Roasted Carrot & Tomato Soup | National Soup Month

Hey there, Chicago! I hope you’re staying as warm as you can. Today is one of those days where I feel extremely fortunate that I work from home. The “feel like” temperature this morning was -51 degrees and letting the pups out I felt like I had turned into a human icicle. This is dangerous cold so I genuinely hope you all are staying warm and avoiding the cold as much as possible if you’re experiencing this polar vortex. On the bright side, this is perfect soup weather! Nothing warms you up more than a screaming hot bowl of soup, something I’m going to miss in the gorgeous 60 and 70 degree Texas weather in a few days. Fingers crossed my flight gets out tomorrow night!

For the final Soup Month recipe, I wanted to do something where you could feel great about eating the entire pot if you wanted instead of guilty. I also wanted something that was compliant with my dairy and gluten-free diet. I’ve made tomato soup and there are a million recipes out there for it. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a carrot-only soup but while brainstorming recipe ideas, this Roasted Carrot & Tomato Soup sounded like it would be a winner. Guess what? It was! Roasting vegetables brings out all their natural sweetness and flavor. So roasting the carrots and tomatoes instead of submerging them in vegetable stock to cook them gives this soup an extra depth of flavor. It’s tasty and surprisingly hearty. It’s also a great way to get extra veggies into your picky eaters if they hate carrots but LOVE tomato soup.

It starts by seasoning the carrots and tomatoes separately. A little coriander for the carrots, a little basil for the tomatoes and onions. Scatter the garlic, pop everything in the oven and let it roast. Once that’s done, let everything cool because you need to peel the tomato skins off and that is awfully painful if they’re still hot. Trust me...I did not wait long enough. Next up: blend. I use my immersion blender because it’s easier to clean than a regular blender or food processor but any of these options will work. Add a half cup of vegetable stock at a time to loosen the soup until you reach your desired consistency. I do not recommend more than a cup and a half of stock. I settled on one full cup. Heat the soup up for a minute or so to get it hot again and serve! It’s as simple as that.

Is this soup vegan?
Yes! It’s completely vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.

What if I can’t find vegetable stock?
Vegetable broth also works. If you can’t find either or don’t prefer the flavor of veggie broth, you can use chicken or turkey instead. In that case, this would no longer be vegan.

Do I have to use plum tomatoes?
Nope. Use whatever tomatoes you have available to you. and make sure you have a full pound of them. Remember to adjust the roasting time in the oven to accommodate their size. Also make sure the carrots are cut to adjust to the cooking time as well.

Roasted Carrot & Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. Carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
4 tbsp. Olive Oil
¼ tsp. Coriander
1 lb. Tomatoes, halved lengthwise (remove seeds if there are a lot)
1 small Onion, quartered
½ tsp. Basil
4 Garlic Cloves, skin left on
1.5 cups Vegetable Stock
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1 - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, coriander, salt and pepper and place on one half of a baking sheet. Toss together the tomato halves, onion, basil, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil and place on the other half of the baking sheet. Scatter the garlic cloves around the baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast 25-30 minutes until the carrots are tender and tomatoes are wrinkly. Let cool.

2 - Peel the tomato skins away from the flesh. Place all the vegetables in a medium soup pot. Add ½ cup of vegetable stock at a time while blending with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, place everything in a regular blender or food processor and puree adding ½ cup of the vegetable stock at a time. Continue blending and adding the vegetable stock (up to 1.5 cups) until you’ve reached your desired consistency.Warm the soup over a medium heat and serve.

Yields 2 Servings as a Main Course or 4 Servings as a Starter