This Carrot Ginger Soup is rich in flavor and color. It’s great for a cold or rainy night, especially if you are feeling under the weather. Full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients, it’s both healthy and delicious. Serve it alone or alongside a salad or sandwich.
This soup is so lovely and inviting, it makes you just want to dive in. It’s creamy and luscious but also full of vitamins and super-powered medicinal spices. The layering of flavors and textures is just right and will make you feel warm and cozy inside. Try it with Curried Tofu Sandwiches.
Ingredients for Carrot Ginger Soup
- Carrots and Squash: This soups uses a combination of carrots and butternut squash. If your local grocery does not carry pre-diced butternut squash, you can use sweet potatoes instead. Personally, I find the preparation process of using whole butternut squash to be too time and labor-consuming. I get the 10 oz. package of pre-diced squash from my local HEB store, but many other stores carry something similar.
- Apple: I use a granny smith apple in this recipe. It give it just a hint of sweetness and adds another layer of flavor. I’ve made this soup with and without the apple and I think it’s fantastic either way, but I definitely prefer it with the subtle apple flavor. You could try other varieties of apple as well.
- Ginger: Ginger root contains gingerol, a bioactive compound with potent anti- inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It also imparts a unique flavor that is slightly spicy and peppery and also sweet. The addition of this superfood makes this soup incredibly tasty and a great choice if you’re feeling a little under the weather.
- Turmeric: Another spice from the ginger family and high in anti-inflammatory properties thanks to a component called curcumin. Turmeric gives this dish a beautiful golden color and earthy flavor.
- Coconut milk: Adding a small amount of coconut milk gives this soup a creamy and luscious consistency. I add this at the very end after blending the other ingredients.
- Lemon juice: Last, but not least, lemon juice is the perfect finisher for this soup. It unifies all of the other flavors creating a perfect soup harmony.
Cooking Tips
- Once you’ve cooked the diced onion for a few minutes in your pot, go ahead and add all of your herbs and seasonings and heat through. This will release their oils at the beginning of the cooking process and extract the most amount of flavor.
- Stir in all of your chopped veggies and coat well with the herbs and spices. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes.
- Now the easy part: Add the broth and simmer until all the vegetables are tender before blending with either a hand held immersion blender or counter top blender.
- Finish off with coconut milk and lemon juice.
Carrot Ginger Soup
Course: SoupsDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings10
minutes20
minutesIngredients
3 cups carrots, roughly chopped
2 cups butternut squash, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 inch ginger, grated
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup canned coconut milk
Juice 1/2 lemon
Directions
- In a large pot, saute the diced onion in a small amount of olive oil or vegetable broth until it’s translucent.
- Add the ginger, garlic, thyme, cumin, turmeric, and paprika, stir to combine, and let it cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Next, add the squash, carrots, and apple; season with salt and pepper. Stir well and cook another 2 minutes. Now add the vegetable broth to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil and then quickly reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the soup and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.
- Allow the soup to cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s thick and creamy. Alternatively, you can transfer the vegetable mixture to a high-powered blender and blend it before pouring back into your large pot. Stir in the coconut milk and cook an additional 2 minutes or so.
- Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasonings as needed. Garnish the soup with a drizzle of soy yogurt.
Notes
- Don’t forget the lemon juice at the end. It adds a brightness to this soup and gives a punch to the other flavors.
- I like to drizzle a small amount of soy yogurt at the end. This is totally optional.
