Lunch: White Root Vegetable Soup with Thyme Butter

Pair this with a crisp French Chablis, the Chardonnay-based white from Burgundy.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
6 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
2 pounds celery root (celeriac), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled, each cut into 8 wedges
1 pound parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup whipping cream

Instructions

Mix 6 tablespoons butter and thyme in small bowl to blend well. Season thyme butter to taste with salt and pepper.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and garlic and sauté until leeks are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add 10 cups broth, celery root, turnips, and parsnips; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper. (Thyme butter and soup can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap butter in plastic wrap. Cool soup slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm soup over medium heat, adding more broth, if desired, to thin.)
Ladle soup into 12 bowls. Top each with small piece of thyme butter; swirl into soup and serve.

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