Chances are you’ve had or at the very least heard of carrot ginger soup before, this is not a new combination. But this recipe comes from my mom, who is the queen of cooking and baking and if I’ve learned anything in all my years growing up around her – it’s that simple ingredients produce the best results. This soup is a great example of how keeping it simple can yield the sort of healthy comfort food that even your kids will love!
First off let’s talk about what’s in our soup here we have carrots, ginger, celery, green onion, applesauce and the secret sauce ingredient, coconut milk! This is going to be “zhuzh” in the soup that makes you want to lick the bowl, please don’t, I mean I won’t judge you but others might…
In all seriousness though, this soup is hearty and filling enough for dinner but leftovers make a perfect weekday lunch. You can even double the recipe and freeze a quart for a fast weeknight meal any night you don’t have time to cook. I love making a bunch of soups early in the fall and freezing them. Then I have quick, healthy dinners all season long to break up all the holiday eating!
I especially love this one since the carrots provide a full day’s worth of vitamin A and beta carotene as well being naturally low in fat and calories. One medium carrot provides almost 2 grams of dietary fiber as well as a host of other vitamins and minerals such a potassium and my favorite mineral magnesium.
Ginger is the other all star ingredient here and a little goes a long way in terms of flavor (you don’t need a lot) in this soup. Ginger has been one of those ingredients that has been passed down for years as a medicinal treatment for almost everything. Arthritis, cramps, digestion etc…folklore aside, ginger is a potent “antioxidant” which is a compound that stabilizes free radicals in the body and helps prevent diseases from taking over… so not only does it add a warm and spicy kick to foods, it also helps kick inflammation in the ass.
Did I mention this recipe is easy peasy? Powerhouse nutrition? check. Easy to make and store? check. Delicious? Hm, for that one I say you need to make it and let me know in the comments what you think!
Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup
Equipment
- dutch oven
- immersion blender
Materials
- 6 carrots Medium to large (chopped)
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp ginger freshly grated
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 4 cups vegetable stock low sodium
- 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1/2 cup coconut milk full fat
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to your taste, depending on stock saltiness)
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Wash and chop all your vegetables to diced chunks and finely grate your ginger
- Heat your olive oil in a large dutch oven and add the shallot, celery and green onion. Cook until the onion is soft, then add in your chili flakes.
- Add in your chopped carrots and broth and cook over medium-high heat until the carrots are soft, about 10-12 mins.
- Add in your applesauce, ginger, coconut milk and then puree all together until smooth using either an immersion blender or transferring in batches to a blender.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste, top with cilantro or sourdough croutons if desired
