• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Sage Apron logo
  • Recipe Index
  • About Us
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Main Courses
    • Side Dishes
    • Sweets & Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
  • ×
    • Spooning thick balsamic glaze over a pan of rosemary lamb chops.
      Cast Iron Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Balsamic
    • A crock of French onion beef stew topped with croutons and melted cheese.
      French Onion Beef Stew
    • A cozy pan pf fresh baked maple dinner rolls adorned with butter and sea salt.
      Salted Maple Dinner Rolls
    • A crumbly bitten cookie with apple pie filling and oat crumble topping.
      Cinnamon Apple Crumble Cookies
    • A big pot of turkey stock, herbs and aromatic vegetables.
      Make Ahead Turkey Stock (for Gravy, Stuffing & Soups)
    • A gravy boat full of turkey gravy on the Thanksgiving table.
      Make Ahead Turkey Gravy (Without Drippings)
    • Orange toweled hands setting the hot dish of stuffing on the Thanksgiving table.
      Challah and Sausage Stuffing (Dressing)
    • Sweet potato caramelle pasta in a brown butter balsamic sauce with prosciutto.
      Caramelle with Sweet Potato Filling (Candy Shaped Pasta)
    • A spoonful of brown butter balsamic sauce over a big bowl of stuffed pasta.
      Balsamic Brown Butter (Pasta Sauce)
    • Peaches & Rum Cocktail - A Peach Pie Punch
    • A baking rack full of peach cobbler cookies next to a couple fresh peaches.
      Peach Cobbler Cookies
    • A white bowl filled with peach panzanella salad with tomatoes and basil.
      Peach Panzanella Salad
    Recipes » Soups

    Roasted Parsnip Soup with Gremolata Croutons

    Published: Mar 5, 2021 · Modified: May 18, 2023 by The Sage Apron - This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    This simple Roasted Parsnip Soup is the perfect cold weather companion! Roasted parsnips and celery root are blended with a little onion, garlic, nutmeg, olive oil and stock to create a smooth, cozy soup.

    three bowls of roasted parsnip celeriac soup topped with Gremolata Croutons and staged next to spoons, a green linen, parsley and fresh parsnips

    The soup is dairy free and easily prepared vegetarian or vegan. Toasted Gremolata Croutons are made from stale bread tossed with parsley, lemon and garlic. The croutons are optional, of course, but make for a delicious garnish that pairs perfectly with the root vegetable flavors.

    For another cozy soup and crouton recipe, try this Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup with Pancetta & Sage!

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Prepare Parsnips and Celery Root for Soup
    • How to Puree Soup
    • What is Gremolata?
    • You May Also Like...
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    Ingreadents of roasted parsnip soup and Gremolata Croutons
    Ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Soup Puree

    • parsnips
    • celery root
    • onion
    • garlic
    • vegetable or chicken stock (We use homemade chicken bone broth)
    • olive oil
    • bay leaves
    • lemon
    • nutmeg
    • salt + pepper

    Gremolata Croutons (Optional)

    • stale bread
    • parsley
    • lemon zest
    • garlic
    • olive oil
    • salt + pepper

    How to Prepare Parsnips and Celery Root for Soup

    For this recipe, we are roasting the parsnips and celery root to deepen their flavors and coax out the parsnips natural sweetness. Be sure to clean the parsnips and celery root very well. We recommend using a produce brush to scrub the vegetables free of any dirt or grit.

    Peeling, Cutting & Roasting the Roots

    1. Preheat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit (230° celsius). Prepare a sheet pan with tin foil or parchment paper.
    2. To prepare the parsnips for the soup, cut off the widest part (the top) of the taproot. If your parsnips are small, young and fresh, there is no need to peel them before roasting. For larger or older parsnips with thicker skin, we recommend using a vegetable peeler to remove the tough exterior. Sometimes, very large parsnips develop a woody, fibrous core. If this is the case (and it is fairly uncommon), avoid using the core and instead use only the creamy white flesh. Large dice the parsnips into equally sized pieces.
    3. Celery root, otherwise known as celeriac, lends a lovely, earthy flavor to this recipe. To prepare the celery root, we peel it in a similar fashion to a melon. First, cut off either end of the celery root. Then, stand the celery root up on one of the cut ends. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice along the curvature of the root to remove a section of the brown skin and as little of the white flesh as possible. Rotate the celery root and repeat the process until the entire vegetable is peeled. Dice the celery root into pieces that are about the same size as your parsnips.
    4. Toss the parsnips and celery root in a large bowl with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Lay the vegetables in a single layer on the sheet pan. Roast for about 40 minutes or until the root vegetables have taken a lightly golden color and have begun to caramelize in the oven. Once roasted, the celery root and parsnip can be added to the soup to continue cooking.

