One of my go-to soups when I need to prepare a healthy, easy and cleansing meal is Carrot Ginger Soup.  I first made this soup a few years ago while “attempting” the 21-Day Clean Program.  This soup is one of the few recipes from the Clean Program I have carried with me and have adapted over time to make it my own.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb of carrots

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled & grated*

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

32 oz low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (I typically use chicken broth)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  While your oven is preheating, peel and slice carrots into 1/2 strips.  Spread carrots on a baking pan and toss them in 2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast the carrots for 20-22 minutes flipping them halfway through the roasting process.

While the carrots are roasting, add the chopped onion and minced garlic to a stock pot with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes until the onions turn translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic.

In a blender, add the sautéed onions and garlic with half the roasted carrots, grated ginger* and 2 cups of broth.  Puree until smooth and pour back into the stock pot.  Add the remaining roasted carrots to the blender with 2 more cups of broth and 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/8 tsp cayenne.  Puree until smooth and combine with the pureed mixture in the stock pot.

Bring the soup to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  It’s important you cover the pot to avoid carrot soup splatters on your stovetop and surrounding area.  (I learned this the hard way…)

Garnish your soup with a few sprigs of flat leaf parsley and a dollop of non-fat plain greek yogurt.  Or top with the spicy carrot relish from last Friday’s Fave Finds.  I had some leftover roasted cauliflower and decided to pair it with the carrot relish for the garnish in my latest batch.

Enjoy!

*Simply Recipes has a great “how to” on ginger prep & storage.