Warm up with this creamy parsnip and white bean soup topped with crispy Brussels sprouts. A cozy, nutritious soup that’s high on flavor.
I’ve really been fan girling over Jamie Oliver as of late. And although we cringe as he throws handfuls of cloves and coriander into his dishes, I can’t help but to watch his 15 Minute Meals without end, like popping M&Ms. Because I love the message he’s sending, that we can eat good food, even if we’re busy.
And that’s where the new series on Netflix, Cooked, fell a bit short for me. In the series, Michael Pollan is really gunning for good, homemade, labor-of-love food by highlighting the enormous downsides of convenience foods. And he’s right. Convenience foods aren’t good for us, nor do they stimulate any kind of connection with the kitchen. But the solution he offers is to spend hours preparing a real, home cooked meal, and these days, almost ain’t nobody got time for that.
And that’s why Jamie is so great; he provides the solution. And he inspires me to provide a solution as well. Because as long as you don’t burn the house down, you can cook and it doesn’t have to be a big ordeal.
Reader rating
“Sarah, this is such a lovely post and recipe! I love this soup, and I’m going to share it… Thanks!” —Tamara
Enter this white bean soup.
While this soup does take a bit more cookin’ than Jamie’s 15 minutes would allot, you can get it ready, let it do it’s thing, and come back to a warm, cozy, healthy soup. Topped with oven-crisped Brussels sprouts, this white bean soup can be a simple starter or a meal unto itself!
The Brussels sprouts act as crispy croutons on the soup! They’ll become crispy and delicious in the oven at the same time as the soup is cooking.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 1 small white onion ½ cup, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 large parsnips 430 g, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup milk 236 mL, can sub non-dairy alternative
- 2 cups vegetable stock 473 mL
- 1 cup white beans 178 g
- ¼ lemon juiced
Sprout Topping
- 15 Brussels sprouts
- ½ Tbsp olive oil 7 mL
- ¼ lemon juiced
- Dash of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring 2 Tbsp olive oil to medium heat in a large pot. Add onions and garlic, then cook gently for 10 minutes, until onions are soft.
- Add salt, pepper, and parsnip to the pot. Stir to coat, then add milk and vegetable stock.
- Bring mixture to a slow simmer and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until parsnip is fork-tender.
- While soup cooks, prepare Brussels sprouts. Clean them well then separate the leaves by trimming off the stem. Pluck off leaves then trim more of the stem as needed until you separated as many leaves as possible.
- Toss Brussels sprout leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, using your fingers to work the oil into the leaves.
- Spread onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (176 C) for 7 to 10 minutes, until the edges of the leaves begin to brown.
- Back to the soup. Add white beans then puree (using either a handheld immersion blender or working in batches with a standing blender).
- Ladle soup into serving bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and top with crispy Brussels sprouts.
Kelly @ TastingPage says
I love Jamie Oliver too, and dang, this soup looks amazing! I love veggie on veggie dishes. Going to have to give this one a try!
Rhiannon says
This soup would be perfect for a rainy day like this. Going to attempt to make this tomorrow.
Sarah says
It definitely is! And there’s really no way to mess it up, happy cooking! 🙂
Anne Murphy says
That sounds delicious!
I’ve been loving how creamy the pureed white beans soup can be – and parsnips – so sweet – that must be fantastic. (And it may be what I do with the parsnips I just picked up at the farmer’s market…)
Ludmilla says
I never had this combination before!! Parsnip and white bean together sounds delicious!!
Tamara says
Sarah, this is such a lovely post and recicpe! You “hit the nail on the head” when it comes to finding time to cook, connect, and eat good food, and yes, we are almost always too busy to spend hours! I love this soup, and I’m going to share it… Thanks!
Sarah says
Thanks so much for sharing, Tamara! We definitely can have great, healthy food without spending loads of time on it 🙂
Sara says
This looks amazing!!! Will definitely have to try since I’m attempting to incorporate more veggie fueled meals into my household. Sprouts fo lyfe!
Have you checked out the Minimalist Baker for quick, easy, good-for-you meals? She typically uses 10 ingredients or less and most are plant based. My meat loving husband requests her Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes recipe, which take only half an hour from start to finish. 🙂
I LOVE making healthy food, but hate when it takes all day. Keep these recipes coming!
Sarah says
Yes I LOVE Minimalist Baker!! I get so much inspiration from her style and food and well everything. So happy I could help you find more veggie-filled meals! 🙂
Dee says
Does anyone know how many servings this recipe makes?
Sarah says
Good question, Dee! Sorry it wasn’t more clear. The recipe serves 4 🙂
Carmen says
The white beans are cooked before, right?
Sarah says
Correct! I like to buy them canned but if you buy them dry then they’ll need to be soaked and cooked.
Rachel says
Hello – wondering about the milk and whether it will curdle when boiled? Looking forward to making!
Sarah says
Hi Rachel! Thanks for pointing this out. Usually cooking milk will curdle it, but because we add it in with the vegetables (so it’s not plopped into a hot soup immediately) + emulsify it by blending with beans, the milk shouldn’t be a problem. I have changed the instructions slightly and recommended simmering rather than boiling (just to be safe), and will be testing this recipe again soon to be sure it all works as it’s supposed to! 😀
Kristen Loudermilk says
Can this recipe be made with lupini beans?
I am looking to lower the carb count. Thanks!
Sarah says
While I haven’t tried this, I think it would work well! 😀 Would love to hear how it goes!