soup

spicy parsnip soup

servings
4

method

Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and garam masala. Gently fry for around 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and sweet.

Drop in the chopped parsnip and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Pour in the milk and stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.

After half an hour, check that the parsnips are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.

Serve with a sprinkling of sliced red chilli, a few coriander leaves if you like, and a good chunk of crusty bread.

Tip: Use coconut milk instead of regular milk for a twist.

ingredients

• olive oil
• knob of butter
• 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 6 parsnips, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 500ml milk
• 1 liter vegetable stock
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
• optional: a handful of fresh coriander leaves
• crusty bread, to serve

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tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by Max on Sat 19 May 2012 @ 15:53

This is awesome. I wanted dairy free, so nervously used rice milk. It works! It does not affect the taste, except to work wonderfully with it. It is gorgeous. Def even better with a little coriander ( which you can freeze btw)

2. by Jodie on Thu 19 Apr 2012 @ 19:28

Hi, i'm gonna give this a try, will use coconut milk and will substitute the butter too so my vegan hubby can have some. Sounds very tasty: can't wait to try it.

3. by glynis on Thu 19 Apr 2012 @ 11:40

this is the 2nd time i have made this soup and love it. my only complaint is the color as my asian friend made the garam masala and the soup turn out to be gray and nothing like the picture, never mind still tasted lovely.

4. by Sylvie on Sat 31 Mar 2012 @ 14:03

Your receipt for parsnip soup is absolutely Wonderful. So easy to make. Didn't measure anything and used semi skimmed as had no coconut milk. Have made loads to freeze individually. You're a fantastic inspiration Jamie! Used cummin as had no curry powder. Love Sylvie

5. by Ant on Mon 20 Feb 2012 @ 21:25

Can't wait to try this bad boy with my own home grown parsnips tomorrow! I may have to use more than 6 though as they are all shapes & sizes.

6. by Julie Jule on Sat 21 Jan 2012 @ 15:35

Amazing soup, lovely and warming. I used coconut milk (as suggestion on previous comment) added the chili to the soup and as no fresh ginger used 2 T.spoons ground , whch seemed to work ok. Served with fresh baked crusty rolls..... YUMMMY!!!!

7. by Ibizachic on Sat 07 Jan 2012 @ 14:20

Fantastic soup for a winter's day. I added chili during cooking to give it a bit more of a kick! Smooth and warming.

8. by Neil Goat on Fri 30 Dec 2011 @ 21:45

Excellent stuff.....threw in a few extras leftover in fridge, carrots/Chinese leaf/apples. V tasty. And served with a homemade soda bread. The ginger gives a lovely warm zing! Personally would add a little extra garam masala next time.

9. by Karen Rose on Thu 29 Dec 2011 @ 18:21

I have just made this soup with two leeks rather than a large onion and it had made it so much more creamy and therefore I used very little milk. Yummy!

10. by Liz on Sat 24 Dec 2011 @ 13:58

So.... does the red chili go in the soup itself, or is it just used as a garnish? Can anybody help with a quick pre-Christmas answer? :-)

11. by Nigella on Sun 18 Dec 2011 @ 17:01

Hi Jamie. Nigella here. This parsnip soup is yummy scrummy & very Christmasy wissmasy. Love you. xx

12. by daniella on Wed 30 Nov 2011 @ 16:54

just done this soup, GORGEOUS; been trying to find a decent parsnip soup for ages.. the one in the tins just arent the same as a homemade one, thankyou jamie:)

13. by Sarah on Wed 30 Nov 2011 @ 14:18

I just made this (minus the chili and coriander) and it is SO GOOD <3 mmm perfect winter soup :)

14. by cheryl on Sat 12 Nov 2011 @ 13:33

Would have liked a better indication of how much parsnip is needed. They do come in a very big range of different shapes, so a weight would have been more helpful than number of parsnips.

15. by Abi on Thu 10 Nov 2011 @ 18:43

Just made this and it has come out fantastic. Couldn't find my Garam Masala so instead used 3 quarters standard curry powder and 1 quarter cayenne pepper and paprika hot - also just added the chilli's to the soup instead of as garnish.

16. by nubster on Tue 18 Oct 2011 @ 18:05

my own parsnip soup rocks but f**k it i'll try this recipe tonight. it'd better be good jamie or there'll be a facebook page devoted to how my soup was better than yours

17. by pete on Mon 26 Sep 2011 @ 11:24

yummy yummy yumyy i got love in me tummy!

18. by Karen on Thu 08 Sep 2011 @ 22:20

Jamie , you are a legend!!!!!!!!!!!! xx

19. by HollyGoLucky on Sat 02 Jan 2010 @ 16:36

Just made this with my dads home grown parsnips, very delish!!
used baby leeks instead of the onion and used skimmed milk just to be extra healthy! and i only realized at the end i forgot to put the butter in, never mind.......
didn't have any chillii and i dont like corriander anyway and to be honest i dont think the soup needs them.
going to eat half and freeze half, thanks Jamie!! X

20. by shammrok on Thu 05 Nov 2009 @ 09:15

I made this recipe a while back with the little one simple and delicious, same recipe works well with pumpkin also.

21. by S Crane on Sun 11 Oct 2009 @ 00:29

Delicious! I used coconut milk and coconut fat instead of butter to make it dairy free, I also used a mild leek instead of onion, and made it with more water as we don't like very thick soups. The taste was really great, delicately spicy and delicately parsnipy, and very 'creamy' - though be careful with the chili strips on top, ours were small red thai chilis that were very firey, just coriander leaf is better - and a glass of red wine really does work well! I made a rocket, clementine and raw peanut salad as a side as well as the fresh homemade bread. Will definitely make again and would serve to guests too.

