How to Make Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

This Roasted Carrot and Ginger soup cured me of my childhood dislike of cooked carrots. Roasted carrots become tender, sweeter with a beautiful caramel color. Shallots, celery, and fresh ginger add delicious flavor. A dash of white wine and fresh orange juice gives the soup a new layer of flavor and brightness. The soup tastes like a cross between sweet potato and a sweet flavor, you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s delicious!

This soup is a miracle. I’m not kidding.  You see, I was one of those picky kids, who refused to eat cooked carrots. I’d rather be denied dessert, than to eat the boiled carrots my mother would sometimes put on our dinner plate.  For most of younger years of life, I continued to pick the carrots out of any kind of “vegetable medley”.  As I began to blossom into a grown woman, I began to eat carrots to be polite. Still, I didn’t really care for them. 

The first step to overcoming my dislike of cooked carrots was the Glazed Carrots recipe that I made a couple of years ago.  Success!  Still, I continued to feel disappointment if I saw “Carrot-Ginger Soup” as the soup of the day on a restaurant menu. 

I gambled that if I roasted the carrots, first, that I just might kick up the flavor a notch or two! I decided that I wouldn’t peel the carrots.  Why bother? I’m going to puree them anyway, and don’t the experts say that’s where most of the nutrients are?  Sounds good, but truth be told– it was less work, and I liked that. So, here we go:

Preheat the oven to 375. I had five organic carrots from Whole Foods. On sale, no less. Wash the carrots and cut off the bottom root end. Place the whole carrots (or you can cut them lengthwise) on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 375 until tender and caramelized (shake the pan about halfway through to evenly roast); about 45 minutes.  Set aside.

Look at the caramelization on these babies!  I cut a piece and tasted it. Wow!  They are sweet, and resemble the texture of baked sweet potatoes.  NOTE TO SELF: Add salt & pepper, sometime, and eat these as a side dish. They are a whole new animal, when they are roasted!

I decided to dice two shallots (about 3/4 cup) because I like their milder flavor. Yellow onions would do nicely, though.  I diced two ribs on celery, 1 clove minced garlic (not pictured) and grated about 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger.  Okay, it’s showtime!

In a Dutch Oven, I heated some olive oil and a pat of unsalted butter. I sauteed the shallots until tender (about 2-3 minutes) on a medium heat, being careful not to burn them.

Next I added the celery, ginger and garlic.  For seasoning, I used coarse salt and about 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper.  (Black pepper would do, but I wanted to keep the orange color free of color.)

I love to make my own chicken stock, but I’m out of it for now.  I always keep a reserve of quality chicken broth on hand, so I grabbed a 1-Quart box.  (You can easily replace this recipe with vegetable stock.) I added the roasted carrots into the pot and half of the chicken stock.  I brought the soup to a light simmer and then I used my immersion blender to puree the vegetables together.  NOTE: If you are using a blender, then you will need to puree this in batches. Be very careful to put a towel on the lid of the blender, so you don’t have an accident.  Personally, I recommend buying an immersion blender. It will make your life a lot easier, if you love pureed soups as much as we do!

The pureed carrots became pretty thick, so added the rest of the chicken stock– one quart, total. At this point I added some coarse salt as seasoning and a little more white pepper. Hmmm. I wanted even more flavor. Ah!  White wine! I added a big splash of sauvignon blanc (about 1/4 cup).  Better, but I wanted more flavor.  Then it hit me– orange juice!  I added a splash of fresh orange juice (slightly less then 1/4 cup). That was it!  I cut fresh chives from our herb garden, as a garnish.

 I turned the soup on low heat and whipped up a quick batch of  skillet cornbread….

…and then I took my first taste of Carrot-Ginger Soup.  The miracle happened. I smiled. I liked it!
TASTING NOTES:  Speaking for my husband, he asked me what was in the soup.  His comment was that it had delicious flavor, but he questioned if it was really carrot soup. He said it was sweet, creamy and flavorful.  He ate two bowls, as did I.  This is guilt-free soup, because it’s creamy without any kind of heavy cream added.  The balance of ginger was very subtle.  The natural sweetness of the carrots was the star, but you could taste a mild heat of the ginger as you swallowed. But there was a second miracle– my son, who has inherited my picky palate when I was his age– he ate two bowls. He loved it.

I see future variation possibilities for this soup.  Sometime, I will add a can of Lite Coconut Milk, and some fresh lime juice. Yeah? A garnish of cilantro will bring this home with Thai flavors.

So, miracles can happen when someone makes a decision to overcome childhood aversions.  Do you have a picky carrot eater?  Give this a try! Let them guess what’s in it.  Maybe you’ll change your mind. I did!

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Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

This soup has helped me to turn a new leaf on my childhood dislike of cooked carrots. When carrots are roasted, with a little olive oil, they become tender with a beautiful caramel color. This soup is flavored with shallots, celery, and fresh ginger. A dash of white wine and fresh orange juice gives the soup a new layer of flavor and brightness.

You can use either chicken stock or vegetable stock to create a healthy, creamy and hearty soup. If you don't tell your dinner guests what the soup is, they'll have a hard time guessing! The soup tastes like a cross between sweet potato and a sweet flavor, you can't quite put your finger on. It's delicious!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, main, Soup

Keyword: Carrot Soup, Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup

Servings: 6

Calories: 141kcal

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole organic carrots
• 1-2 stalks fresh celery minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger (use more if desired,
• 1-2 shallots minced (or 1/2 yellow onion, minced)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tsp coarse salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 quart quality organic chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup dry white wine I use Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/8 cup fresh orange juice to taste

Garnish:

• Fresh chives or chervil
• coconut milk or heavy cream for a richer flavor
• use cilantro instead of chives for a Thai twist

Instructions

• Wash the carrots and cut off the bottom root end.
• Place the whole carrots (or you can cut them lengthwise) on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Roast at 375 until tender and caramelized (shake the pan about halfway through to evenly roast); about 45 minutes.
• Set aside.
• In a Dutch Oven, heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil and the butter.
• Cook the shallots (or onion) until tender–about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the celery, ginger and fresh garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Season with about 2 tsp. coarse salt and white pepper (black is okay, but white pepper keeps the orange color “cleaner)”.
• Cut the roasted carrots into chunks, about 3″. Add the carrots to the Dutch Oven.
• Add about half of the chicken or vegetable stock and bring the soup to a boil, then down to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
• If you have an immersion blender, you can easily puree the carrots. The soup will be very thick.
• Add the white wine (if using) and then the orange juice. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
• OPTIONAL: You could jazz up this soup in a few ways. You could add coconut milk, some red pepper flakes and use lime juice, instead of orange juice.
• Or, you could add heavy cream or half & half if you want a creamier and richer soup.
• Continue to add the rest of the chicken or vegetable stock, until the soup is the consistency you like. One quart of stock created a hearty and creamy soup.
• Garnish with fresh chives or chervil, if desired. For a pretty presentation, you could add drizzled of flavored oil and/or creme fraiche.

Notes

Be warned that the ginger can be a dominant flavor and can also taste very hot and spicy)

If you don’t have an immersion blender, buy one! Otherwise, use a blender, but puree in batches and be sure to put a towel securely on the blender lid. The last thing you need is hot soup, sprayed on you and your kitchen!

We eat it without the oil and creme fraiche for less guilt, though.

Me, not being much of a carrot fan loves this soup. It has a beautiful color and great flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 1076mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 12728IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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