Vegetarian and vegan-friendly Potato, Parsnip and Garlic Soup

There are so many glorious soups out there that vegetarians and even vegans with a more restricted diet can enjoy.

Try this thick and hearty potato, parsnip and garlic soup. It’s full of warming goodness and does not contain any animal products or by-products.

Although a swirl of plain yoghurt enhances the soup, it is just as tasty without this. Alternately, you can look for a vegan version of yoghurt.

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Potato, Parsnip and Garlic Vegetarian Soup

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Recipe by Irene Muller Course: LunchCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• 600 g parsnips (1-2 large or 3-4 small)

• 600 g sweet potato (1 large or 2 small to medium)

• 2 medium garlic bulbs

• 1 brown onion finely diced

• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder

• 1 carrot, grated

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

• 3 cups vegetable stock

• 1 can can coconut milk

• 1/2 cup red lentils (you can use tinned lentils, just adjust your cooking time accordingly)

• 3 cups water

• olive oil for cooking

• sea salt and pepper

• Toppings:

• 2 small parsnips, thinly peeled

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt (optional, and vegans may add coconut yoghurt)

Method

• Place the red lentils into a medium pot with the water, bring up to a boil on medium heat with lid slightly ajar. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until tender, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Add more water if needed to prevent the bottom of the pan burning. If you are using tinned lentils, then you can skip this step.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C
• Peel and dice the parsnips and sweet potato into roughly 4cm cubes. Place on 2 large baking trays ensuring there is room to cook evenly. Slice the garlic bulbs in half, leave the outside skin on, and place on the baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and toss the tray to coat the cubes evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through and lightly golden brown. Remove and allow to cool enough to squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins.

  • 

• Add the diced onion to a large heavy-based soup pot with a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté until the onions become transparent.
• Add ground coriander and freshly grated ginger and stir for a couple of minutes.
• Add the ground turmeric, stock, coconut milk, grated carrot, roasted vegetables and the roasted cloves of garlic (scooped out of their skins). Stir well to combine, place a lid on slightly ajar and bring it to simmer. Once simmering, add the lentils and cook for a further 30 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes to prevent the base from burning. Add a little extra stock or water if the soup becomes too thick.
• While the oven is still hot, peel the smaller parsnips into whole strips to make the topping chips. Toss them in a good drizzle of olive oil to coat and place on a large baking tray. Gently twist and curl the parsnips so they cook in that shape. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until they just become crispy and start to brown. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning.
• Once the soup is cooked allow to cool slightly before blending with a stick blender or a stand blender. Season to taste, as stock can be salty it is best to taste before adding any extra salt.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Serve with yoghurt (or vegan-friendly alternative) swirled through, and a handful of crispy parsnip chips sprinkled over. 

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