Cozy Winter White Vegetable Soup with Fennel and Parsnips
I felt like crap the other day. I walked through the door achy, tired, spacey…just barely hanging on. Luckily, it’s the start of soup season and I had grabbed all the fennel I could at the store this week. I have been choreographing for a winter choir concert and Winter Wonderland was stuck in my head while preparing this cozy white vegetable soup. I felt better immediately and slept until noon the next day.
The flavors in this soup are very mild and subtle, which was perfect because I was so stuffy. When I went in for a reheat, I could taste the complexity of the vegetables. Don’t overlook your mild root veggies. They play so nice together.
When you want something nourishing but don’t have energy, let the oven do the work for you. You only need to get off of the couch twice: to transfer your veggies from the oven to your pot and to plate your soup. While all of the vegetables in this recipe have good doses of fiber and anti-inflammatory properties, the garlic is really the star of the show. Garlic is amazing for boosting your immune system and for combating certain bacterial enzymes, so don’t skimp.
Toppings
Toppings:
Toasted white beans - For this recipe, I saved a handful of the beans and toasted them on the baking sheet while the rest of the vegetables were simmering. They were like a perfectly puffed crouton. Don’t miss out on this step!
Fennel fronds - Save some of the fennel fronds (that’s the green, fluffy ends) and top your soup with this beautiful greenery. You can also use any leafy green herb such as parsley, chives, cilantro, or basil.
Chili oil - When you have a cold, some spicy chili oil can go a long way with opening up your stuffy head. Take a teaspoon and drizzle it over the top right before serving.
Sour cream - as this is a soup with very subtle flavors, adding a top note of sour can really brighten it up. Thin out your sour cream or Greek yogurt before serving, otherwise it will be very clumpy.
Cozy Winter White Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bulb of fennel
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 1 large parsnip
- 1 medium carrot or about 10 baby carrots
- 1 stalk of celery
- ½ white onion
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 1 can of great northern or butterbeans
- 4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- A drizzleable amount of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- *optional heavy cream or cottage cheese if you are not vegan.
- *optional chili oil to taste but trust me. The spicy is great for knocking out a head cold.
Instructions
- Oven temperature: Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Wash and rinse your vegetables. Remove the root and stem ends of your fennel, reserving some of the green fluff for garnish later. Peel away the top layer if it is brown and spotty. Chop your fennel along the widest part and cut into wedges. Chop the root and leaves off of your cauliflower. Using a paring knife to break apart the florets from the under side. Quarter your onion. Peel and chop your carrot and turnip along with the celery. Mince your rosemary.
- Place all of your chopped vegetables on a baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, half of your rosemary, salt, and pepper. Chop the top off of your garlic bulb and place root side down on a small-ish piece of tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil over the top and fold the foil around it, like a little ball. Place your garlic bulb in the center of your baking sheet and bake it all for 20 minutes. Remove just your cauliflower after 20 minutes and put the veggies back in for another ten, 30 minutes in total.
- Remove and unwrap your garlic bulb to cool. Toss all of your vegetables in a soup pot with your vegetable or chicken stock. Drain and dry your beans. Add all but a handful of your beans to the pot. Bring the pot up to medium-high heat until it begins to simmer.
- Dry your handful of beans and add it right back on your baking sheet along with your rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add just a touch of olive oil so it wont stick. Pop that back in the oven for about ten minutes while the soup boils.
- *if you want to add a bit of dairy, here is where you add your cream or cottage cheese. Using your immersion blender, blend your vegetables into the broth until it is super creamy. Remove it all from heat.
- Plate your soup into a bowl. Add your oven-puffed beans along with your fennel fluff from step 1. Add your chili oil and enjoy!
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My throat hurts and I want this soup right now! It looks delicious, nutritious and healing.
I would like it in a blue bowl too so it looks as beautiful as it does in the picture.