AIP dill pickle ground beef soup with parsnips, carrots, and fresh dill

Most nights on this protocol come down to one question: can you get something warm on the table before you run out of energy to make it. This soup asks for 1 small exception: quick pickles made the night before, since almost every jarred pickle on a store shelf is loaded with sugar, citric acid, or dill seed. Once that jar is in the fridge, the rest of the soup comes together in the time it takes ground beef to brown.

Ginger powder is doing more than flavor in this pot. It is linked to lower inflammatory activity in some of the research on ginger, useful on a night when the goal of the meal is calming things down, not stirring them up. Parsnips stand in for the potatoes that would usually anchor a soup like this, and they are a source of fiber along with their own natural sweetness.

There is an animal behind the beef browning in that pot, and a quiet nod to it while you stir is not out of place.

Ladle it hot and let the smell of dill reach you before the spoon does. A soup built around a pickle jar sounds strange until you have made it once, and after that it is just dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 3 stalks celery, finely diced
• 3 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 2 large carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 5 cups water
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (AIP swap: in place of potatoes)
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups homemade AIP dill pickles, sliced and chopped (AIP swap: in place of store-bought)
• 6 tablespoons brine from homemade AIP pickles

Method

Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt. Break the meat apart with a wooden spoon and brown it, stirring occasionally, until no pink remains. Do not drain - the fat carries flavor.

Add the diced celery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring it into the beef.

Add the grated carrots, dried dill weed, and ginger powder. Stir to combine and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the 5 cups of water and add the cubed parsnips and the remaining 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered until the parsnips are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped pickles, pickle brine, and fresh dill. Taste and adjust salt - the brine will add salt on its own, so go easy before tasting.

Serve warm, with extra fresh dill on top if you like.

Instant Pot variation

Using the Saute function, brown the ground beef with 1 teaspoon salt directly in the pot, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add the celery, carrots, dried dill, and ginger powder and saute for 2 more minutes. Add the water and parsnips and the remaining salt. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick-release the pressure. Open the lid and stir in the chopped pickles, brine, and fresh dill. Taste for salt before serving.

*Adapted from eatbeautiful.net*