healthy parsnip & carrot soup with chef peanut

Peanut shows you how to make a delicious and super healthy parsnip & carrot soup with a ginger jalapeño base. It’s a Sunday Funday in Peanut’s kitchen, so good wine and pajamas are definitely in the mix!

As for a few health benefits, parsnips contain folate & fiber. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A and carotenoids which are great for the eyes, skin, & nails.

PARSNIP & CARROT SOUP with a GINGER JALAPEÑO BASE

-2 T. good quality extra virgin olive oil
-2 crushed or finely chopped cloves of garlic
-1 sliced jalapeño
-2 T. freshly grated ginger
-5-6 long carrots (peeled, roughly chopped)
-5-6 parsnips (peeled, roughly chopped)
-6 C. vegetable stock or broth
-fresh cream (optional)
-light brown sugar (optional)
-freshly chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic, jalapeño & grated ginger. Sauté on medium low heat until aroma is apparent. Add carrots & parsnips and stir coating root vegetables with olive oil and base ingredients. Add vegetable stock to cover carrots & parsnips about 2 inches. Bring to a low simmer and cook 25-35 minutes until vegetables are softened. Puree soup with a blender or hand held immersion blender. Add stock or cream if soup needs a lighter consistency. (Let soup simmer on low, stirring occasionally, if consistency is too thin). Garnish a bowl of soup with a teaspoon of light brown sugar, chopped parsley, and a dollop of sour cream. Buon Apetito!

Variation: Use roughly chopped butternut squash in place of carrots & parsnips. (butternut squash has similar health benefits to carrots!)