A comforting blend of root vegetables and spices, this Potato, Parsnip and Leek soup is topped with herbs and crispy fried mushrooms.
If you’re in the mood for a hearty and warming blend of vegetables, spices, and herbs this fall and winter season, then this is the soup to try. While I’ve only used this set of vegetables, this soup would also work with any combination of potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and onions, for example. That’s what I love about making soups– they allow so much room for playing around and are very hard to mess up! The most important thing is to taste the soup once it’s blended, but still in the blender so that you can still add additional heat or salt/pepper to it before serving.
This soup can also be stored in an airtight container (I’m a big fan of these silicone Souper cubes— not an ad!) and frozen for later use!
Garnishes for Potato, Parsnip and Leek Soup
What’s great about this combination of vegetables is that they go well with tons of garnishes. In this version, I crisped up some thin slices of shiitake mushrooms as a topping and added a drizzle of olive oil and chopped dill and parsley. But you can use whatever you have on hand or be creative! Some suggestions include other green herbs, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds or a dollop of your favorite hot sauce. The possibilities are endless!
Potato, parsnip and leek soup
Ingredients
- 3 leeks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 4 potatoes (or 3 if using large potatoes), peeled and diced
- 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or beef)
- 1-2 tbsp rice vinegar (or any type)
Optional Garnishes
- 2-4 shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch dill
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Trim leeks (discard the bright green portions) and wash and finely slice the remaining white/pale green parts.
- In large stovetop pot, add olive oil and set to medium-medium high heat. Once warm, add leeks and stir every two minutes or so to make sure leeks don't brown too quickly. Cook until wilted and softened, about 10 minutes.
- Once leeks have cooked down, peel and grate garlic cloves into the pot. Stir and let cook for about one minute.
- Add all the spices to the soup and stir for 30 seconds so that the spices get a little toasted in the garlic/leek mixture .
- Add 1 cup of water to the pot.
- Peel potatoes and parsnips and chop into roughly 1-inch pieces. Add them into the pot.
- Add stock to the pot. Once the soup reaches its boiling pot, adjust the heat to low and cover for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes and parsnips are fork tender.
- Once the vegetables are cooked, carefully transfer the soup into a blender and add the vinegar. Blend until smooth and taste. Add additional pepper, salt, or vinegar depending on your tastes.
Optional Garnishes
- Heat olive oil to medium in a sauté pan. Thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms and once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms in one layer. Let cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. Flip them and let cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until crispy. Remove slices to a paper towel.
- Chop the dill and parsley and add to each serving of soup along with the crispy mushrooms. You can add an additional drizzle of olive oil as well as roasted sunflower seeds to the soup.