It’s been a hot minute since a last made some good old homemade soup. There was a time a couple of months ago, when I was practically making one every other day. In my opinion, veggie soups are basically a better version of a smoothie. Now I’m not saying that I don’t like smoothies, it’s just I prefer something a little more hearty and warming.. especially during this colder weather at the moment. Soups are a great thing to prep in large batches for a quick lunch of dinner time dish, in particular if you have a busy day. When I’m working and shooting recipes all day, time is pretty tight with the UK winter lighting situation at the moment (any food bloggers & photographers will know what I’m talking about here) so I’m always looking for something quick and easy to cook up for lunch.
Soups are also a fab way to use up whatever veggies that you have lying around at the bottom of your vegetable drawer and are often pretty cheap to make too. Carrots are so affordable, so this definitely isn’t going to be a dish that will break the bank. I also feel like this has a bit of a Spring vibe to it, with the freshness from the coriander and orange zest.
Another special addition to this recipe, which is one of my new favourite things to add into soups.. Apple! If you haven’t tried adding apple into soups or other savoury recipes, then you need to get on that ASAP! It gives this amazing fruity, sweet undertones and just adds an extra zing of flavour to jazz things up a little.
Now, lets talk a little bit about toppings and garnishing for soups.. what are your favourites? Personally, love adding some fresh herbs, black pepper and especially some crispy roasted chickpeas (I’ll be posting the recipe for these very soon don’t worry!) BUT.. here is something slightly different that you may not have tried before.. pesto! Yep, I know pesto is pretty delicious on everything, but it’s not something that I ever thought about adding to soup until recently! It’s a wonderfully vibrant, garlicky, herby spark of flavour and adds a nice pop of colour against the orange as well.
One Pan Zesty Carrot & Coriander Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots about 260g
- 450 ml water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 small brown onion
- 1 cup non-dairy milk - I use coconut
- Black pepper to taste
- Handful fresh coriander
- Zest from 1/2 orange
- 2 heaped tbsp apple puree I make my own by cooking apples and blending until smooth
Instructions
- In a pan, heat a little oil or spray and bring to a medium heat. Dice the onion and add this into the pan.
- Peel and chop the carrots into small chunks and throw these into the pan, then crush in the garlic.
- Cook until slightly softened, then pour in the boiling water and add in your stock cube. Bring to the boil, then cook over a medium heat until the carrots are cooked through.
- Allow this to cool a little, then in a blender, combine this with the milk, a good pinch of coriander, black pepper and apple puree. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour this back into the saucepan and sprinkle in the orange zest. Heat until piping hot and serve.
