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Turnip Potato Soup

Turnip Potato Soup

Church book sales are a great way to pick up cookbooks at bargain prices. Ours was last weekend and we found the Food and Wine Magazine's 1999 Annual Cookbook for a dollar. What a deal! Most of the recipes in the book look ridiculously complicated, taking hours of preparation and needing ingredients that one might have difficulty finding even at Whole Foods. This one however, is simply turnips, potatoes, onions, stock, and butter. Unassuming, but surprisingly and exceptionally good, especially considering that the main ingredient is turnips. Don't get me wrong, I love turnips. I have found however that most people don't. There's something about the blend of flavors in this soup that take the edge off of the bitter turnip flavor and produces a thick and creamy soup, yet without any cream. A key ingredient is probably the chicken stock. Your soup is only as good as your stock, and we try to use homemade stock whenever possible.

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Turnip Potato Soup Recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 medium onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 pounds fresh, young turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 pounds of Russet baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • 6 Cups of chicken stock*
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded basil for garnish

*If cooking gluten-free, use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged stock.

Method

1 In a large heavy stockpot or casserole, melt the butter until it foams. When the foam subsides, add the onions and cook over moderate heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the turnips and potatoes and stir to coat with the butter. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

2 Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes.

3 Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until perfectly smooth. Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and the nutmeg. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the basil before serving.

Serves 8.

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6 Comments

We have tried Turnips everyway, and this is the way that we enjoy them the most. It is creamy without the use of cream, which is a plus!

Posted by: Kelly P. on February 23, 2007 7:48 AM

I subscribe to a CSA and sometimes there is an abundance of turnips which is a challenge with my family. This is our fav way to use them. It's delicious even if you don't use the nutmeg (I forgot once) and use chopped fresh dill instead of basil. Great comfort food and an easy recipe.

Posted by: deborah78681 on February 15, 2008 11:04 AM

Elise, do you think this recipe would be good with sweet potatoes as well (our CSA has given us LOADS of sweet potatoes and turnips right now and I'm trying to come up with ways to use them) or would that change the flavor too much in your opinion? Thanks!

Hi Justine, I think that would be a major flavor change. Have no idea how that would turn out. If you do it, let us know! ~Elise

Posted by: Justine on October 17, 2008 6:54 AM

Tried this last night and loved it. I told my family it was potato soup and they loved it too! I was thinking it might be good with a little crumbled bacon on top next time.

Posted by: cantrelld on October 29, 2008 3:30 PM

I made this last night and it came out quite bitter... Perhaps the turnips weren't ripe enough? I didn't like it :-(

Sounds like they were overly ripe. The young turnips are the sweetest. ~Elise

Posted by: Miriam on March 17, 2009 6:44 AM

What is not to like about a turnip! I eat them raw with a little salt and pepper. This is a great soup. I make it as is and swirl a little cream or sour cream over the top after it's in the serving bowl, a sprinkle of crumbled bacon never hurts. Add a few cooked turnips to your mashed potatoes for a nice fresh taste. Please make sure to start with fresh young turnips.

Posted by: B.Swetnam on April 1, 2009 8:17 AM

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