Ginger Orange Carrot Soup

Ginger Orange Carrot Soup

Carrot Orange Ginger Soup - TheMessyBaker.com

I’m not psychic but something tells me that before the winter is over, my copy of Jeanelle Mitchell’s For the Love of Soup is going to be dog-eared, grease-splattered and a fought over. Sorry extended family, but you’ll have to get your own copy. I can’t imagine being without mine for long.

I first heard about this book more than a year ago from my beef-searing buddy, Heather Travis. One minute we were dissing salt-laden condensed soup, the next she was raving about a little recipe book I’d never heard of and begging me to find a copy. As luck would have it, Whitecap recently reissued the nearly decade-old title last month — with a makeover to match its younger sister, For the Love of Salad.

Like its older sibling, For the Love of Soup isn’t a photo-rich, high-maintenance bombshell you drool over but abandon after a few dishes. Instead, this quietly pretty book is the kind you bring home to the family. The recipes are approachable, use easy-to-find ingredients and deliver results that will lead to requests for seconds (or thirds, if there is any left.)

My only trouble with the book was deciding which recipe to try first. As usual, Life handed me the answer. With a bag of carrots moldering in the fridge, a stash of ginger lounging in the freezer and a new food processor with a juicer attachment just begging to be tried, Carrot Orange Ginger Soup was a natural place to start — despite my neutral stance on carrot soup.

This recipe changed my mind. I am now a huge carrot soup fan. As long as it has lots of ginger and orange in it.

Yesterday, we had six around the dinner table and  I scraped the pot clean. Even with a roast chicken and baked Yukon Gold potatoes on the menu, I could easily have skipped the Sunday dinner and filled up on soup — with a thick slice of crusty bread and a slab of  sharp cheese. And maybe a salad… All I know for sure is the next time I make this I’m doubling the batch and not sharing a drop.

And yes, there will definitely be a next time. That is, between pots of Mexican Tortilla Soup, African Peanut Chicken Soup, Wild Mushroom & Leek Soup with White Wine…

Got a favourite soup? Share a link, a recipe or a memory.

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Ginger Orange Carrot Soup

Light and refreshing, this bright orange soup is bursting with beta-carotene and flavour. It can be served hot or cold, making it an ideal dish year round.

  • Author: Charmian Christie
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 45 mins
  • Yield: 6 to 8 1x
  • Category: Soup

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil or safflower oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 4 cups peeled and chopped carrots
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt or sour cream, or more to taste (optional)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives, or flat-leaf parsley (I used cilantro and it was wonderful)

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in ginger and cook for 2 minutes longer.
  2. Add stock, water and orange juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  3. Puree soup in the saucepan using an immersion blender, or transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, then return soup to the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer until heated. Serve garnished with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream (if using) , and sprinkle with chives or parsley (or cilantro!)

Notes

Tip: Using a sweet onion gives this soup a wonderful flavour, but if you don’t have one, the soup will still be delicious if you substitute a regular cooking onion.

Excerpt printed with permission. From For the Love of Soup by Jeanelle Mitchell. Published by Whitecap Books © 2010.

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18 Comments
  • Jen
    Posted at 10:19h, 15 November

    I LOVE Tomato Soup, especially this recipe:

    http://piccantedolce.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-favorite-tomato-soup.html

    Which came from my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.

  • Heather Travis
    Posted at 10:21h, 15 November

    Amazingly, this is one of the few recipes from the book I haven’t tried! This book is my most used cookbook. PERIOD. Which is amazing, because after making most of the soups two or three times you know the recipes by heart. So glad you love it too Charmian:)

  • Dinetonite
    Posted at 10:36h, 15 November

    I made this yesterday. Quick, easy, and amazing! Served it to two

  • Jeannie Patton
    Posted at 14:03h, 15 November

    What I really like about this recipe is its lack of cream, half-and-half, and the other common fats that usually appear in soups like this. Considering that I dislike cooked carrots, I think I’ll still give this a try. Thanks for the recommendation.

  • Amy P
    Posted at 16:14h, 15 November

    The best soup, usually is the soup I had last. I was inspired by a recent invitation to visit a university residence. The oh-so-very-charming students had prepared me a pumpkin soup with the most marvelously intense garlic and chili drizzle, add as much sizzle as you like. I took their inspiration home, and bumped it up one more notch, thicker, and more robust courtesy of a few stray mushrooms and heavy duty cream. Then the garlic-cilantro-cumin-hot smoked paprika and cayenne drizzle made us literally cry with delight, but the pumpkin soup by itself was just right for the little one.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:51h, 16 November

    @Jen, thanks for the link. I’m a big tomato soup fan myself. Especially with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side. What a perfect winter lunch.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:53h, 16 November

    @Heather Travis, really? This soup just jumped out at me given my love of ginger. I highly recommend trying this recipe. Today.

    Thanks again for suggesting this book. It’s already well on its way to being a family fave!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:53h, 16 November

    @Dinetonite, neat! Great minds think alike. And I laughed when I read it served 2. Yup. I can see that.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 08:59h, 16 November

    @Jeannie Patton, very few of the recipes in this book call for heavy creams or fat beyond what little is used to saute the vegetables — unless you count a dollop of sour cream (or Balkan yogurt, which I use instead). Also, because you make the soup from scratch, you control the sodium levels. How perfect is that?

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:01h, 16 November

    @Amy P, oh, that sounds amazing. That drizzle is a great idea for when feeding groups where some like heat and others don’t.

    Love, “The best soup, usually is the soup I had last.” Often true. Especially with this book.

  • Sophie
    Posted at 12:51h, 16 November

    A lovely warming gingered soup this surely is!! I love ginger in nearly anything!!

    Now, I would like to savour a big bowl, please!!!

  • The Diva on a Diet
    Posted at 18:04h, 16 November

    Oh, swoon! I’m a huge fan of carrot soup and nearly any variety will do. But you’re right about the winning combination of ginger, carrots and orange. Its magical … and so is your photo.

    This book sounds so great. I love a meal of soup. Really, what’s more comforting?

    (p.s. – thx for the welcome back. I’ve been on a much needed hiatus and just now trying to get back in the game!)

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:25h, 17 November

    @Sophie, I’m a huge ginger fan, too. Add orange and I’m all yours.

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:27h, 17 November

    @The Diva on a Diet, nice to see you back!

    I can pass on carrot soup most of the time since I find it a bit boring, but the ginger and orange really make this addictive. Add cilantro (my twist) and I could eat this until I turn orange.

  • handmeafork
    Posted at 11:30h, 14 February

    This post just made me eat some soup for breakfast! I like the orange juice addition. When I make Mulligatawny Soup I always add a splash of OJ.

    I made a very similar recipe the other day except I used honey and fresh thyme. This is the perfect recipe when you have extra carrots laying around.

  • Pingback:Celebrate Winter is Winding Down, Final Soup Round Up!
    Posted at 01:04h, 18 March

    […] Ginger Orange Carrot Soup […]

  • sk
    Posted at 07:59h, 17 February

    Mmmm… Delicious! OMG how easy is that soup….

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 09:27h, 23 February

    Super easy. It’s one of my favourites.