A lot of times when I am menu planning for the given week, my inspiration is what is currently in my fridge. I don't think there's anything I hate more than wasting food, so if I see that something needs to be used soon otherwise it will be trash, I come up with a dish around that ingredient.

With that said, today's item was this huge beautiful Parsnip I had. I like parsnips, but the flavor alone is not something I am obsessed with. I have made "Parsnip French Fries" before and honestly, I just was not a fan of the taste. So usually when I cook with parsnips, I'll pair them with something else (I've done a Cauliflower Parsnip Mash, I've used Parsnips in various Purees like a Celery Root Puree....). So today I decided I wanted a nice warm soup for this cold NYC weather.

I love Potato Soup especially when it's flavored with either bacon or pancetta. So I snuck my little parsnip friend in there too and this came out great - just the right amount of parsnip flavoring!

Potato & Parsnip Soup

Prep Time
5 Minutes
Cook Time
30 Minutes
Total Time
35 Minutes
Yield
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 6 Slices Bacon
  • 10 oz small dice Parsnips (peeled)
  • 1 small dice Onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 lbs small dice Potatoes (peeled)
  • 4 chopped roughly Garlic Cloves
  • 1/4 tsps White Pepper
  • Pinch Nutmeg
  • 1 tsps Thyme (leaves only)
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 2 sliced thin on a bias Scallions
  • 2 T Sunflower Seeds
  • 3 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

Directions

  • In a large soup pot, heat over medium high heat and add your bacon (whole). Cook til cripsy and remove from pot to cutting board. Dump out all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot and add in your butter.
  • Once the butter has melted, add in your parsnips, onion, potatoes, garlic, white pepper and nutmeg, and cook over a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently so as not to burn.
  • Add in your thyme, bay leaf and 3 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until your potatoes and parsnip are completely fork tender. Remove bay leaf. Blend with an immersion blender. Stir in heavy cream and bacon and heat through 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and white pepper. Serve garnished with scallions and sunflower seeds.