Sometimes when my dog gets SUPER excited, she tinkles a ‘lil. I’m pretty sure my son does the same (he is still in diapers so it’s socially ok). And when fall season approaches and my Pinterest feed is flooded with pumpkins/apple cider/fall-inspired goodies, admittedly I tinkle a ‘lil too. But that also could be in part from having a baby a year ago. Gaaaah, sorry TMI (moms you know what I’m talkin ‘bout).
I love a warm bowl of soup on a crisp fall day. I also love panty-liners (they are clutch sometimes). Ok seriously I’m done. Please still be my friend.
Back to the soup. I am a sucker for comfort-food style soup in the fall. Totally makes me want to wear my sweatpants and lounge around the house with my big mug of soup in hand. And by sweatpants I mean “I wore these in high school” ratty old sweats. Not like my Pinterest feed of women in cashmere leggings with beautiful plaid infinity scarves and big hoop earrings. Trashy is the new classy, mmmmk?
SOUP. Ok focus. This parsnip leek butternut squash soup is decadent. It tastes like it should be really naughty because it’s thick, creamy, and boasts a ton of flavor. Luckily, it’s guilt-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious. But the best part? It is crazy easy to make.
You won’t believe this bowl of goodness is made up of only four main ingredients. And it ain’t your typical butternut squash soup. The roasted parsnips and sautéed leeks give such a complex sweetness without being overbearing. You could just use the veggies and chicken (or vegetable) broth and it would be an A++ meal. But just for kicks, I added a few spices. You could substitute any of my spice choices or none at all. I guarantee the soup will still taste heavenly.
To start, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Wash and chop three parsnips and one medium butternut squash (smaller 2-3 inch pieces for the butternut squash and halved or quartered chunks for the parsnips). Coat generously with olive oil, spread on to a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Set your timer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop the leek and garlic cloves. Set a large saucepan to medium/high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Sauté the leeks and garlic until leeks are fragrant and translucent, being careful not to burn. Set aside.
At the 20-minute mark, take squash and parsnips out of the oven. If the parsnips are soft, remove from the baking sheet and place the butternut squash back to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. If parsnips are not yet soft, place them back in to the oven and adjust time accordingly. The butternut squash will roast a total of around 45 minutes.
Once the vegetables are roasted and leeks are sautéed, throw everything in a large blender or food processor. Add 4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make a vegan soup), 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon dried sage, and a dash of salt to taste. Blend for a few minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
Serve alone or add some crumbled bacon to the top for garnish. This soup makes wonderful leftovers and also freezes well.
So celebrate your love of fall with this amazing guilt-free soup. It’s so good, you may even pee your (sweat)pants!!
Time Saver Tip
Chop and dice all the vegetables a day or two before making the soup and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you are ready to make the soup, throw in the oven to roast, sauté the leeks, and then blend. Minimal work for a maximum-flavor soup!
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 3 large parsnips
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 leek stalk
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- dash of salt
- optional bacon bits to garnish
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Wash and chop parsnips and butternut squash into small chunks.
- Coat generously with olive oil, spread on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Set your timer for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, finely chop the leek and garlic cloves.
- Set a large saucepan to medium/high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Sauté the leeks and garlic until leeks are fragrant and translucent, being careful not to burn. Set aside.
- At the 20-minute mark take squash and parsnips out of the oven. If the parsnips are soft, remove from the baking pan and place the butternut squash back to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. If parsnips are not yet soft, place them back in to the oven and adjust time accordingly. The butternut squash will roast a total of around 45 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are roasted and leeks are sautéed, throw everything in a large blender or food processor. Add 4 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegan), 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon dried sage and a dash of salt to taste. Blend for a few minutes, or until smooth and creamy.
- Serve alone or add some crumbled bacon to the top for garnish. This soup makes wonderful leftovers and also freezes well.
Love parsnips..cannot wait to try looks amazing!
I think this might be a new fav for you!
YUM! I’m totally trying this. Looks delicious.
I hope you love it Hera!
Oooh! I’m pinning this one! 🙂
YAY! Thank you!
This soup looks delicious! Pinning!
Thank you Joy! It really is pretty amazing. I hope you agree when you taste it!
Hey, Chrissa! This sounds delicious! I love butternut squash soup once fall arrives, but I’ve never thought to add leeks or parsnips. Pinned!
So glad that I found your blog. Looking forward to following you! 🙂
Thanks Blair! I appreciate your support!
Wow this looks great!!!
Thank you Hayli!
This soup looks really good and it just screams fall. It doesn’t sound too difficult, either. Thank you!
Hey Carol – super easy and super fall-inspired 😉
oooh! This sounds so delicious and healthy! I do a butternut squash (with parsnips) and I do a Cauliflower Leek, but I do NOT do a parsnip-leek-butternut-squash soup!
So this just sounds like perfection to me 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
xxox
Laura @ http://www.cookwineandthinker.com
Ooo I bet if you added cauliflower in this soup it would be EVEN BETTER! I’m all about putting as many veggies as I can into everything! Thanks for stopping by Laura!
This looks delish. My bf is the chef in our house while I’m the baker. I am totally going to ‘hint’ to him to make this hehe
I hope you can hint him in to making this Felicity! If he is anything like my husband, he will need a very direct and pointed HINT to ‘get it’ 😉
This looks so yummy!!! Bacon is never optional though…
HA Bethany so true. SO TRUE!
Oh gosh this looks so good. The perfect Fall soup!
