Roasted Carrot-Parsnip Soup {Paleo & Low FODMAP}

I’m a soup gal.  Love them.  Lucky for me, my mom is the Soup Master.  It’s true… she can make any kind of soup out of any random veggies and it always turns out amazing.  She’s incredible that way.  Thanks to her, I grew up not only eating fabulous soups, but making them, too.  Thing is, making a soup with no onions or garlic is a major challenge (which you may be avoiding if you’re following the low FODMAP diet, or just have a belly that gets irritated by these two tasty foods).  When eliminating those two soup staples, one simply must get creative.  This soup worked marvelously without them, still with loads of flavor and comforting goodness.  🙂

Typically soups start with a broth or stock… those too, however, tend to have onions and sometimes garlic.  So rather than starting with a store-bought or classic stock, I decided to make a broth within the roasting process, adding water and fresh herbs to the vegetables so that a tasty broth-base would form as things were cooking.  Worked like a charm.  Once everything’s roasted, it just gets blended with some spices and coconut milk, then cooked down for a bit longer to reach the right consistency.  If you’re tight on time though, you can just blend things up then pour it all right into bowls from there… though keep in mind the extra step  of adding it to a pot helps make sure things are how you want them (texture, flavor, etc).

This could easily be made ahead, then refrigerated or even placed int he freezer until ready to use… in that case, just freeze it in containers right after blending, then when you want it, pour it all in a  pot and do the last step (adding liquid and seasonings to get desired texture and flavor).  Makes for an easy weeknight dinner later.  🙂

makes four servings 

INGREDIENTS

for roasting vegetables…

4 large carrots, approx 1 lb, peeled

2 large parsnips, approx 1/2 lb, peeled

2 medium potatoes, approx 1/2 lb, preferably Yukon gold, peeled

1 cup chopped leeks, green parts only

1 cup sliced red bell peppers

5-6 thyme sprigs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup water

for soup…

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp finely grated ginger

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups water

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

pinch ground nutmeg

extra water or coconut milk, salt, and pepper, to taste

garnish: fresh chives, optional

DIRECTIONS

Peel carrots, parsnips, and potatoes

Roughly chop the veggies

To clean leeks, slice them and then soak them in water to get rid of any grime or dirt

Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, leeks, chopped bell pepper,

salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil to a large baking dish

Toss to coat then add water

Roast for 20-30 minutes, uncovered, until veggies are completely cooked through

Meanwhile, finely grate the ginger, chop cilantro, and get seasonings prepped…

Once veggies are done, remove the thyme sprigs

Add all remaining soup ingredients to a blender or food processor- blend until smooth

At this point, if freezing, seal in a container until ready to use

If eating now, pour the soup into a pot, add liquid (more coconut milk or water) to reach

desired consistency, and add salt and pepper, to taste

Simmer until ready to serve…

Ladle into bowls, top with fresh chives and cilantro if wanted, and dig in!