    How to Puree Soup

    To create a smoothly textured Roasted Parsnip Soup, this recipe needs to be pureed. You can puree this soup with an immersion blender, standard kitchen blender or food processor. We like to enjoy this soup fairly thick, but feel free to add additional stock or water until your desired consistency is achieved. For the best results, strain the pureed soup through a fine mesh sieve once or twice before serving.

    • Immersion Blender: This is the fastest and easiest way to puree soups. This is our preferred method because the soup can be pureed directly in the cooking pot. Simply submerge the stick blender into the soup and blend on high speed until smooth.
    • Blender: Transfer the soup to the blender in small batches (about the amount of half of the blenders capacity). First, remove the small cap from the blender’s lid to allow steam to escape. Then, cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel to avoid splattering. Puree on high speed until smooth.
    • Food Processor: Transfer the parsnip soup (in a few batches) to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Puree on high speed until smooth. This may take a few minutes. Soups pureed in food processors tend to be less-smooth than those pureed in blenders.
    overhead shot of 3 bowls of vegan parsnip soup

    What is Gremolata?

    Traditionally, gremolata is a Northern Italian condiment used originally on veal ossobuco. Classically, gremolata is made from finely minced parsley, raw garlic and lemon zest.

    Today, many chefs from around the world have taken creative liberties to put their own spin on gremolata. Menus will feature “gremolata” using everything from nuts and seeds, to other citrus fruits, to different herbs and spices.

    For this recipe, however, we are using a classically prepared gremolata tossed with some olive oil toasted croutons. The croutons add a nice texture and contrast to the parsnip soup puree while the gremolata brings freshness, color and complimentary flavors.

    You May Also Like...

    • The first spoonful of sweet potato pumpkin soup being lifted from the bowl by sweltered hands.
      Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup with Pancetta & Sage
    • Serving a slice of sweet cast iron skillet cornbread
      Sweet Skillet Cornbread with Honey Butter
    • golden beet salad close up shot
      Golden Beet Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese

    Did you make this recipe?
    Please leave us a star rating and share your photos @TheSageApron

    Recipe

    now of parsnip and celeriac soup

    Roasted Parsnip Soup with Gremolata Croutons

    Author: The Sage Apron
    This simple Roasted Parsnip Soup with Gremolata Croutons is the perfect cold weather companion! This pureed soup is delicious, dairy-free and easily made vegetarian or vegan!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 1 hour hour
    Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Yield 8 appetizer or 4 entree portions
    Course Dairy-Free, Lunch, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Cuisine American

    ADJUST SERVINGS

    Special Equipment

    • Immersion, Standard Blender or Food Processor
    • Fine-Mesh Strainer

    Ingredients
     

    Roasted Parsnip Soup

    • 4 - 6 medium parsnips arge diced
    • 1 medium celery root large diced (See Note: a.)
    • ½ Cup olive oil divided
    • 1 medium yellow onion large diced
    • 3 - 5 cloves garlic lightly smashed
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly-grated
    • 2 ½ - 3 quarts chicken or vegetable stock as needed, preferably homemade
    • 4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried bay leaves
    • Freshly-ground white or black pepper to taste
    • fine kosher salt* to taste
    • Freshly-squeezed lemon juice to taste, about ½ lemon

    Gremolata Croutons

    • 2 slices stale bread small cubed
    • 2 Tablespoons olive oil plus more for garnish, as desired
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
    • 1 clove garlic grated (See Note: b.)
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • 1 Tablespoon parsley leaves minced
    • Additional parsley leaves as desired, for garnish

    Instructions
     

    Roasted Parsnip Soup

    • Gather, measure and prepare the Roasted Parsnip Soup recipe ingredients as listed. To view metric measurements, toggle the US Customary/Metric switch at the top of this recipe card.
    • Preheat the oven to 450° Fahrenheit (232° celsius). Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. 
    • In a large bowl, toss diced parsnip, celery root and a pinch of salt in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange the mixture on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 30 - 40 minutes or until vegetables are beginning to brown and caramelize.
    • Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or stock pot, warm 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Stir in nutmeg.
    • Add the roasted parsnips, celery root, and 2½ quarts (or liters)chicken or vegetable stock and bay leaves to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer and cook, uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes or until parsnips are fork-tender. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
    • Using an immersion blender, countertop blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth. While pureeing, stream in the remaining olive oil. If needed, add additional chicken or vegetable stock to thin to desired consistency. For smoother soup, strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer once or twice. 
    • Return the soup to its dutch oven or pot. Season to taste with salt, white or black pepper and lemon juice.
    • Serve hot with Gremolata Croutons a drizzle of olive oil and additional parsley leaves. 

