Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup
Butternut Squash and Parsnip Soup give a warm healthy glow to my “Meatless Monday” menu this week. This soup is not only tasty (with a little spicy kick from the ginger and garlic) but also helps to keep you healthy and warm on cold winter nights.
Parsnips and Butternut squash are packed with fiber, folate and potassium as well as vitamin C and E – important in promoting cardiovascular health, preventing arthritis and memory loss. Pass the soup please!
**See the full recipe in printable form at the bottom of this post…
Peeling and slicing the parsnip and the squash are the most time consuming and labor intensive part of this recipe – so not too tough.
Once you have the squash and parsnip peeled and chopped – just add it to the chicken broth and bring to a boil (don’t forget to add the two whole cloves of garlic – they will soften along with the squash). You can reduce the heat and let this boil for about 20 minutes while you sauté the shallot, ginger, garlic and sage. The squash and parsnip should be very tender.
Add the sauté mixture to the soft squash/parsnip mixture. Puree the mixture in batches in a high power blender. The Vitamix works very well but I also like the Ninja (using the smaller “bullet” canisters to get a more powerful blend for smoother soup).
Once you have blended all of the mixture together put it all back in your dutch oven to heat together for about 20-30 minutes and serve with sautéed cashews and a drizzle of heavy cream on top. You can also let the soup cool and store it in the fridge until you are ready to reheat and serve. I have also frozen this soup for use at a later date. Let it thaw in the fridge for a day before you reheat.
Stay tuned for the buttermilk biscuit recipe to add even more comfort to your cozy weeknight meal. OF course, a mixed spring greens salad is a great addition to this menu – make a simple vinaigrette dressing and a quick shaving of parmesan over the top and you have a terrific meal. Stay warm!
- One medium butternut squash, peel and remove seeds, chop into cubes
- 3 medium parsnips, peel and slice into 2" pieces
- 40 ounces organic chicken broth - for vegetarian option substitute vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (1 chopped and two whole)
- 4-5 large sage leaves + additional for garnish if desired
- ¼ cup cashews (optional) coarsely chop and saute in olive oil until brown
- ¼ cup heavy cream (optional)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add all of chicken broth, sliced parsnip and cubed squash with two whole cloves of garlic
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to boil until squash and parsnip are very tender, about 20 minutes
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet
- Add the shallot, ginger, sage leaves and the remaining chopped clove of garlic and saute until lightly browned, about 5 minutes
- Working in batches, use a blender to puree the squash, parsnip, broth and saute mixture until smooth.
- Transfer blended soup back to dutch oven
- Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and simmer over low heat another 20 minutes
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sautéed cashews and a drizzle of heavy cream
Kathy says
Yum! I was looking for a new soup recipe and I can’t wait to try this one!!
Pip says
I know you will put your own yummy spin on this. Let me know how you tweak it – I love to change it up whenever possible!
Thanks for reading!
Mary says
Great recipe! This would be fun to play with. I’ll bet it would be delicious with some curry and cardamom. If I wasn’t worried I’d eventually turn orange, I could live on butternut squash. 🙂
Pip says
Ooooh Excellent idea with the cardamom and curry! Butternut squash is such a great backdrop for so many fun flavors. I remember when Maddy ate so much butternut squash as a baby her nose turned orange!