More than Mirepoix: Roasted Carrot and Cilantro Soup

September. These are the last fleeting days of summer and the return of the crispness of autumn, not to mention the kids to school!

For me, September brings to mind scarves and warm coats, piles of newly yellowed leaves, wood smoke hanging in the air like unspoken words and an end to the bounty of summer harvests; now is the time to be canning, freezing and otherwise preserving all of the best summer has to offer.

Not to be outdone by it’s summer seasonal counterpart though, there is much that is in season in September, including apples, pears, potatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, figs and of course, carrots.

Uncomplicated and easy to prepare, carrots are something everyone uses but don’t often think of as much of a star ingredient. They are usually thought of as a side dish or a background flavor, are always at the center of mirepoix (the aromatics forming the base of most soups, stocks and sauces, at least in French cuisine), and are often served raw on top of salads.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that carrots have a sweet flavor profile and when roasted, their natural sugars are enhanced dramatically giving them a caramelized, deep flavor and a wonderful meaty texture when made into purées for soups, such as this one.

Carrot and cilantro soup

Roasted Carrot and Cilantro Soup

Roasted carrots have a caramelized, deep flavour and a wonderful meaty texture when made into purées for soups, such as this one.
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Course: Soups & Stews
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dairy-Free, Gluten-free
Essential Ingredient: Carrots
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Roasting Carrots: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 216kcal
Author: Elizabeth

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs carrots peeled and uniformily sliced
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 large onion roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 6 small new or nugget potatoes about 2/3 lb (use only waxy varieties)
  • 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup cilantro lightly packed

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss sliced carrots in 2 tsp vegetable oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Rorast in the centre of your oven for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. Remove when slightly caramelized or blackened. Set aside.
  • In a heavy bottomed saucepan, sauté onion on medium heat in 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Meanwhile, peel potatoes and cut into large chunks.
  • Once onions have turned slightly translucent, add potatoes and sauté for about 10 minutes.
  • Add the stock and turn the heat up to high. Once boiling, lower to a simmer.
  • Keep simmering until the potatoes are almost done (about 10-15 minutes), then add the roasted carrots. Cook just enough to bring the carrots up to temperature, then remove from heat.
  • Pour soup into blender or food processor in batches (or use an immersion blender). Add in your cilantro at this point as well. Blend it all up until it's as smooth as you like.
  • Return soup to saucepan and reheat.
  • Serve with crusty bread for dipping and even a swirl of sour cream or crème fraîche.

Notes

To Freeze: Allow soup to cool completely. Ladle into freezer-safe containers or glass jars, taking care to leave enough headspace to allow for ice expansion. Close lids, label clearly with the date and place in the freezer.
To Thaw: Whenever possible, thaw soup overnight in the refrigerator. For a quicker thaw, place jar in tepid water and let stand at room temperature. Never pour hot water over your jar or it may crack.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 1035mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 25443IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg

So what’s your favorite thing about autumn? Does the humble carrot make it onto your table?

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21 Comments

  1. This soup sounds delicious. You are right, I rarely consider carrots as a star ingredient – in fact they are usually an afterthought. Will put this on my soup list – is still cold down here even though it is supposed to be springtime – so won’t be long before i’m have a hankering for soup!

  2. My favorite thing about fall…the colors, the smells, the weather, the fact that it goes by two names, the clothes, the food, etc. I have too many favorite things about fall. 😉 Fall is my favorite season and considering that the first day of autumn is only 2 weeks away, I’m excited. 😀

    I usually put carrots in with a roast or eat then raw. This soup sounds good; I can’t wait to try it.

  3. This sounds really good. Now I just need to convince my husband that soup is indeed his friend. Or I just make it for myself and the kiddo 🙂

  4. Thinking of the combination of flavors in this soup just blows me away! I love roasted vegetables of all kinds and carrots in particular. Combine them with potatoes, onions and cilantro and I can just imagine what a burst of flavor there is in every spoonful. This recipe is now on my must-try-very-soon list 🙂

  5. Oh yum!!! I’m going to try this. I love carrot soup and enjoy carrots with cumin, ginger or curry in the soup, but I’ve never tried cilantro. Perfect end of summer dish. It’s going onto the menu plan for the week.

  6. Liz, this is like one of those dishes on Top Chef, that people scoff at because it’s so simple, and then it ends up beating out the others for the win because it’s, well, perfect!

    This would make a lovely Thanksgiving starter.

  7. Sounds great, if I can just stop munching delicious fresh carrots long enough to get some in the pot. An option to the now boring ginger carrot/curry carrot soup I have been making forever. Mmm I do love carrot soup.

  8. Do you think it would be alright to subsitute the cilantro with parsley? Im really not a cilantro fan but this soup looks delicious!

    1. I think you could substitute the cilantro with parsley, yes. BUT, it will be a very different soup. You could try adding some ground coriander as well, if you don’t mind the taste of that….

  9. I made this for my MIL and husband this weekend. It was a big hit, but I would pair it with a sandwich next time since we were all a bit hungry 2 hours later. Great recipe for using up leftovers, thanks!

  10. Ooooh, this looks marvellous! I am trying to eat healthier at lunch and have been trying to hunt down non-boring soup recipes that will scratch my creative itch but also pack a punch in the flavour department. I’m excited to try this – thankyou for sharing 🙂

  11. It’s still time for a soup like this in our cold, blustery spring with only a few things in season so far at the farmer’s market (asparagus, mint, broccoli rabe). I love roasting vegetables for soup to bring out their sweetness– sweet potato, cauliflower, carrot– I’m thinking I’ll try a roasted asparagus soup next.

  12. I’ve made this several times now. It’s sooo goood! I’ve started chunking up the onion and roasting it with the carrots…big flavour impact.

  13. Just wanted to say how much I love this soup. My whole family does. I’m trying to get enough protein at every meal, and since I like to eat meat sparingly, I look for as many alternatives to it as possible. I just put in the ingredients of this soup into the USDA’s Super Tracker, and for 8 servings (what it divides into for our family), this soup has 9 grams of protein and only 229 calories per serving. Another reason to love it. 🙂