– Lee Anne
http://lifeinatx.com/
Butternut squash perfection at its finest!!
This sounds great! I am definitely going to try it! I love that there is no heavy cream or other fattening ingredients…just puréed veggies :). Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Sandra – don’t you love that it’s JUST VEGGIES?! And once you taste it, you won’t even miss the cream or extras. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, I’m definitely adding this soup to my fall recipe list! it looks so good!
xoxo
Jennifer
http://www.justaddglam.com
Thanks Jennifer! I hope you enjoy this guilt-free yet hearty fall soup!
oooh!!! Fall in a bowl! I love this!!!
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Fall in a bowl – YES!
This looks yummy and healthy! Perfect meal for the fall!
Thanks Evi. It’s a recipe I make over and over in the fall!
I love butternut squash! I am so happy you’ve shared this recipe because it looks so simple and delicious. And not to mention I finally own a good blender that will actually blend the crap out of those veggies! Pinning for later <3
Super simple and crazy delicious! I got our fancy, shmancy blender about a year ago and it’s my baby (aside from my actual baby). Blend ‘the crap’ out of all those fantastic veggies Ashley!!
This looks delicious! I make a similar soup with carrots + butternut squash but you simply can’t go wrong with leeks! I like to top mine with really thinly sliced scallions for a bit of freshness even on super chilly days.
There are so many great varieties of butternut squash soup out there! It’s hard to love just one. Scallions on the top would be a great addition! Thanks Kristen!
This sounds fantastic! Do you think it would blend up well with an immersion blender?
Absolutely! Roasting the root veggies will make them soft enough for an immersion blender to work well too. Jealous – I have been wanting one for awhile!!
OMG I need to make this. This is the perfect time and this is soon good for Fall for sure. Great recipe for sure!
Jamie – YES make it! You life will be transformed. Ok, I can’t promise that but it is a dang good soup!
Oh my gosh looks so good for Fall! I can’t wait to try this soup! Thank you for sharing!
I hope you love it Ashleigh! Glad you came by to check it out!
I love butternut squash anything, but have never even tried a parsnip. I’ll have to give this a try- thanks for sharing!
Oh man. I got on a parsnip kick last year and I haven’t stopped. Parsnips are like the best combo between a carrot and a sweet potato. I KNOW you will love Stephanie!
Yes girl, I’m all about some butternut squash soup! I love adding extra veggies in a soup puree because my kids will usually eat it without question (When there’s chunks of veggies in there they tend to eat around it, lol.) I will definitely be pinning this onto my fall eats board! Thanks, Chrissa!! 😉
Joscelyn – genius. Seriously genius! I hope you (and the kiddos) love this soup, extra veggies and all!
Looks DELICIOUS! I will definitely have to try this for our next sunday dinner.
YAY! Let me know what you think Ariel!
I can hear this soup screaming my name! I love anything with butternut squash in it! I’ve actually never tried a parsnip before, so I’m really looking forward to tasting something new! I’ll definitely be making this during the fall. Yummy.
Ohmygosh I froze a batch of this and I swear I hear my freezer howling “STACEY, EAT ME”. So you are right, it IS screaming your name! 😉 You will love parsnips – it’s one of my top veggies of all time. Probably because they are slightly sweet and I have a major sweet tooth! I hope you love it!
I love butternut squash soup and this recipe is a must try for me. It looks so good!
I would love for you to try this Ros! If you already love butternut squash soup, no doubt you will love this version too 🙂
Looks great will give it a try!
Thanks Amanda!
Perfect Fall soup!! I look forward to checking out more of your recipes!
Totally! I can’t get enough of soup this time of year. Especially creamy, hearty kinds. Thanks for stopping by Cara.
Thank you for sharing at the Recipe Swap. This looks delicious. I love creamed soups. The bacon is a great addition.
Bacon is really just icing on the cake here. Thank YOU for hosting and for stopping by Kathy!
This looks delicious. Will have to try out.
Rosie
Thanks Rosie! I hope you love this comfort-food soup as much as I do 🙂
Wow, that looks awesome. Thanks for posting. Looks yummy…
Hi Nakeya – you are so welcome! It is super yummy/nummy/hearty 🙂 Just the way I prefer my soup!
That looks so creamy and delicious! I definitely have to try this out 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing at the Welcome Home Wednesday’s link party…I really hope we see you again next week!
Thank you so much for hosting Brittany! Love sharing my recipes and finding other amazing ones as well!
Chrissa, I just love you and yes, I’ll still be your friend! This soup looks insanely delicious and I’m adding it to my meal plan for next week!! I was so excited when I walked into Panera today and they had their squash soup on the menu… hellooooooo fall!!
Hey girl! Just wanted to let you know I included this recipe in my “50 Paleo Fall Squash Recipes Roundup” I posted this weekend. Looks amazing!! I couldn’t resist sharing it 🙂
Here’s the link if you want to check it out! http://www.realfoodwithdana.com/paleo-winter-squash-recipes-roundup/
Loved this soup! So simple and absolutely delicious and the whole family gobbled it up. It’s a new family fave. Thanks Chrissa!
Oh I am SO pleased to hear this! Thanks for the great feedback Lisa!
this would have been nicer as a chunky soup, rather than thick and smooth. The idea of all these veg in a clear, chunky soup sounds wonderful. Not keen on sloppy smooth soups, I like something to bite
You could certainly improvise and try making it that way!