Ok – I didn’t post anything for Halloween. I thought we would be carving pumpkins and roasting seeds, I even thought I might get around to making this pumpkin seed brittle. But if you remember, I was sick last week and had to scramble to put together a last minute costume on Saturday, leaving no time for pumpkin fun. I still have a bunch of whole pumpkins on my front steps who are very sad to have missed out on Halloween. There’s always next year. I did still feel the need to make something just a little bit festive, so I made orange soup. It’s not spooky and doesn’t include any pumpkin (sorry pumpkins), but it is orange and that will just have to do.
In all honesty, I’m not just writing about this ginger carrot soup because it’s orange – it’s also really, really good. It’s packed full of carrots, so it’s super healthy too! The sweetness from the carrots with the spiciness from the ginger work perfectly together, and the little bit of nutmeg rounds it all out perfectly. This is an easy one to throw together and it stores really well in the fridge or freezer. Turns out there are many reasons to make this soup – not only because it’s orange.
Ginger Carrot Soup
Adapted from Food to Live By
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 piece (3 inches long) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped (a little less than 1/4 cup)
1 1/4 pounds carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 4 cups)
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
sour cream, for garnish
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, stock and orange juice. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and let simmer until the carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.
Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the sauce pan. (Or, let the soup cool slightly, then puree it in the blender or food processor.) Add the nutmeg to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup with a spoonful of sour cream or freshly ground pepper. Can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days or up to a month in the freezer.
we’ve been on a real gingered carrot soup kick too. here’s one we’ve enjoyed that throws in a couple extra flavors like peanut butter and fish sauce. maybe a little overboard
, but delicious.
I really like your site by the way… Just came across it. excellent theme, great photos, good looking recipes. Looking forward to more!
Talley – Thanks so much for the compliments. I’ll have to look into that peanut butter and fish sauce idea, I love when random combinations work! I checked out your site – it looks great, I love that you guys live on a house boat, so cool. I’ll have to add you to my list of food blogs to follow.