Spicy Carrot and Parsnip Soup Recipe

A Delicious Low-Fat Winter Warmer

Jan 21, 2009 Elizabeth Gregory

Comfort food needn't be fattening - this delicious soup is very healthy and incredibly simple to make. Suitable for vegetarians.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a generous main course. This recipe, as well as being delicious, is a useful way of using up slightly tired vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 4 medium parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 large, mild red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1 litre vegetable stock (made up from a stock cube is fine)
  • drizzle olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • fresh coriander, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. All the vegetables (except the chilli) need only be quite roughly chopped, as the soup will be blended later. Add the sugar, the chilli, and the balsamic vinegar and fry gently for about 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare the root vegetables by peeling and chopping the carrots and the parsnips. Add them to the saucepan along with the hot stock.
  3. Grate the ginger into the saucepan, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  4. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for around 30 minutes or until the vegetables are really soft when you stick a knife into one of the pieces.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat ready for blending. If you have a food mixer, then carefully pour the contents of the pan into the jug attachment and blend for around 30 seconds until the soup reaches a smooth, fairly thick, consistency. You can add more hot stock at this stage if you would prefer a thinner soup. You can also use a hand-held blender, but you may have to puree the soup in batches to prevent it decorating the walls of your kitchen!
  6. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. If using the fresh coriander, stir a little into the soup just before serving.
  7. The soup is fairly substantial, but serve with bread and butter if you want to make a more filling meal.

Variations: the soup works well with any root vegetables - you could try carrot with sweet potato, or parsnip with swede. If you prefer a chunky soup, then reserve some of the chopped cooked vegetables when blending the soup, and add them back in at the end. For a more substantial, non-vegetarian meal you can also add small, boneless pieces of chicken - cook these in the stock along with the vegetables, remove before blending, then add to the soup again before serving.

The copyright of the article Spicy Carrot and Parsnip Soup Recipe in Healthy Cooking is owned by Elizabeth Gregory. Permission to republish Spicy Carrot and Parsnip Soup Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Comments

May 16, 2009 7:42 AM
Guest :
Really nice, I've made this soup a couple of times since because I love that it uses seasonal veg. I simply added the juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon to the veg, whilst it was cooking, to give the finished product a bit of zing. I then served with naan breads and pappadoms, to give it a bit of an Indian twist!
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