Turnip Soup with Chickpea Croutons

I don't care what anyone says - turnips kind of suck. In years past, I'd pretend that I was going to eat undesirable produce like kale and turnips only to throw them away after I'd lost the battle in my fridge. Turnip soup to the rescue! I modified the recipe from TheKitchn a little bit based on what I had around the house. I did not regret substituting mushroom broth for veggie broth. This soup was earthy and smooth, and did a great job covering up the usual funkiness of turnips.

Turnip Soup with Chickpea Croutons

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Croutons

1 can cooked chickpeas, rinsed, peeled and patted dry

2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp z'atar seasoning (optional)

Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small bunch Egyptian walking onions, sliced thin, white and light parts only

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 medium turnips, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large russet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

4 cups mushroom broth

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large bowl, toss the peeled chickpeas with oil and seasoning. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through. I added a little extra time at the end to make sure they were crispy. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add remaining ingredients (except broth and salt/pepper) and stir to combine. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender, about 25 minutes. *I actually used my pressure cooker for this step, sauteeing the veggies in the pot, adding the rest of the ingredients, and setting to "Soup" to cook for 15 minutes.*

3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree, adding more broth if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper and top with chickpea croutons.