Hazelnut Soup

With roasted hazelnuts, parsnips, potatoes and fresh herbs, this creamy hazelnut soup is perfect for a cold night.

Course Soup

Cuisine French

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 410kcal

2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups leeks, cleaned and sliced (only use white and light green part, about 2 leeks)
1 cup hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 3 parsnips)
2 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 3 potatoes)
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

In a large Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Stir in the hazelnuts, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for another minute.
Add the parsnips, potatoes and broth to Dutch oven and increase heat to medium-high until it begins to simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the parsnips and potatoes are fork tender.
Using either an immersion blender, or transferring the soup in batches to a traditional blender, puree the soup until smooth. If using blender, be careful to not fill it very full or it will splatter everywhere.
Stir in heavy cream and simmer for another 2 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Serve immediately and top with some fresh herbs and additional chopped hazelnuts if desired.

Make sure your hazelnuts are toasted, as it creates a deeper flavor for the soup.

Gently toasting the hazelnuts with the other aromatics helps release their oils, creating a deeper flavor in the soup.Use quality low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. Remember a lot of the flavor will come from the broth.

Use an immersion blender to puree everything but keep in mind it takes some time to puree the hazelnuts. If you are struggling, just use a blender in batches.

Do not skip on adding the heavy cream as it adds richness and mouthfeel you wouldn’t get otherwise. If you don’t want to use heavy cream, you could try coconut milk.