Lately, I’ve started my waste-free series with recipes that take the most out of the ingredients and their nutritional value whilst saving you money.
This parsnip and celeriac soup is definitely one of those recipes taking humble, accessible ingredients a step further! The mix of root vegetables combined with the freshness of the apple does wonders! Topped with a bacon walnut crumble, this is, without exaggerating, a restaurant-worth starter everyone in your family will like. If you want to make it vegan, take the bacon out of the equation, and that’s it! Simple as that!
Which ingredients do I need for this celeriac soup recipe?
Yellow onion: Yellow onion is always a great soup base that adds something magical to the taste and texture. It is one of the essential ingredients I can’t imagine a soup recipe without!
Celeriac: Next to carrots, it is one of the most accessible root vegetables I always have in my fridge. In Croatia, it is a base for countless recipes but not so much used as a main ingredient in a dish. Honestly, I’m not sure why because it provides a fantastic texture and exciting nutty, celery-like taste that works exceptionally well with meat-based dishes. Even though it has a rather ugly-looking peel, it is still edible, so there is no need to peel it. Still, if your celeriac has a very thick, gnarled peel, which is hard to wash properly, I suggest you peel it anyway.
Parsnip: If you are unfamiliar with parsnips, let me tell you something about this unique root vegetable. It comes from the same family as carrots and celery, which is unsurprising considering it looks almost the same as carrots but pale in colour.
It has such a unique flavour that is quite hard to describe; you get hints of sweet, peppery and liquorice all at once.
Like carrots and celeriac (sometimes), you don’t have to peel it, especially when blended, as for this soup recipe. This way, you will get more fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they provide. Read more about peeling vegetables in my story on how to keep nutrients in fruits and vegetables.
Apples: Even though they are not essential, I like adding apples to this celeriac and parsnip soup. I’m using my favourite Fuji apples, but any apple variety that is on the sweet side will work. They add pleasant sweetness and freshness to this recipe.
Oat milk: Oat milk goes in right at the end when blending the soup to make it even creamier. It has a nutty, slightly sweet taste that blends perfectly with the rest of the ingredients and keeps this soup lactose-free and vegan.
If you are not a big fan of oat milk but still want to keep the labels, choose another plant-based milk like almond milk.
When buying oat milk, check the ingredients list and pick the brand with the highest percentage of oats. Also, pay attention to the rest of the ingredients; I like to choose the one with only water, salt and a little bit of oil added.
Nutmeg: I couldn’t imagine any other spice that goes so well with celeriac and apple than nutmeg. But what is nutmeg, actually? It is a seed from an evergreen tree native to Indonesia which is first dried in the sun and then separated from the outer seed coat.
It can be found whole or ground, but if you want to get the most out of it, buy it whole and freshly grate it when needed. This way, you will preserve its aromas for so much longer!
If you want to get it very fine, use a microplane, but a regular grater will give a satisfying result too. The story about nutmeg is an incredibly interesting one, and if you want to learn more, this might interest you.
How to make this parsnip and celeriac soup
It doesn’t get much easier than this parsnip and celeriac soup when it comes down to cooking it. Start by preparing all the necessary ingredients, making the process much quicker and smoother.
Cut the top of the onion. Cut it in half by going through the roots. Peel the skin off and cut the root end off. Slice the onion by following its parallel lines. Even though you can use other methods to slice an onion, this is by far my favourite option.
As for the rest of the ingredients, celeriac, apples and parsnips, make sure to wash them thoroughly. They all have edible skin, so no peeling is essential. Cut them all into even-sized cubes (approximately 2,5 cm thick), allowing them to cook in the same timeframe.
Begin with sweating the onion slices with olive oil to give this parsnip and celeriac soup a deeper flavour. Salt them lightly to encourage the release of water and speed up the cooking. You don’t have to cook them until soft because they will continue cooking as a part of the soup. Only about 3-4 minutes will be enough to encourage the sweetness of the onion. Then, stir the rest of the ingredients in and cook for a minute or two. Grate the nutmeg, cover everything with water and lightly salt it. Instead of water, you can also use vegetable stock which will add even more flavour to this warming celeriac soup. Check out my simple vegetable stock recipe here.
Cook the soup covered on a light simmer for 15-20 minutes. Pierce through parsnip and celeriac to ensure they are thoroughly cooked. There should be little to no resistance. When all the veggies are cooked, it is time to blend the soup.
Transfer the soup to the stand blender and mix on high speed until an even consistency is reached. It will take only about 30 seconds. Lastly, add the oat milk and blend for another few seconds until well combined.
Using the ratio provided in this recipe, you will get the perfect thickness of the soup, and no liquid will be discarded. This way, you will preserve most nutrients that might have leached into the cooking water. Even so, no flavour will be lost.
Let’s make the bacon walnut crumble
This creamy celeriac soup is fantastic on its own, but adding this simple bacon walnut crumble on top, makes it even better.
You will need bacon, whole walnuts, and celeriac leaves to make this topping that will contrast perfectly with the pleasant sweetness of this celeriac and parsnip soup.
Start by toasting whole walnuts on a dry pan for two to three minutes until lightly golden. Stir them continuously not to let them burn. Toasting them will enhance their nutty flavour. Leave them on the side while you slice bacon.
In the same pan, sear the bacon slices until they become translucent and slightly browned. Roughly chop the walnuts and repeat the same for bacon slices.
Wash celery leaves under running water. Pick them, then stack them one on top of the other, roll and thinly slice them.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over the soup.
You can use this topping for various other applications, from other different soups to spreads or side dishes. If you don’t have walnuts, you can use any other nut, such as hazelnuts or almonds.