22. by Mark McK on Wed 22 Apr 2009 @ 18:12

Soup was loverly, but much of it ended up on my kitchen ceiling!
Wife arrived home early, so I decided to utilize the pressure cooker with disasterous results :(
What remained in the pot & not on the kitchen units, ceiling and floor, went down very well indeed with a few slices of multi-seed bread. Will definitely make this again, but in a normal por next time :)
Incidentally, I used Korma powder in lieu of garam masala of which I had none & finished with a topping of finely chopped fresh garden chives. Pukka!

23. by Laurie/Cindy on Thu 26 Mar 2009 @ 12:33

Absolutly fab, this soup has rocketed to the top of my favorite soups, recomend a very dry red wine to complement this deliciouse experience. Well done Jamie.

24. by Angela on Wed 04 Mar 2009 @ 19:25

I have just made this soup - even before adding some natural greek yogurt instead of milk (about half a small tub). It tasted fantastic so I may well try without the milk/yoghurt. However once this batch was whizzed up (with the yoghurt) it became frothy and wonderful what a delish soup yummy!!!!
My mind is racing now thinking what else I can do with parsnips!
thanks for a great recipe Jamie

25. by Romana on Sun 08 Feb 2009 @ 19:23

To Sally
Hi Sally,
I have just made the soup and used skimmed milk and it's absolutely stunning. So don't be afraid and go for it!!!

26. by Sally Godfrey on Sun 01 Feb 2009 @ 16:31

Hi
Am desperate to try this receipe as Parsnip soup is one of my faves..
Just wondered if anyone could advise whether it is ok to use semi skimmed milk or does it have to be full fat? Thanks very much

27. by Clover on Sat 31 Jan 2009 @ 13:38

This is really delicious. I usually make it once a week. I use reduced fat coconut milk and add some extra chili before blending. Very satisfying soup!!

28. by Adelaide on Mon 05 Jan 2009 @ 22:24

Hi Jamie I'm from Portugal and I like very much your tv programs, my name is Adelaide, and I would like ask you, if It's possible to translate you site to portuguese. You have a lot of people here in Portugal that loves you tv programs.

Best regards.

Adelaide.

29. by daniela on Mon 05 Jan 2009 @ 15:35

Hello, I am in gabiela got 12 years and I love your recipes and how well galley you, I also want to be very head of kitchen, we wanted you can tell us.
kisses

30. by john young on Wed 24 Dec 2008 @ 20:27

nice one fella, tried this one while er-indoors went shopping and the kids loved it ! just swapped the drizzle of oil 4 honey with the peppers and 2nd's was ordered !! thanks m8 jon from rotherham. oh yeah pass it on !!!

31. by Faye on Mon 22 Dec 2008 @ 19:33

Well I was going to make this on Xmas Day but tried before hand. Well what can I say Jamie................JUST WONDERFUL!!! I am just wondering who Carla is talking about...................Oh yes, it's that chef who is in the papers, well what can I say, not for his cooking............OOPS!!...Merry Christmas xxxx

32. by Rozy on Sat 20 Dec 2008 @ 20:24

I've just made this soup for dinner, and it is delicious! I found it extremely easy to make and very tasty, nourishing and soothing (I had two helpings!). I did introduce a small additional ingredient when I added the stock etc. This was a chunky bark of cinnamon which was removed before the soup was pureed. I recommend this as a simple supper or a starter during the festive period. Thank you Jamie!

33. by faye on Sat 20 Dec 2008 @ 09:36

Looks like a verrrry tasty soup for christmas day. Will let you know how I get on. You are the best...........Merry Christmas to you all x

34. by Rachel on Fri 19 Dec 2008 @ 03:23

Hi,

We loved this recipe. I did a half regular milk and half coconut milk variation, and the results were very pleasant and subtle!

Thank you for an awesome recipe. :)

35. by BlaZe on Thu 18 Dec 2008 @ 17:13

Wonderful. Didn't measure anything out - never do for soups, just adjust to taste. Only needed some inspiration, and this turned out to be perfect. The fresh ginger in particular is a nice touch.
Can't wait to try it with coconut milk.

I'll be planting even more parsnips next year... :-)

36. by Charlie k on Wed 17 Dec 2008 @ 13:52

if this tastes as good as your spicy chorizo from ministry of sound I will be very happy!! Thank you.

37. by sam robb on Wed 17 Dec 2008 @ 09:03

i have your book i love your cooking

38. by Mooosy on Tue 16 Dec 2008 @ 12:32

Sounds lovely. Especially as it's milk not cream (cheaper and lower fat!) Will definitely be making this come new year :)

39. by finley honeyball on Mon 15 Dec 2008 @ 18:26

me and my sister tried to copy it but by brain. it went a sik sou[ a new name will call it it was NASTY BY BRAIN.

TRING AGAIN BUT BY PRINTING AND COPING BY READING

LOVE YOU XXXXXXXX

40. by cara on Mon 15 Dec 2008 @ 11:46

i found this soup very tasteless and prefer gordon ramseys cooking.

41. by beth d on Tue 09 Dec 2008 @ 12:12

hello my granny makes this all the time on christmas day its amazing im helping her this year and i will be followin your method because it sounds so much easier than my granny thanks

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