Puréed Parsnip Soup

My grandmother loved parsnips, and would use them in her cooking like most people would use carrots. You could find them in her red flannel hash, in soups and stews, and even mashed, in heaping bowls, alongside the mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. Although I did not appreciate parsnips when I was a child, I have grown to love them almost as much as my grandmother did. This simple recipe, which beautifully blends the earthy flavor of parsnips with the sweet acidity of tomatoes and the sharp bite of peppercorns, reminds me of her.

Ingredients:

• 4 large parsnips, scrubbed and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, halved
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
• 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce (or tomato puree)
• Salt and pepper to taste (best with freshly ground pepper)

Directions:

1. In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion and halved garlic clove in ½ cup of the vegetable broth.
2. Once the onion and garlic are soft, add the parsnips, remaining vegetable broth, and tomato paste to the pot. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for about 15-20 minutes, or until the parsnips are soft.
3. Remove pot from heat and use an immersion blender to blend to desired consistency. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can either remove the soup to a blender in batches and then return blended soup to the pot, or use a potato masher to blend in the pot.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper (freshly ground is best!). Enjoy!

Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1/4 of recipe | Servings per recipe: 4 | Calories: 133.1, total fat: 0.6 g, saturated fat: 0.1 g, cholesterol: 0 mg, sodium: 120.1 mg, carbohydrates: 31.3 g, fiber: 6.1 g, sugar: 9.8 g, protein: 2.9 g