Two delicious farm to table fall soup recipes, including a delicious Roasted Pear and Parsnip Soup and a warming Carrot, Apple and Ginger Soup.
Disclosure: Your Independent Grocer™ sponsors this post. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting brands that support Seasons and Suppers.
As part of the Food Lover Unite program with Your Independent Grocer™, I recently visited Dominion Farm Produce in Bradford, Ontario. Bradford is about a 90-minute drive due south from where I live, and sits in the middle of the growing area of Ontario, known as the Holland Marsh.
Dominion Farm Produce grows, packs and ships carrots, parsnips, onions and red beets for Your Independent Grocer™ stores in Ontario and Quebec.
On the day I visited, carrots were being prepared and packaged.
Below are some Farmer’s Market™ carrots on the shelves at my local Your Independent Grocer™ in Bracebridge, Ontario. Dominion Farm Produce General Manager Tony Tomizza showed me a package of their carrots with their own 50+ year, two-generation farm story on the back! They are just one of the many great farmers that supply Your Independent Grocer™ stores with local, fresh and quality produce.
After touring the produce packaging facility, we took a short drive out to a parsnip field. I was lucky enough to be able to bring these beautiful and fresh parsnips home with me, but it’s great to know that when I need more, I can find these same beautiful, local and fresh parsnips on the shelf at my local Your Independent Grocer™.
Thanks so much to Tony Tomizza from Dominion Farm Produce for taking the time to show me around at this busy time of year! It was wonderful to meet the farmer behind the produce I use every day in my kitchen.
Farm to Table Fall Soup: Two Ways
I came home from my visit to Dominion Farm Produce very well supplied with fresh carrots, parsnips and onions. I wanted to cook up some comforting and delicious Fall soups with them, so I created both a carrot and a parsnip soup.
My soup inspiration came from that old saying “If it grows together, it goes together”, so I combined some Fall fruit with my Fall root vegetables and was richly rewarded with two beautiful pots of soup.
Roasted Parsnip and Pear Soup – Parsnips make a beautiful soup and combining them with pears makes for the most surprisingly delicious soup! I highly recommend it, even for people who think they don’t like parsnips. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Don’t skip the garnishes. The goat cheese crumbles and finely chopped walnuts take this delicious soup over the top.
Carrot, Apple and Ginger Soup – Carrot soup is more familiar to most of us and for my version, I’ve combined carrot with a touch of apple and some warming ginger, for a lovely Fall soup. There isn’t a lot of apple in the soup. Just a touch, that you won’t obviously notice, but that adds a bit of a sweet note that goes very nicely with the warm ginger flavours.
You can roast the carrots if you like, for a little richer carrot flavour (use the same method for roasting as the parsnip soup), or simply cook them on the stovetop in the soup, as the recipe details. Either way, this is a simple, delicious Fall soup.
Roasted Parsnip and Pear Soup
Ingredients
Roasted Parsnips and Pears:
- 1 lb parsnips peeled and chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 medium pears peeled, cored and quartered
Soup:
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For garnish:
- Roasted parsnips
- Goat Cheese crumbles
- Chopped walnuts
- Sunflower or Pea sprouts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Peel the parsnips. Cut the parsnips in half across the middle, then cut thinner bottom piece in half lengthwise (unless really thin, in which case leave as is). Quarter the top part of the parsnips. Scatter onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel, core and quarter the pears.
- Remove parsnips from oven and flip parsnips over. Add the quartered pears. Return the parsnips and pears to the oven and roast another 15-20 minutes, or until parsnips are tender. *Timing will vary depending on the size of the parsnips. Keep an eye on them while in the oven. You want the parsnips to get a bit golden, but definitely not scorch. You may want to remove some of the smaller/thinner pieces early if they are golden enough before the larger pieces are tender. Remove from oven and transfer parsnips and pears to a bowl. *Set aside/reserve a few pieces of parsnip to use for garnish later, if you like.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped celery and onion and cook, stirring, about 3-4 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, dried thyme and the roasted parsnips and pears. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soap for 20-30 minutes to blend the flavours.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Taste the soup and then season well with salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.
- Serve soup garnished with roasted parsnips, goat cheese crumbles, chopped walnuts and sprouts.
