Carrot & Parsnip Soup with Fresh Basil Recipe

This is a great fall and winter vegetable soup and be can made in about 45 minutes. It tastes great, warms you up and you're getting a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fiber. Parsnips can be normally found near the carrots at your grocery store and you can store them just like you would carrots. Frankly, I never cooked with parsnips until that last couple of years and I had them confused with turnips. They were not part of my family's dinner table growing up and from my informal survey most other families as well. So give them a try.

 

Carrot & Parsnip Soup with Fresh Basil

This soup makes a great starter to go with roasts and makes about 6 portions.

Carrot & Parsnip Soup with Fresh Basil
In Stock Pot combine:
	1 Sweet Onion Chopped
	1 Large Yellow-Fleshed Potato, peeled and chopped (Yukon Gold works)
	2 Cups Parsnips, peeled and chopped (3 to 4, about 10oz)
	4 Cups Carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/4 LBS)
	4 Cups/1 Liter Sodium Reduced Chicken Broth
	1/2 TSP Salt
	1/2 TSP Pepper
	1 Cup of Water
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cook covered for 25 minutes until vegetables are soft.
Blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender.
Add to simmering soup:
	2 TBSP of Salted Butter
	1 Cup of Milk
Stir in.  Simmer soup until needed.
Prior to serving add to finish soup:
	3 TBSP of freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2 a large lemon)
	3 TBSP of fresh chopped basil
Soup will last up to 3 days in the fridge.  When reheating consider adding more water to get to desired thinness.  Soup will continue to thicken.

Substitutions and Notes:

• The original soup recipe called for 10% or 18% cream in lieu of milk and butter.  I have made the soup both ways and I can't tell a difference.
• If you are feeling naughty you could add a dollup of sour cream when serving.  
• This recipe can be made hours ahead and reheated.  Just add the lemon juice and basil just prior to serving.  Also, the soup will also thicken with time.  Add more water to get to desired consistency.

Ingredients for Carrot & Parsnip with Fresh Basil

Step 1: Bringing the Vegetables to Boil

What I learned in making this soup:

• Parsnips sweeten as you cook them and work well in balance with carrots. They are easily peel-able and slightly softer than carrots to cut.
• The starches in the vegetables will cause the soup to thicken with time.  The soup can easily be thinned by adding water and stirring.  

Do you like Parsnips? Enjoyed the soup?  Please tell me what you think in the comments section below.