A few days of warmth followed by so so temperatures. April is often one of the most disappointing months for me. I understand March being wishy-washy with its temperature decisions. Spring, winter, spring, winter. It’s in transition. But April. We are now in full-fledged spring. There’s no excuse for cooler temperatures. I expect sunshine and daffodils from here on out. But yesterday seemed to miss the memo. I wanted to drown myself in warming comfort food to shield myself from the bite of “spring”. Nothing rich and hearty like a winter stew. I wanted something that spoke to the lightness of spring but soothed my winter reality. A creamy soup, warm but light, paired with a salad. Parsnip soup.

This isn’t exactly a 30 minute meal soup, but it’s also not one of my Sunday soup recipes that tends to require a day of cooking. It’s someplace in the middle. Get home at a reasonable time and you can easily make it on a weeknight. To cut down my at-the-stove-soup-making time I roasted the parsnips (along with some apples for sweetness) in the oven until soft. This way I could set the oven timer and occupy myself with other exciting activities household chores while the parsnips roasted. After it was a matter of quickly sauteing some garlic, onion, celery, adding the apples and parsnips, broth and cream. Garnish with a dot or swirl of pesto and you’re good to go.

Roasted Apple Parsnip Soup (Serves 6-8)

• 3 large parsnips, chopped (about 5 cups)
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 3 c vegetable stock
• 1 c low fat milk
• 1/2 c cream
• Pesto sauce for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread parsnips and apples onto a large baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Bake for 30 minutes, until parsnips are tender.

In a large Dutch oven heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Add celery and continue cooking until vegetables have softened. Add parsnip and apple mixture and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and add milk, again bringing to a slow boil. Remove from heat and puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches with a food processor. Return to stove reheat if desired. Stir in cream and additional salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with a dollop or swirl of pesto, if desired. Serve with a light salad.

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