Moroccan Carrot Soup
This velvety, creamy and slightly spicy Moroccan Carrot Soup is the perfect dish for a cold weather day and a great make-ahead meal.
A good soup is a foundational cooking skill that anyone can master. When I started cooking, soups where one of the first things I learned to make, mostly because they are quick to prepare and hard to mess up. You can essentially just add a bunch of stuff to a pot, let it boil, and you’ve got yourself a soup. The real art in taking a soup from good to great is the way you add flavour; carrot soup on its own is tasty, but adding herbs, spices and seasoning can help to make it delicious. So to help you take your soup making skills from good to great, here are some of my favourite tips when it comes to making a hearty soup.
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Sweat the vegetables. In order to make a really great soup, you have to build flavour as you go. Base vegetables like onions, celery, carrots and garlic, help to create a flavorful base to the soup, so take the time to cook them low and slow.
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Season generously. Too often, people skimp on the spices leaving the flavour profile lacklustre in the end. Herbs and spices can help to tie different vegetable and flavours together to help take something simple, like a carrot soup, and create something with a punch, like this Moroccan Carrot Soup.
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Salt, but sparingly. There is nothing worse than an overly salty soup, but there is also nothing worse than an unsalted soup. Salt helps to bring out flavours in food, but too much does not taste great. Be sure to add sea salt during the cooking process, but remember you can always add more once it is done. Palates will vary from person to person, so it is easy to season to taste once the soup is done cooking.
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Use broth. Many recipes will call for water or broth, but broth not only makes soups taste better but can help provide additional nutrition, especially if it’s homemade. You can certainly buy pre-made broths and stocks, but be sure to read the ingredients list for added sugars.
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Double the recipe. Cooking takes time, so if you are going to put in the effort you might as well make twice as much. Soups freeze really easily for several months and a great meal in a pinch.
This Moroccan Carrot Soup plays on all of these tips as it is full of flavour and also makes multiple servings. The addition of the Spicy Roasted Chickpeas, yogurt and harissa really help to heighten the flavours of this Moroccan Carrot Soup, but I can assure you it is still plenty delicious on its own.
Moroccan Carrot Soup
This carrot soup has a little bit of heat to it, but if don’t like things too spicy simply omit the crushed chillies. It is best served topped with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas, a dollop of full-fat yogurt and a drizzle of spicy harissa.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Soups & Stews
- Cuisine: Paleo, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 2lbs carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 crushed chilli flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 small lemon, juiced
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Toppings:
- Full-Fat Yogurt
- Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
- Harissa
Instructions
- In a large pot, on medium heat, add olive oil and diced onion, and season with a pinch of sea salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes until onions are tender and translucent.
- Add diced garlic and cook for another 1 minute, watching it carefully to ensure it does not burn.
- Add cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon and chillies and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add chopped carrots and stir to combine with onion and spice mixture.
- Pour in stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 30-35 minutes until the carrots are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
- Once to soup has cooked, remove from the heat, squeeze in lemon juice, and using an immersion blender or in batches using a bar blender, puree until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with full-fat yogurt, spicy roasted chickpeas and harrisa.
- Enjoy!
