A super tasty simple soup needs no adornment. But add something with crunch and complimentary taste and it makes it into a winner. This Parsnip Soup with Apple Salsa is the perfect combo of creamy almost sweet parsnip and fresh crunchy apple.
Parsnip Soup with Apple Salsa
Does anyone remember The Clangers, that funny sock-puppet kid’s programme from the 70s where words were whistles and everyone loved the Soup Dragon? Oh please tell me I’m not alone in this one?
Anyway, the point here is that these little characters lived on soup, I love soup and makes some sort of soupy concoction every week, this week it has been Parsnip Soup with Apple Salsa.
Actually, there is apple in the soup itself along with the parsnip which just makes it all even better.
Ingredients for parsnip soup
parsnips, onion and garlic are your base ingredients here. Then there is apple.
Spices and herbs
I’ve added some warmth with the aromatic spices of turmeric, cumin and ginger, which don’t just add to the flavour but make this soup really healthy too.
The addition of fresh sage gives a really earthy deep flavour that goes really well with the spices and gets picked up and brightened with the sweet and fruity apple salsa.
For the apple salsa
Red skinned eating apples look best against the creamy colour of the parsnip soup. But to be honest any eating apple will do the job here.
Garlic, sage, onion, some olive oil and salt and pepper are the only other ingredients you’ll need.
How to make parsnip soup
As with most of my soups you start by sauteing the onion and adding the garlic. Add the spices here too.
Then you toss in the other veggies. In this case, that’s the all-important parsnips.
Now add the stock (you can use vegetable stock or chicken, it’s up to you) and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add grated apple to the soup cook a further 5 minutes then blitz with stick blender till smooth and creamy.
For the apple salsa
Fry the onion and garlic with whole sage leaves. Crumble the sage leaves and toss everything together with the fresh diced apple.
Serve the soup topped by the fresh apple salsa.
Storage
This cream or parsnip soup will keep in the fridge for about 4 days in a sealed box. You can freeze parsnip soup too for up to 6 months.
Looking for more hearty soups to see you through the winter months? Then check these out before you go;
Rich and creamy garlic mushroom soup
Quick and easy tomato and mascarpone soup
Curried cauliflower potato and kale soup
Spiced carrot and cauliflower soup
Traditional 5 ingredient Scottish cock-a-leekie soup
Scottish classic Cullen Skink soup
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Parsnip Soup With Fresh Apple Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ginger grated fresh ginger or ground if no fresh available
- 4 parsnips peeled and chopped
- 600 ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 tsp sage chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 apple grated apple including the skin
- salt and pepper to taste
apple salsa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp onion minced
- 1 clove garllic minced
- 2 sage leaves
- 1/2 apple diced with skin on
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sweat the onion and garlic in a soup pan along with the spices in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes
- Add the parsnips and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken stick and sage and simmer for 20 minutes
- Add the apple and cook for a further 5 minutes before whizzing with a stick blender till smooth and season to taste.
making apple salsa
- Fry the onion and garlic along with the whole sage leaves
- Crumble the sage leaves, add the chopped apple and stir to combine
- Season to taste
- Serve the soup with a spoonful of the salsa on top.
Have often made spicy parsnip soup, it’s one of our favourites, but never added sage. Will try that addition next time. Of course we remember the Clangers, a brilliant programme, and I confess we were not children at the time!!
With love, Ann xx
Great to hear you are a Clangers fan Ann! Sage really lifts this soup. Give it a go.
K x
Loved the apple salsa.
Thanks, it really lifts this soup and makes it a bit special.
K x