    Gremolata Croutons

    • Gather, measure and prepare the recipe ingredients as listed.
    • Arrange a rack a few inches from the oven’s broiler. Preheat the broiler to medium heat. Prepare a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.
    • In a medium mixing bowl, toss the stale bread, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Arrange the oiled bread on the baking sheet and broil, for 1 - 2 minutes or until golden brown. Toss the croutons around the pan to flip and broil for an additional 1, or so, minutes, watching closely to avoid burning. 
    • Return the toasted croutons to the mixing bowl and add the garlic, lemon zest and minced parsley leaves. Toss to combine. Spoon the Gremolata Croutons over the soup and garnish, as desired, with additional parsley leaves. Enjoy!

    Notes

    a. The celery root (AKA celeriac) in the photograph was very large and more than we needed to prepare this recipe. We used about half of the celery root in the image. If you are lucky enough to get a fresh celery root with the greens still attached, the leaves will make a lovely additional garnish for the soup. 
    b. Gremolata is best when the garlic is finely grated or minced. If you have a microplane, this works best. Pro Tip: First, grate the garlic on the microplane and then zest your lemon. The citrus oils will help to eliminate the strong garlic odor on the microplane. If you do not have a microplane, a fine cheese grater works well, too. You can also finely mince the garlic with a sharp knife. 
    * A Note About Salt

    Unless otherwise noted, all recipes on The Sage Apron are developed using Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. It is a great all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If using table salt, reduce quantities by about half.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 1692mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 3mg
    Let's Keep In TouchFollow us on Instagram @TheSageApron

    More Soups

    • A jar of chicken feet bone broth and aromatic vegetables.
      Gelatinous Chicken Feet Bone Broth (Stock)
    • A bowl of Panera Copycat creamy chicken and wild rice soup on a white countertop
      Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
    • Overhead photo of New England Clam Chowder garnished with paprika and celery leaves.
      The Best Homemade Littleneck Clam Chowder

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Nancy Woodworth says

      March 18, 2021 at 2:47 pm

      5 stars
      I made this soup today. It is absolutely delicious and easy to make.
      I had never worked with celery root before and I was pleasantly surprised that it was easy to work with.
      I have added this to my list of soups to make often.

      Reply
      • foodworthfeed says

        May 05, 2021 at 10:35 pm

        We are so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for commenting! 🙂

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Scott and Taylor Woodworth holding cocktails

    Welcome to The Sage Apron!

    We are so glad you're here. We're Scott & Taylor - the husband and wife creators of all things The Sage Apron. We're recipe developers, pro taste testers, food photographers and amateur dishwashers.

    More about us →

    Apron Pocket

    These are a few of the classic recipes that every home cook and baker ought to have in their apron pocket.

    • A hand holding flaky pie dough
      Our Favorite Easy Pie Crust Recipe (Without a Food Processor)
    • A woman whisking eggs into a well of flour to make fresh pasta.
      Homemade Semolina Pasta Dough (How To Make Fresh Pasta)
    • The whole herbs de Provence roast chicken and potatoes in their roasting skillet
      Herbs de Provence Roast Chicken with White Wine Pan Sauce
    • A wooden spoon in a pot of San Marzano tomato sauce.
      Quick San Marzano Tomato Sauce (Italian Marinara Sauce)
    • A close up shot of softened brown butter swirls.
      How To Make Brown Butter (Beurre Noisette)
    • A jar of chicken feet bone broth and aromatic vegetables.
      Gelatinous Chicken Feet Bone Broth (Stock)

    Happy Hour

    • A spicy mezcal margarita garnished with a slice of red chili and a Tan rim
      Spicy Mezcal Margaritas
    • A blackberry bee's knees cocktail in a coupe
      Blackberry Bee's Knees
    • A photo of a watermelon martini garnished with a melon ball
      Watermelon Martini (with Gin or Vodka)
    • A French 76 cocktail in a Champagne flute garnished with a lemon twist.
      French 76 Cocktail (French 75 with Vodka)
    • A tropical coconut and pineapple mocktail garnished with fresh pineapple and a cocktail umbrella.
      Tropical Pineapple and Coconut Mocktail (Virgin Painkiller)
    • a close up image of hibiscus rum punch in a tiki glass
      Hibiscus Rum Punch

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Sage leaf drawing from The Sage Apron logo.

    Privacy Policy

    Contact Us

    Disclaimers

    Copyright © 2025 - The Sage Apron - foodworthfeed LLC - All Rights Reserved