Spicy Curried Carrot Soup

This soup makes me happy. The flavor makes me happy. The color makes me happy. The texture makes me happy. And making it makes me happy. It’s not super often that you find really unique and different soups. For the most part, they are pretty standard and include a lot of the same ingredients. So this soup is a breath of fresh air for the world of soup-lovers (….me) out there!

This carrot soup takes kind of a Thai turn with the curry paste and coconut milk, and these flavors just pair so deliciously well with the carrots! This soup is also gorgeous – it has the prettiest  pumpkin-orange color. And making yummy looking food is fun (especially when you get to photograph it 😍😍). You know what they say – you eat with your eyes first, right?? I don’t know how true that is for me…if there is a plate of food in front of me, and it sounds good and/or smells good, I’m pumped about it whether it looks nice or not. But, it is extra fun when the food is yummy looking as well as yummy tasting!

I will give you a heads up, though (if the title wasn’t enough of a heads up) – this soup be spiiccc-aayy. Not overwhelmingly spicy, and the sour cream mellows it out a bit, but if you don’t like spicy food, this will be too much for you most likely. The spice comes from the red curry paste. Red curry paste is really hot (and SUPER TASTY). So be careful if you are wary of spicy food.

So, some deets about what goes into this soup and makes it so crazy tasty:

1. The base flavors. We saute shallot, garlic, and ginger together for a few minutes before adding some curry paste and lime juice, which also gets cooked for a few minutes. The combination of these five things gives this soup such an amazing and aromatic flavor base. It kicks everything off with a flavor punch like nobody’s business.
2. The liquid. We use two cans of creamy, rich coconut milk and a 32 ounce box of veggie stock. The coconut milk gives this soup so much richness and depth, which you really need. Also it makes the flavor awesome, too.
3. The texture. The texture of this soup is one of the highlights. It is velvety and smooth and perfect. The trick we use to achieve this? Two russet potatoes. You don’t taste any potato, but it adds the substance and smoothness that you don’t really get from just the carrots alone. It also thickens the soup a bit and adds some starchiness. It’s one of our sneaky tricks in this soup 😉.

If you want to give the soup even more heartiness and substance, I think it would be really yummy poured over some jasmine rice or regular white rice. I haven’t actually tried that, but I personally think it sounds super tasty!

Want to know something big that’s happening in my life right now? My bachelor bracket. Firstly, you are not allowed to judge me for my guilty pleasure show (The Bachelorette). Secondly, you are allowed to judge me for participating in a Bachelor bracket, because I even judge myself a little bit for that. I’m in it with seven other people (I even roped Seth in 😏), and it’s basically like the brackets you make for March Madness.

You get to watch the first episode of the show, and then you create your bracket for the entire season based on that. I tossed and turned over this bracket for like a week. First I had it all done, then I second guessed and went back to work on it some more. If you are wanting to avoid Bachelorette spoilers, don’t read this next part.

I am SO mad because I initially didn’t have Demario in at all, thinking he would be kicked off in the first rose ceremony. And then I SECOND GUESSED MYSELF and threw him back in there for like half of the entire season!! Then his sneaky little butt turned out to be sketchy and got kicked off in the first episode. So sad. So very sad.

Hellooooo didn’t we all learn in like middle school not to second guess your answers and go with your gut? I cannot tell you how many times that came back to bite me while taking tests in middle school, high school, and college. Second guessing is evil. And it messed up my bracket, danget.

Must go comfort myself with Curried Carrot Soup…..

Spicy Curried Carrot Soup

★★★★★

4.5 from 2 reviews

This flavor bomb soup needs to be a staple in your household. A mix of carrots, a few potatoes, coconut milk, veggie stock, and a few Thai flavors – it doesn’t get any more flavorful or yummy than this!

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 pounds carrots (about 10-15), peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons ginger, freshly grated
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste, (this is the kind that I use)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 32 oz box vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce (Tamari if gluten free)
• Olive oil for pot
• Optional toppings: cilantro, extra lime juice, a dollop of sour cream

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, add some olive oil and let it sit until hot. Add your shallots, garlic, ginger, and a bit of salt and pepper to the pot and saute for a few minutes until softened, stirring often.
2. Add your curry paste and lime juice and stir to combine. Cook for another few minutes, stirring often.
3. Add your carrots, potatoes, coconut milk, and veggie stock. Season with salt and pepper
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes or until carrots are very tender when pierced with a knife.
5. When the carrots are tender, blend everything together with an immersion blender (or stick blender) until the soup is totally smooth. Stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Top each bowl with any optional toppings that you like (sour cream, cilantro, lime juice).

Notes

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree this in a food processor. It just won’t be quite so quick and clean! But it’ll work just as well.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 436
• Sugar: 12 g
• Sodium: 805 mg
• Fat: 31 g
• Carbohydrates: 35 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Protein: 6 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy soups? Check these out:

Crock Pot Moroccan Lentil Soup [Vegan]

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup