There’s no need for special ingredients to achieve a soup with this much vibrant colour. It’s naturally tinted and thickened with regular everyday carrots, available any time of year.
How many recipes can claim to be quick, easy, nutritious, low calorie, budget friendly, gluten free, dairy free and vegan? You’d think if it’s trying to please everyone, it would be a real stinker. But this soup is actually very satisfying in spite of its simplicity.
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Choose any size carrots but larger ones are less work because they’re easier to peel than a bunch of smaller ones. Just avoid any carrots that look dried out and split. And definitely pass on the “baby” carrots because they’re not actually babies. They’re just ground down to look like smaller carrots, and usually they’re treated with something weird to keep them fresh in the package. But the advantage of using fresh carrots that still have tops, however, is you can use the greens for garnish. Yes, they are edible! They’re usually more expensive than bagged carrots though, so here’s a tip – while shopping, when no one is looking, just break off a few fronds and slip them in with one of your other produce items and you’ll have free garnish.
I actually found an interesting website, the World Carrot Museum which has lots of good info about carrots from growing to storing to cooking. It also includes some fun facts and claims, for instance drinking carrot juice might get rid of grey hair. Who knew? And if you’ve ever wondered if ginger is a vegetable or herb, check out Little Green Yard to get your answer and to find lots of other great info for food nerds like me!
The ginger in this recipe adds a nice spicy warmth. You’ll be surprised how affordable and easily available it is. If you taste it raw, you’ll really get a zip but it mellows as it cooks. You don’t really need to peel it but I usually do so there are no dark bits in the soup. Make sure you slice off any dry ends before grating it. Adding some extra ginger to the soup as a garnish or just stirring some in at the end is strongly suggested for a little extra kick.
There are no thickeners in Carrot and Ginger Soup. Once the carrots are tender, you simply purée the mixture with an immersion blender and it will thicken to a consistency that’s not too thick or thin. Or, you can use a blender. Either way, wait until the soup is cooled a bit so you don’t risk getting burned. Then reheat gently before serving.
Feel free to get creative with garnishes. If you don’t “buy” carrot tops, parsley works too. Carrot peels are fun. They can be added raw for a crunch or microwave them so they’re more tender. There is no cream in the soup because it dilutes the flavour, but a drizzle of sour cream adds a little tanginess.
Serve Carrot and Ginger Soup with Buttermilk Biscuits Three Ways, New York Times No Knead Bread or Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread. If you try this recipe, feel free to leave a rating or comment below. Here’s the recipe:
Carrot and Ginger Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger plus extra added at the end
- 5-6 larger carrots about 1 ¼ lb
- 1 carton vegetable broth 900 ml or just under 3 ⅔ cups
- ½ tsp salt or more if using lower sodium broth
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- chopped fresh parsley or carrot tops for garnish if desired
- carrot curls for garnish if desired
- sour cream drizzle if desired
Instructions
- Finely dice onion. Grate ginger. Peel and chop carrots.
- Add olive oil to large pot and turn heat to medium-low. Gently sauté onion until softening and golden.
- Add ginger and cook for 1 minute, then add carrots and stir to combine.
- Add vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high until gentle boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.
- Remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly and purée until very smooth.
- Stir in fresh ginger before serving and garnish with fresh chopped parsley or carrot tops. Add a drizzle of sour cream if desired.
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