Carrot Ginger Soup

Although it’s officially spring, it’s still pretty cold out. Due to the fluctuating weather, I caught a cold last week which resulted in me constantly blowing my nose and not being able to breathe properly due to a stuffy nose. Though I recovered very quickly thanks to lots of rest and water, I wanted to help boost my immune system and make myself a nice healthy soup. What better way to recover from a cold than some Carrot Ginger Soup?

Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin A which is key to a healthy immune system. Ginger is apparently supposed to relieve cold symptoms as well. Together, they make a kick ass soup that’s not only delicious, but super good for your health too! Best of all, I made this soup with barely any cream so it’s perfect for those who are lactose intolerant or taken aback by soup that’s super rich.

Instead of using pure chicken broth to make the soup, I did a 50/50 mix of water and chicken broth to minimize my sodium intake as much as possible. This is a great soup that’s super easy to make –  I encourage everyone to try it! It’s not only for the sick 😉

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• ginger (about 3 inches in length), finely chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• heavy cream
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

1. In a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, generously drizzle the bottom of the pot with extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped onions and crushed garlic and cook until soft and translucent – approximately 8 mins.
2. Add the chopped carrots, water, broth, and ginger into the pot. Cover and bring the soup up to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat back down to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 20-30 mins until the carrots are soft.
3. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a bit. Once it’s warm enough to be transferred to a blender, purée until smooth.
4. Transfer the puréed mixture back into the soup pot and bring it to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper accordingly to taste. I added approximately 1 1/2 tsp of salt and maybe 1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper but that’s because I love pepper 🙂 Since my carrots weren’t very sweet naturally to begin with, I also added a tsp of sugar to compensate for it.
5. Lastly, as an optional step, you can add a drizzle of heavy cream to make the overall soup more smooth.
6. Done! Now go enjoy your soup 🙂