Yesterday, a few of you expressed interest for the Creamy Sweet Potato Bake recipe, so I thought, why not kick off the Meal Planning Week with this casserole dish? The rainy and gloomy weather suited it well too.
Sadly, it was a bust!
It turned out bland and the flavours were just off. It had all the right components- kale, sweet potato, fusilli pasta, homemade bread crumbs, with plenty of creamy sauce, but they just didn’t add up for me.
Strangely enough, Eric loved this casserole. With ketchup, that is! He said he will eat leftovers for lunch so at least it won’t go to waste.
I first saw Joy’s Carrot Apple Ginger Soup when I was in the depths of my flu, unable to speak or taste anything (except sugar). This bright orange soup called my name and I thought it was just what I needed to heal myself. I also figured a soup this gorgeous and bright would awaken my taste buds.
But that soup never happened. In my dreams, maybe!
It was a good idea in theory, but I was too sick to move let alone cook something. I just pretended what it might be like to eat this soup when sick. I’m sure it would have been very healing. :)
Yesterday, I was feeling rather energetic and this soup just had to be made. The last thing I wanted was to eat another bland tasting dish!
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Carrot Apple Ginger Soup
Lightly adapted from Joy The Baker.
Yield: ~5 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for garnish
- 1 small onion, diced (1 cup diced onion)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 large apple
- 1.5 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped (~5 cups)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (I used full sodium)
- pinch of nutmeg
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. In a large pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil over low-medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for another couple minutes on low. Add chopped apple and carrots and cook for a few minutes more.
2. Add the vegetable broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender.
3. Carefully transfer this mixture into a blender (or you can use an immersion blender probably), add a pinch of nutmeg, and blend until smooth. You might need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. You don’t want the soup more than halfway full or it might explode through the top. Make sure to allow steam to escape through the top of the blender lid too.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can also thin the soup out a bit with more broth. Serve and garnish with freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. It goes lovely with fresh bread and Earth Balance. Makes 5 delicious cups!
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I made a few light modifications to the original recipe:
- I reduced the olive oil from 3 tbsp down to 1 tbsp
- I used 2 garlic cloves instead of 1
- I used a large apple instead of a small apple
I had a feeling this soup was either going to blow my mind or be a huge flop.
But, how can you go wrong with apple, carrots, and ginger?
You just can’t.
So strap on those goggles and get chopping!
I feel like we are far enough along in our relationship that I can reveal to you my onion chopping secret.
Meet, the Onion Goggle.
OSGMOM gave me these a while ago and I was hesitant to use them for a long time, but now I don’t chop an onion without them! They don’t prevent tears 100%, but I would say they have cut down onion related tears about 80-90%. I only wished they worked on PMS tears too!
My favourite time to cook is at sunset- I love the way the light beams into the kitchen. :)
When you begin cooking down the soup, it will look bland. Very bland. I was a bit nervous at this point.
After simmering for 20 minutes, transfer it to a blender (you may have to do this in batches as you don’t want to fill it more than halfway), add a pinch of nutmeg, and blend until smooth. You could probably also use an immersion blender if you have one.
The soup came alive! Just look at that gorgeous colour.
I got a bit too excited because I burned my tongue trying it! When will I ever learn?
I was really worried the soup was going to taste like this…
Instead of this…
To my delight, this was one of the best homemade soups I have tasted. I was afraid that the ginger was going to be too spicy for me, but it wasn’t at all. It was just perfect in every way.
You must try this soup. I will be making it again and again…it’s in the vault!
Carrots ‘N’ Cake Book Giveaway Winner
Jillian you are the lucky winner of the Carrots ‘N’ Cake giveaway! Congrats! Please email me angela [at]ohsheglows.com and we will get you a copy sent out. Thank you everyone for participating!
Hello! This looks interesting :)
I don’t have fresh ginger, but I have dried/the spice ginger, is that OK?
Hey Anni, Yes, you can absolutely use ground ginger instead of fresh. A good rule of thumb when making this substitution is to use around ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh. So, in this case, you’ll want to use about ½ a teaspoon of ground ginger (or maybe a bit more to taste), rather than 2 tablespoons of fresh. I tend to prefer fresh ginger in soups and curries, but it should work in a pinch.
This looks amazing, I’m making it this weekend! I was just wondering how well it froze?
