Cream of Carrot Soup with Ginger Recipe

Root vegetable soups are perfect for winter. They’re easy, homey, warm and they make use of pantry vegetables in their prime over the winter months.

Here’s a recipe for a very satisfying gingered cream of carrot soup. Once you can make this, you can follow the same basic technique with a few small alterations to make any number of carrot soup variations. See below the recipe for a few more carrot soup flavoring ideas.

Cream of Carrot Soup with Ginger

• 2 Tbls of butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbls of freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 pound of carrots, cut into rings
• 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (homemade chicken stock is best, but the stock from tetra packs is good too. Canned will also work fine)
• Salt and pepper
• Sour cream for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat a heavy saucepan or stock pot over medium and add the butter. Once the butter melts, toss in the onions and sauté stirring, until the onions have softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add in the grated ginger and minced garlic and sauté, stirring, for about 30 seconds, and then add in the carrots, and continue to cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes or so.
3. Add in the stock, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat so the stock just simmers and then cook for 20 minutes or so, or until the carrots are cooked through and tender.
4. Once tender, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor in batches in and puree
5. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper
6. When serving, stir in a spoonful of sour cream into each bowl as a flavorful garnish

So easy, so healthy and so tasty!

Variations

Using the same basic technique from above, you can alter the recipe slightly to make a host of interesting and very tasty variations, try:

• Orange Carrot Ginger Soup – add a cup of orange juice in after you blend the soup otherwise and make as directed above
• Heartier Orange Ginger Soup – to make the above soup a little more filling, add a large chopped potato with the carrots. You may need to add a little more stock as well, at least enough to cover.
• Honey Leek Carrot Soup - Frying a couple of chopped leeks instead of the onion, omitting the ginger and adding in a Tbls of honey or so
• Curried Carrot Soup - Try following the recipe as above, but also adding a cup of coconut milk and 1-2 tsps of curry power

Other Flavors That Go Well with Carrots

Use your imagination and create your own carrot soups

• Thyme
• Tarragon
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Lemon juice and lemon zest
• Lime juice
• Olive oil
• Cumin
• Chili peppers
• Cinnamon
• Maple syrup
• Mustard