• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Coley Cooks
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Casseroles
    • Chicken + Poultry
    • Cookies + Bars
    • Drinks
    • Frozen Treats
    • Pasta + Risotto
    • Pies + Tarts
    • Meat
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Snacks
    • Soups + Stews
    • Starchy Sides
    • Vegetable Sides
    • Vegetarian Main
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Privacy Policy
×

Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa

Published: Mar 10, 2017 · Modified: Feb 19, 2021 by Coley · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

This easy recipe for Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa is vegan, gluten free, and perfect for a warm, nourishing dinner on a cold day. 

Man, March kills me. I can't believe it's snowing outside right now. Actually, that's not true. I can totally believe it. Doesn't this happen every year? Luckily, I made us some soup. 

About that soup - I'll get to it in a minute. But first I want need to tell you about this puffed, toasted quinoa. It's my newest addiction, and thankfully it happens to be super healthy. It's also super easy to make. All you do is toss raw quinoa into a hot pan with a smidge of oil and stir it around for a few minutes until it starts to pop and smell nutty. Season with a pinch of salt, and you have this crunchy, toasted, irresistible snack that I couldn't stop shoveling into my mouth and crunching away.

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa (Video!)

I used red quinoa since it's what I had in my pantry, but this works with any variety. Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, so it doesn't technically require cooking in a liquid to be digestible. Simply toasting the seeds causes them to get crispy, lighten in texture, and take on the most wonderfully toasty flavor. It pops up a bit like popcorn, only it's not quite as dramatic. Less "kernels" will actually puff up, but the seeds will all become really nice and crispy. The taste is a little reminiscent of popcorn, too.

Now about that soup. It's light and silky with a slightly sweet and earthy flavor from the parsnips. I really wanted to keep this recipe vegan, so I didn't use any of my usual flavor crutches like chicken stock, butter, cheese, or cream. On it's own, the soup is good, but it lacks a little depth. I knew it needed something for a variation in texture and another something to boost it's flavor. A lot of the time I'll tell you that toppings are optional, but in this case they're essential.

First, a drizzle of olive oil is needed to give the soup body and improved mouthfeel. It does the same thing cream does, but in a much healthier way. Drizzling it over at the last minute preserves the integrity of the oil and keeps all those bright, grassy flavors. Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can get your hands on - it makes all the difference in the world.

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa (Video!)

Second, it needed a fresh herb. I considered including thyme in the actual soup, but wanted to keep the color totally white and free of any specks (hence the white pepper). So I saved it to use as a garnish and it wound up working out even better. The fresh thyme adds a pop of earthiness that compliments the flavors in the soup like a boss, and gives it a decidedly different feel than if it had been cooked down with everything else.

Finally, the puffed quinoa. It's toasty and nutty and salty and gives this soup a real personality. Without it, the mellow pureed cauliflower and parsnips can come off a little bit like baby food, but when you sprinkle all that good stuff on top, it's more akin to something you'd get in a fine dining restaurant. It's also totally gluten free, nut free, and vegan. BOOM.

Whether you do the gluten free / vegan thing or not, this soup should totally become part of your repertoire. It's obviously super healthy, but also really tasty and unique. Plus, since there's no dairy, it freezes exceptionally well, too. And having soup in the freezer is always a major plus on these random, cold, snowy days in March.

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa (Video!)

One Year Ago: Kate's Irish Stew
Two Years Ago: Irish Cheddar and Stout Biscuits

Print

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa (Video!)

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This easy recipe for Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa is vegan, gluten free, and perfect for a warm, nourishing dinner on a cold day. This velvety smooth soup is full of flavor and gets an extra boost of crunch from nutty, puffed quinoa.

  • Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Simmered
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • salt and white pepper, to taste
  • 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cubed (about 2-3 cups)
  • 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into pieces (about 5-6 cups)
  • water, as needed
  • ¼ cup quinoa, any variety
  • fresh thyme leaves for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, stir, and cook for one minute, then add garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and white pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add parsnips and cauliflower, season with more salt, stir, then add enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring up to a simmer, cover, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender.
  3. In the meantime, make the puffed quinoa. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a medium pot or saute pan with high sides. Get the oil nice and hot, then add the quinoa and lower the heat to medium-low. Stir the quinoa around constantly until it starts to pop and smell nutty, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper plate to drain and season with salt. Set aside.
  4. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it's completely smooth. Alternatively, you can do this in batches with a traditional blender, but always practice caution when blending hot liquids. Thin out with more water as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Season liberally with more salt and white pepper to taste. The more water you add, the more salt it will need.
  5. Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, top with a few teaspoons of puffed quinoa and finish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve hot.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 189
  • Sugar: 8.8 g
  • Sodium: 662 mg
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 33.3 g
  • Protein: 6.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: soup, vegan, parsnip, cauliflower, quinoa, healthy, vegetarian

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review and star rating ⭐️ to help other cooks!