It freezes well, but it’s so good, you might not have any leftovers. :)
Hey Olivia, It freezes great! Soup is one of those things that you can usually count on to make a good freezer meal. :)
The BEST carrot ginger soup EVER!!!!! It is so easy to make, and so yummy, that I make it once per week!! I like to serve it with baked salmon that I flake and add to the bowl of soup and I also drizzle some liquid turmeric over the top before serving. Guess what I’m having for supper tonight, and looking forward to it. :))
At my house, I speed up the process. I used organic unsweetened apple sauce. So much easier. Roast the carrots, process them until smooth and just add in the Apple sauce. No need to cook the apples again.
Great idea to add the applesauce. I’m just putting together a carrot, ginger, squash soup and wanted to add some apple. Perfect. I’ve seen a few people wondering about using powdered ginger vs fresh, its a totally different taste. I always use fresh.
What kind of apple would you suggest for this soup? I never know which flavors work with what.
Thanks!
Hi Nicole,
I like Granny Smith in this soup. It’s tart flavour balances the sweetness of the carrot pretty well. But really, I think it would work with just about anything! Hope this helps :)
Looking at this has made my stomach start growling. Seriously. I may give this soup a try, later on, this week. Oh, and if you ever misplace your trusty onion goggles, running the onion under cold water for a few seconds works just as well. At least, it has for me and I am so sensitive to onions that my eyes swell shut if I’m not careful when cutting them. XD
Hey Ael, Thanks so much for the water tip…I’ve heard to run cold water while slicing them, and I find that helps, but doesn’t fully prevent the problem. Years later I’m STILL using my trusty onion goggles!! My eyes are so sensitive too. Hope you love the soup if you make it!
This is CRAZY good soup! And so simple. I tested it with my family earlier in the week and just made it with my plant-based food group and they all loved it. A winner! Thank you.
Thanks Debra! So glad to hear it was a hit :)
SOOO delicious- I made this with a bag full of apples from the ugly produce shelf.
I also saved some dishes by dicing smaller than usual and not bothering to blend. Worked just as well.
So delicious! I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it’s akways enjoyed by all. Simple to make yet it looks quite fancy and is definitely tasty and healthy!
I’m making this for Canadian thanksgiving on sat. I have 16 guests. Should I be tripling the recipe as is.
Thanks!
Hi Nora, Oh good question…I haven’t tripled it before but it should be fine as long as your pot is big enough! And I wouldn’t triple the salt…add it to taste slowly and you should be fine. :)
Did you ever remake the kale sweet potato pasta casserole … it sounds so good … I would love the recipe but I am not finding it on the site maybe just looking in the wrong place?
Hey Chris, thank you! I didn’t find a version of that casserole I loved enough to share, but you might want to give my Make-Ahead Roasted Butternut Squash Casserole a spin. The vegan parmesan is out of this world! Here is the recipe if you’re interested: https://ohsheglo.ws/s :)
I’ve been on a soup kick this winter and my husband said this was the best soup I’ve ever made! Which I find kind of hilarious because it’s so simple, but hey, I’ll take it! Even my 6 month old liked it! :)
I can’t wait to try this soup! In fact, with the colder temps and the fall foliage starting this just might be what I make this evening. Might have to cut it in half since it is just me, but I will probably make the entire recipe and then see how well it holds up in the freezer :) I love the modifications that you made to the recipe as well.
I would have thought that at 60 years of age I would have heard of onion goggles before now – where have they been all my life! Going to look into getting a pair ASAP.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to check out the rest of your site.
I make this soup every time the weather turns cold, or when it’s a gross rainy day. It’s so bright and invigorating – we love it! Sometimes, I’ll blend in tofu to pump up the protein and make it more filling, but otherwise, I make it as written. LOVE this soup. I serve with tiny diced apples on top for a yummy crunch texture, too.
Stumbled upon this recipe while googling “carrot soup apple ginger” based on what is in my fridge during COVID-19 and not wanting to venture out. A delight – and so fun to revisit an oldie on your website. Thanks for recipes always but especially during this time.
Love this recipe!
Any chance you have suggestions for how to modify for the Instapot?
Thanks!
For the instant pot, I would just suggest sauteing the veggies per the recipe on the saute setting, add the broth and seasoning, and process for as long as you should for carrots or other root vegetables in your instant pot. I think maybe 15-20 minutes or so? Should work.Then blend.