Carrot-Ginger Soup with Sweet Potatoes

How many recipes for carrot-ginger soup do you think there are out there, spinning around in cyberspace? Many, for sure. Can we agree the reason probably is because it’s pretty darn delicious and everyone wants to take a stab at making their personal favorite? That’s what we’ve been thinking, at least, and here we are. Carrot soup is probably one of the lighter meals you’ll ever serve yourself (unless you add a generous amount of heavy cream, which some people do), and it sure doesn’t hold us over for very long. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to make a little heartier of a version. Maybe not hearty enough to make up a full meal for the active person, or for the runner who just kicked off their wet shoes after hours worth of training in the November rain (we hear you), but enough to make up the base for a dinner (or lunch). We recommend serving this with pita wedges (which you can make from making this flatbread) and some sort of bean spread (such as the white bean “hummus”), or simply as a starter.

This recipe features sweet potatoes for some good carbohydrates and chickpeas for added protein. We like our soup heavy on the ginger, so it’s probably a good idea to reduce the amount a tiny bit if you’re more of a ginger skeptic. There really aren’t too much more to say besides that making big batches of soup every now and then to keep in the freezer is a life-saver – so do it! Just double up the ingredients and go ahead. Another tip is to pour leftovers into jars with screw top lids, if you’re planning on bringing some for lunch to work or school the next day. The leaking hazard is a lot less likely that way, we find, when you can keep the jar standing up in your bag instead of having to tilt the container sideways. That’s it – hope everyone is having a great soup Thursday! Stay warm!

För recept på svenska, klicka här: Morots- och ingefärssoppa med sötpotatis

Serves 3-4
Total Time: 40 min

1 tbsp olive oil
200 g onions, chopped (2 small)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped (approx. a 5 cm piece)
600 g carrots, roughly chopped (6-7 medium)
400 g sweet potatoes, roughly chopped (2 small)
8 dl water
1 ½ tbsp bouillon powder (omit if using vegetable stock instead of water)
2 ½ dl cooked chickpeas, rinsed
2 ½ dl oat milk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Spiced pumpkin seeds

1 dl raw, hulled pumpkin seeds (approx. 65-70 g)
1 tsp canola oil
A pinch (or two, depending on your taste) of cayenne pepper, cumin, ginger and salt

1. Heat up the olive oil in a pot and sauté the onions over medium heat for 5 min. Add in garlic and ginger, and let cook for another minute or two.
2. Mix in carrots and sweet potatoes and continue sautéing for 10 min. Stir frequently to prevent any burning.
3. Add in water and bouillon powder (or stock). Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer for 10 min, or until carrot and sweet potato pieces are easily pierced with a fork.
4. In the meantime, place chickpeas and oat milk in a bowl. Using a stick blender, purée until entirely smooth. Set aside.
5. For the spiced pumpkin seeds: heat up the canola oil over high heat. Add in seeds and spices and stir around until the seeds start to pop. This will take anywhere from 2-5 min. Remove from the heat immediately and place the seeds on a plate to cool off.
6. When the soup is done simmering, add in the oat milk-chickpea liquid and blend (with a stick blender) until silky smooth. Stir in the white wine vinegar and season to taste. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds on top, and an optional swirl of yogurt.