Roasted Parsnip Soup

I love parsnips and know my time to eat them is slipping away with the cool weather. So a few weeks ago, while having dinner with some friends at Paprika, a local favorite in NYC’s east village, I had to order the parsnip soup. It was amazing – smooth and creamy without being thick and heavy, a little salty with a touch of tang.

The next morning while searching the local farmer’s market for an ostrich egg (more on that later), I came across a beautiful basket of parsnips. Having way too much on my to-do list I passed them by, concentrating on the task at hand. Long story short, after an hour of searching, I left the farmer’s market with no ostrich egg and a bag full of parsnips.

I tried to recreate the Paprika soup. It was close, but something is missing. Anyway, it was still very tasty. Here’s what I did:

Ingredients

• 6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 cups nonfat milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover large baking sheet with non stick cooking spray and scatter the parsnips onto sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Roast in oven for 30-40 minutes until the parsnips give when poked with a knife.
• In the meantime, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a 6 quart saucepan. Add onions and cook until soft, approximately five minutes.
• Add the roasted parsnips to the onion and stir until combined.
• Pour the chicken stock into the saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
• Using a handheld blender, puree until the mixture thickens. Add 1/2 cup of milk and blend. Whisk in remaining milk, one-fourth cup at a time – stirring until the milk is fully absorbed after each addition.
• Simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Notes: I topped this soup with a dollop of goat cheese, chopped parsley and lemon zest. You could use sour cream or creme fraiche, but always top with the lemon zest. It adds such a nice, tangy surprise to the soup.

What you’ll need: A baking sheet, a 6 qt. saucepan, a whisk, and a handheld blender. If you’re using a counter top blender or a food processor, puree in batches so you don’t end up with a huge mess and the soup reaches the right consistency.

What you should know: This recipe serves six with 180 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 7 grams of fiber per serving. A one cup serving is 2 WW points.