Roasted Pear Parsnip Soup with Rosemary-Balsamic Caramelized Pears

Becky and I are teaming up again.  For October, our theme was Soups, Stews, and Chili.  Check out her Red Wok Chili.  I can’t wait to try it.

I’m a girl who likes soup and salad.  I like all kinds of soup and all kinds of salad.  With Fall arriving, I’ve been excited to start coming up with new soup recipes again.  This is actually a recipe I made in the Winter, where it first appeared on Foodie.com.

The Roasted Pear-Parsnip Soup seems fancy.  It’s not, but I love that it looks like it is.  I’m a big fan of pureed soups, particularly made from roasted veggies.  Parsnips are perfect with pears.  Both are pretty sweet anyway, but when roasted those sugars caramelize and turn into something even more fantastic.

See what I mean?!  I love all that great color from roasting.

The caramelized pears for the top were sort of an afterthought, but I’m glad I didn’t leave them out.  They are just as good as the soup and together…it’s perfect.  You can also make the pears on their own and toss them into a salad.  The salad in the first picture was just a simple mixed greens salad with pecans and a mustard vinaigrette.

Roasted Pear Parsnip Soup with Rosemary-Balsamic Caramelized Pears

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A sweet, flavorful soup made from roasted pears and parsnips with a touch of rosemary and balsamic vinegar.

• Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• For soup:
• 2 Large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
• 2–3 pears, peeled and cored, cut into 1” cubes
• small or medium onion, diced
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil for drizzling
• 2–3 cup vegetable broth, plus more for thinning the soup
• 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice (optional)
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• salt and pepper
• For caramelized pears:
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1–2 pears, peeled and cored, cut into 1/2” dice
• 1–2 tsp cane sugar
• splash of white balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• dash of salt

Instructions

1. For soup: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Toss parsnips, pears and onions with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the pears and parsnips are very soft and have turned golden.
3. Place the pears, parsnips and onions into a 3 quart pot. Add the vegetable broth, rice, if using, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove the thyme sprig and pick off any leaves that remain. Transfer soup to a blender and carefully puree, adding any extra vegetable broth as needed for a smooth puree. Or use an immersion blender in the pan to puree the soup.
5. Pour soup back into the pot and taste. Adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.
6. To serve, ladle into bowls and top with some of the caramelized pears.
7. For caramelized pears: Heat olive oil in a small non-stick skillet. Add the pears and cane sugar. Sautee until the pears start to caramelize and turn golden. Add the rosemary, vanilla, and dash of salt. Continue cooking until very golden in color. Remove from heat and add a splash of white balsamic vinegar. Keep warm until ready to use.

Notes

*The rice will add a richness and creaminess to the soup as a non-dairy alternative to cream. One cup of rice milk can be used in place of the rice and some of the vegetable broth, or ½ cup heavy cream may also be used.

• Author: Lindsey Johnson
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Soup, main
• Cuisine: American

This would also be a great first course for a dinner party, followed by roasted chicken or pork.  The holidays are approaching.  I’m always thinking of menu ideas and this has “holiday” written all over it.

Pear Parsnip Soup

original recipe

Ingredients:

For soup:

2 Large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
2-3 pears, peeled and cored, cut into 1″ cubes
small or medium onion, diced
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper
olive oil for drizzling
2-3 cup vegetable broth, plus more for thinning the soup
1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice (optional)
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt and pepper

For caramelized pears:

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 pears, peeled and cored, cut into 1/2″ dice
1-2 tsp cane sugar
splash of white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
dash of salt

Instructions:

For soup:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss parsnips, pears and onions with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the pears and parsnips are very soft and have turned golden.

Place the pears, parsnips and onions into a 3 quart pot. Add the vegetable broth, rice, if using, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove the thyme sprig and pick off any leaves that remain. Transfer soup to a blender and carefully puree, adding any extra vegetable broth as needed for a smooth puree. Or use an immersion blender in the pan to puree the soup.

Pour soup back into the pot and taste. Adjust salt and pepper, if necessary.

To serve, ladle into bowls and top with some of the caramelized pears.

For caramelized pears:

Heat olive oil in a small non-stick skillet. Add the pears and cane sugar. Sautee until the pears start to caramelize and turn golden. Add the rosemary, vanilla, and dash of salt. Continue cooking until very golden in color. Remove from heat and add a splash of white balsamic vinegar. Keep warm until ready to use.

*The rice will add a richness and creaminess to the soup as a non-dairy alternative to cream. One cup of rice milk can be used in place of the rice and some of the vegetable broth, or ½ cup heavy cream may also be used.