to peel parsnips before roasting? ›

How to prepare parsnips. Young, small parsnips don't really need peeling – just scrub clean and serve whole. Older parsnips should be peeled very thinly with a peeler or sharp knife, then chopped into evenly sized chunks. If the central core is very fibrous, this should be cut away.

Roasting Tips

Parboiling skin-on carrots and parsnips lets you soften them without them losing too much moisture.

Carrots and parsnips are similarly hearty, which means it's easy to put them together on a sheet tray, set the timer, and know that they'll cook at the same rate and come out equally delicious. Here, they're dressed simply with equal parts olive oil and butter, plus sugar, salt, and pepper.

While raw vegetables can often taste bitter, roasting them means that the dry heat of the oven helps caramelise the natural sugars within, resulting in the incredible sweet flavour of roasted carrots and parsnips.

Store in the refrigerator in an unsealed bag for 3+ weeks. If a raw parsnip becomes soft and squishy, this is a sign of rot and it should no longer be eaten. For better flavor, cook the parsnip with the skin on—after cooking, you have the option to eat the skin or not!

What sets parsnips apart is their low-calorie content and high fiber, making them an excellent alternative to starchy vegetables like potatoes. In fact, for two centuries, parsnips were the primary source of dietary starch in the US before potatoes took over. But there's more to parsnips than just nutrition.

Cooking instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the carrots and parsnips and toss to coat in the oil. Add the thyme, cinnamon, star anise and some seasoning. Cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, turning the vegetables frequently, until golden brown and almost cooked through.

Do carrots and potatoes take the same amount of time to cook? Adjusting for chunk size, most root vegetables cook in boiling water in about 20–25 minutes, so yes about the same time. Baked it would be different if you are comparing whole potatoes to whole carrots because of the size difference.

Like most root vegetables, parsnips are filled with a rich history rooted in peasant food. They are more expensive to grow, harvest (the tops are cut by hand) and pack, which is why the parsnip is a bit more expensive than its orange twin, the carrot.

What do parsnips taste like in soup? ›

Parsnips have a sweeter, licorice-like taste with a hint of spice to them, as opposed to the carrot's sweetness that is more reminiscent of other types of winter squash. Turnips are another root vegetable that is often compared to parsnips, but the two are from completely different families.

Parsnips offer a moderate amount of vitamin K, providing approximately 17% of the recommended daily intake per 100 grams. Carrots, on the other hand, have a lower vitamin K content, with around 2% of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin K is essential for proper blood clotting, helping to prevent excessive bleeding.

I recommend peeling parsnips before adding them to recipes like this parsnip soup. If you don't peel them, you'll likely be adding a bitter taste to the soup. Why is my parsnip soup bitter? If you leave the peels on the parsnip, it can cause your soup to taste bitter.

However, if parsnips have been allowed to grow too big or remain too long in storage, they tend to get woodier and bitter. Thus, it is recommended that larger parsnips be peeled and that the “woody” core in the middle be cut out before preparing.

The cons of root vegetables

For example, there are 37 grams of carbs in a baked russet potato, and 24 grams in a medium baked sweet potato. Fung warns that if you eat more carbs than your body needs, it will store them as fat, leading to weight gain. Eating too many carbs in one sitting can spike your blood sugar.

Peeling isn't really necessary for many fruits and veggies, and in fact, can contribute to the food waste problem, adding to landfills and compost bins. In our opinion, mini/young parsnips don't need peeling, unless you really don't want to scrub them, depending on the recipe you're going for.

Parsnip: Cut off the top and wash parsnips before using. If you are going to consume a large amount of parsnips then you should peel them. Parsnips contain a group of natural toxins called furocoumarins which can cause stomach aches if consumed in large quantities.

Like potatoes, parsnips will brown after they have been cut, peeled or exposed to the air for too long. If you are preparing parsnips ahead of time, place them in water after peeling or sprinkle them with water and a few drops of lemon juice to keep them from discolouring.