This easy recipe for Parsnip Cauliflower Soup with Puffed Quinoa is vegan, gluten free, and perfect for a warm, nourishing dinner on a cold day. #easy #vegan #soup #recipe #quinoa | ColeyCooks.com

More Gluten Free Recipes

  • Easy New England Fish Chowder
  • A close up of a Dutch baby pancake in a cast iron skillet.
    Easy Oatmeal Dutch Baby Pancake
  • maple syrup being poured on a slice of Oatmeal Pumpkin Dutch Baby
    Oatmeal Pumpkin Dutch Baby Pancake
  • Three mini chocolate souffles in ramekins next to a bowl of freshly whipped cream.
    4 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Soufflé Cakes

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating and review! Cancel reply

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

    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Joy Flury Brown

    March 10, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    I'll be making this for hubby this week. He's on a; "detox cleanse" from a nutritionist who wants him Dairy-free, Nut-free, Poultry, and Pork-free, as well as chocolate (and of course, sugar) free diet. Another Naturopath wants him (and everyone) to only eat 10% of their total food intake to be from animals... the rest is veggies. WHAT THE HECK IS LEFT??? Oh... recipes like this! Thanks for making my life a little easier, Coley!

    Reply
    • Coley

      March 10, 2017 at 7:44 pm

      Always glad to be of service, Joy! I hope you guys enjoy it. Definitely quadruple the puffed quinoa. It is downright addictive!! Not as easy to make as popcorn, but arguably healthier!

      Reply
  2. Danielle

    March 10, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    Another genius quinoa trick! Your quinoa cracker recipe is still in rotation around here.

    Reply
    • Coley

      March 14, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Yay!! I just got some everything bagel seasoning and I've been thinking about putting it on some quinoa crackers.

      Reply
  3. Sabrina

    March 12, 2017 at 10:40 pm

    The puffed quinoa topping is so creative! I'll definitely have to try that. Love the cauliflower-parsnip combo, too.

    Reply
    • Coley

      March 14, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks girl!! It's super tasty and guilt free. Yay!

      Reply
  4. Hillary

    November 16, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    This was delicious. I can't have dairy and found this really satisfying

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Coley

      November 17, 2022 at 4:03 pm

      So happy to hear that!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Nicole Gaffney smiling for the camera
I'm Nicole Gaffney, but my friends all call me Coley. You should, too! I'm a chef and recipe developer specializing in coastal Italian cooking. Welcome to Coley Cooks! About Nicole Gaffney

Italian Recipes

The Best Ever Traditional Italian Meatballs (Video!) | ColeyCooks.com

The Best Italian Meatballs

close up of vegetable minestrone soup with parsley pistou herb drizzle

Vegetable Minestrone with Parsley Pistou

A red stoneware bowl filled with homemade ricotta cheese.

Easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Side view of a plate of a serving eggplant parmesan with a fork.

Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan

sweet potato gnocchi on a fork

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Beef and stuffed tomatoes in a casserole dish.

Spiedini alla Siciliana

Seafood Recipes

overhead shot of a bowl of pasta with clam sauce

Linguine alle Vongole: Pasta with Clam Sauce

Easy New England Fish Chowder

A white bowl with bright orange lobster soup with a lobster tail and chives on top.

Classic Creamy Lobster Bisque

Clams with Bacon, Tomatoes + Jalapeños | ColeyCooks.com

Clams with Bacon, Tomatoes + Jalapeños

overhead shot of a platter with crab cakes and lemon wedges on top

Easy Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Close up of a pile of steamed crabs and corn on the cob.

Steamed Crabs Maryland Style

The Art of the Smoothie Bowl Cook Book is Out NOW!! Click the photo above to order.
Nicole Gaffney of Coley Cooks As Seen On...

Footer

Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer. Learn More about Coley…

Stay Connected!

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme