Today’s recipe was born out of a dream; the dream of being able to make a dinner with no chopping. Now, that is obviously a very lofty goal and one which I did not attain with this recipe. But, this recipe is incredibly fast and easy. Even though there is some chopping involved, because we will blend the soup at the end, a rough dice will do.

The key ingredient in making it all possible is the mighty baby carrot. I’ve been wondering why I’ve never utilized baby carrots in my recipes. They’re the most flavorful carrots, they’re already peeled, and they’re already sized into relatively uniform pieces. The baby carrots are complimented primarily by one of my favorite spices: coriander.

As usual, I am a huge believer in high quality, fresh spices. Quality coriander seeds will have a pungent smell bordering on floral and citrus. This compliments the earthy sweetness of carrots beautifully and elevates the whole recipe. For those of you in Canada, I highly recommend Épices de Cru, a wonderful boutique in Montréal that also ships. The other spice here is fenugreek, a wonderful nutty spice often found in curry powders. It has the additional benefit of helping to thicken the soup. 

This recipe requires blending the soup, so make sure you have something on hand which you feel comfortable blending a large amount of soup in. This makes a lot of soup – perfect for meal prepping in the colder winter months. I hope this easy, delicious recipe finds its way into your kitchen soon! 

Active time 15 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, roughly diced
• 2 large red bell peppers, roughly diced
• 2 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped (≈25g ginger)
• 3 12oz bags of baby carrots
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 6 cups water
• Salt & black pepper
• Suggested Toppings: toasted pumpkin seeds, grated swiss cheese or ricotta

Directions:

1. Heat a large Dutch oven on medium heat. Add in the coriander seeds and toast them, stirring constantly, until they are fragrant and easily splinter in half if pushed down on with a spatula. This typically takes 2–4 minutes. Set aside.
2. Toast the fenugreek seeds the same way. These will turn deep brown and should be faster. Set aside. If you have a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the whole seeds into a powder/paste. If not, no worries—they can be blended with the rest of the soup but may not be quite as smooth.
3. Turn the heat up to high. Add in the olive oil, then the yellow onion and red bell peppers. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until they have caramelized on the outside a bit.
4. Add in the baby carrots, vegetable broth, white wine vinegar, ground turmeric, 1 tsp of salt, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium low and simmer with the lid ajar for 20 minutes. At the end, the carrots should be easily pierced with a fork.
5. Let the soup cool for a few minutes, then blend the soup using either an immersion blender or carefully transferring it to a normal blender. Taste for salt and acid levels and adjust. Serve while hot, topped with preferred toppings. Enjoy!