Notes
Nutrition
Carrot, Apple and Ginger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 1 Tbsp ginger paste or 2 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 ribe celery diced
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 lb. carrots peeled and chopped
- 1/2 small apple peeled and shredded
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
For Garnish:
- Chopped Fresh Parsley
- Heavy cream drizzle
- Black sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion, ginger and celery and cook, stirring, for about 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the chicken broth, chopped carrots and shredded apple. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes, depending on how large they are.
- Once carrots are tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Taste soup and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley, a drizzle of heavy cream and black sesame seeds (optional).
Kristine Simmons says
Oh my goodness, amazing! I made the parsnip and pear soup last night, and without any adjustments it was perfect. As suggested the toppings are a must to bring this comforting soup to the next level. I am planning on making the carrot soup on friday so will keep you posted. This will most definitely be a part of my regular rotation. As we are just two, I have frozen the remainder in mason jars for quick lunch/weeknight meal additions.
Thank you for making the weeknight meals less daunting, and at the same time exciting. This definitely fits in with seasonal cooking choices for me.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Kristine! I really enjoy this soup and always return to it when I have parsnips on hand :) Thanks so much!
Kristine Simmons says
Also made the carrot soup this weekend ….delicious! Added some Za’atar and sour cream as toppings. Served it with apple, pancetta and cheddar flatbread. I did cheat and used naan bread which I already had on hand. Delicious and colourful meal, will definitely be a staple!
Will be making the bean and bacon soup tonight! My freezer has quite a soup collection starting, so my work week is going to be so simple with these options ready to go.
Thanks as always for providing such great ideas and motivation(pictures).
Chris Scheuer says
They both look gorgeous and sound so… delicious! These are my favorite kind of soups. And those carrots! They look fantastic!
Jennifer says
Thanks Chris and yes, I’ve never seen so many carrots all in one place :)
Sue says
I recently tried your Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup and it was absolutely delicious! Now I’ve got 2 more to try. Who knows – maybe hubby will decide he actually likes parsnips??!! 😀
Jennifer says
I really loved the parsnip soup and I don’t “love” parsnips (I don’t dislike them, just don’t love them). They have quite a nice flavour roasted and combined with the pears.
Fabienne says
Thank you for such wonderful recipes. I always loook forward to seeing what you are suggesting when your e-mail arrives! Do you have a suggestion as to the type of pear to use for the parsnip and pear soup?
Jennifer says
Hi Fabienne, I usually pick up whichever pears looks ripest, as they are often quite green on the shelf. I think I used Bartlett pears for this one. Bosc would be nice too, I think, though any pear that’s ripe (but still firm-ish) would work. Unless you have the time to let them ripen beforehand :)
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Love soup, especially this time of year and both of these look creamy, velvety and just DELISH! I’d have to try them both just to be sure which one I like best ;)
Jennifer says
Thanks Dawn :)
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Sounds like you had a great visit Jennifer. I absolutely love both soups! I will most definitely be adding to our winter soups menu.
Jennifer says
Thanks Mary Ann :)
Tricia B says
I want to try both recipes! I love soup this time of year and the fresh flavors you’ve combined here must be terrific. Pinned!
Jennifer says
Thanks Tricia!
Gillie says
What a nice day! Hmm, going to have to try the parsnip one when Himself is not around. Not his favourite veg! Both look delicious.
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Gillie :) He may even like this soup, even if he’s not usually a fan. It’s very mellow tasting.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
I am absolutely loving both of these soups – the flavor combinations sound delicious!!! And, I can only imagine how amazing they taste with farm fresh ingredients!! The only problem I’m having is which soup to try first! I want them both… preferably at once! YUM!!
Jennifer says
Thanks Cheyanne :)
annie@ciaochowbambina says
This post offers so much – but mostly comfort! I love everything about this! Pinned!
Jennifer says
Thanks Annie!
Leanne says
How lovely that you were able to visit a farm as part of this campaign! The soups you created look so fresh and comforting. I actually make a roasted pear and parsnip soup, and it’s one of my favourites. I need to try your carrot, apple and ginger soup. Sounds and looks delicious!
Jennifer says
Thanks Leanne and yes, it was a great day and loved seeing the process from field to store :)