Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the vegetables
Wash and scrape a small carrot.
Cut the carrot in quarters lengthwise.
Cut the quarters in thirds lengthwise.
Cut the strips thus made into thin slices crosswise.
Wash and pare half a turnip.
Cut and slice the turnip the same way as the carrot.
Wash, pare, and cut potatoes into small pieces.
Wash and scrape celery.
Cut celery into quarter‑inch pieces.
Prepare vegetables before measuring.
Cut onion into thin slices.
Cook the soup
Mix vegetables except potatoes.
Cook the mixture for ten minutes in four tablespoons butter, stirring constantly.
Add potatoes, cover, and cook for two minutes.
Add water and bring to a boil for one hour.
Finish the soup
Beat the soup with a spoon or fork to break the vegetables.
Add the remaining butter and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Turnip | 1 medium (122g) | 34 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Parsley | 1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,173 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Carrot + turniptop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,002 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Celery + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,810 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together34,122 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Potato
- Breaks down as it cooks, giving the soup body and a thicker texture.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and carries flavor as the vegetables cook.
- Onion
- Softens and adds savory aroma that forms the base flavor of the soup.
- Celery
- Contributes aromatic, savory flavor and a little texture to the soup.
- Carrot
- Adds natural sweetness and a bright color to the soup.
The step that matters
Cooking the vegetables in butter with constant stirring. Stirring constantly keeps the vegetables from sticking to the pan or scorching. Gentle cooking softens them and draws out their natural sweetness without browning, which would change the soup's mild flavor.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (carrot, turnip, celery, potato, butter, parsley, pepper):
- Parsnipfits better
- Leekfits better
- Spinachfits better
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against carrot, turnip, celery, potato, butter, parsley, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More vegetable soup recipes
You might also like
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Carrot Soup134 recipes
Cream of Celery Soup113 recipes
Potato Rolls78 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.