I love growing them because they’re easy. In fact, they’re so easy, you can forget about them, which is what I did. So I pulled them up this week, and found that these sweet little baby carrots had become quite large and unwieldy.
These were no straight carrots, either—they usually come out of the ground round, like the heirlooms that they are, but because I forgot about them, a lot of them grew quite crazily with lots of bumps and weird growth. The bad part about that is they were a bit hard to peel, with lots of crevices. But peel them I did, and that became the most challenging part of this project. You can avoid that, of course, because you can buy the straight ones in your local market if you don’t grow them yourself—so much easier to peel!
I decided that since I had so many of them, I’d make soup. I’ve never made carrot soup before, and I figured it would be lovely with ginger, so I added quite a bit. No regrets there. Our weather had just become cool, so the ginger was delightfully warming. Like it or not, soup season is here.
I roasted the carrots with some garlic and oregano first because I wanted to taste the sweet intensity that only roasting can bring out in root vegetables. I wanted them to caramelize to bring out their depth of flavor, and it did. The aroma coming from the oven was pretty intoxicating.
I had a lot of carrots and didn’t weigh them, so I probably used more than 3 pounds. I added some Better Than Bouillon because it seemed like I needed more liquid, and the soup turned out to my liking, so maybe it depends on how thick you like your soup. In other words, you may not need it.
I made this with chicken stock because I like the flavor it adds, but you can make it vegan simply by using vegetable stock. Either way, this gives you a healthy dose of vitamin A from beta-carotene, which is excellent for your eyes, skin, and lungs. This is perfect for staying healthy on the cool days ahead.
Roasted Carrot Soup with Ginger
Ingredients
- ~3 lbs carrots, any kind, cut into even-sized pieces
- 1 small handful fresh oregano leaves
- Olive oil, divided use
- 8 cloves garlic, minced or grated, divided use
- Salt & pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger
- 1 qt chicken or vegetable broth
- ~1 cup bouillon (optional, if needed)
- Parsley for garnish
Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 375º F.
Place the carrots, oregano leaves, and 3 cloves of minced garlic into a large bowl. Salt & pepper to taste, then drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. You want to use enough to coat the carrots, so toss everything together, then see if you need more.
Once everything is coated, spread the carrots out on the prepared sheet pan, ensuring that they are in a single layer.
Roast the carrots for 40 minutes, tossing them on the sheet pan about halfway. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven, and sauté the onion until translucent. Add 5 more cloves of minced garlic, stir in the minced ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add the carrots and chicken or veggie stock and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. I found I needed more stock, so I added a cup of Better Than Bouillon, but I had a lot of carrots, so you may not need to.
Once the carrots are very tender, carefully purée the soup with an immersion or regular blender, taking care not to make hot splashes—you don’t want to burn yourself.
Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with parsley. Bring on the crusty bread to enjoy.
Makes about 4 servings.
