Preheat oven to 425F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted) 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
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card, where I share more detailedtips, variations and substitution suggestions for this recipe!