Carrot Soup With Parsnip, Ginger and Lime
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The best carrot soup recipe I’ve ever had included flavors that complimented the sweet carrot.
If you’ve never had carrot soup with parsnips, ginger, and lime, now is the perfect time to make it.
Not only is this soup recipe easy it’s also economical.
Simple Carrot Soup As Part Of A Nutritious Diet
Years ago I participated in the Welfare Food Challenge, which helped me identify ways to stretch our grocery budget.
I had a limited $20 weekly grocery budget to spend and create a meal plan which proved challenging.
I chose carrots as part of my shopping list mainly because they were cheap.
One of the recipes I created that week was a carrot and beet salad that tasted far better than I imagined.
This carrot beet salad comprises a grated carrot, boiled beet, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar.
The salad was simple, delicious, full of nutrients, and fit within my grocery budget.
Previously, I had also made an egg salad and carrot sandwich which allowed me to stretch the filling.
Most importantly, it tasted pretty darn good with the added shredded carrots.
Without a doubt, I’d most certainly make egg salad with this again, perhaps with homemade basil mayo.
The carrots were made to be fillers for the egg salad as sometimes celery can be expensive.
The challenge’s focus was taking a budget-friendly basic ingredient and turning it into something delicious.
Using Carrots In Recipes
The great thing about carrots you can turn them into carrot cake, carrot muffins, and carrot- marmalade.
Initially, when I had made this carrot soup, I struggled with a thickness enough to consider it a soup.
That’s when I thought I would add potatoes to the soup but decided on using one of my favorites, parsnips.
What Are Parsnips?
Parsnips are part of the parsnip family and are cream-colored, shaped like a carrot, and can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, steamed, or fried.
Parsnips are native to Europe and Asia and were used by the ancient Greeks and Romans for medicinal and food purposes.- Omafra
When parsnips are in season, you’ll find they are inexpensive to purchase.
Some parsnips are lifted in late August and sold fresh in Ontario.
Most of the parsnips are harvested in October and November for winter storage.
Some of the crop is left in the ground over the winter and then harvested in March through April the following year. – Omafra
If you’ve never tried parsnips before, they have a sweetness to them but are earthy in taste.
You can roast parsnips, and you’ll find they get sweeter in flavor which you can also do for this carrot soup recipe.
I only used two medium-sized parsnips for this carrot soup recipe, which cost me just under $2.
The nutritional requirements of parsnips are very similar to those of beets and carrots.
An adequate supply of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash are important for optimal parsnip development.- Omafra
Carrot Soup Switch-Ups
You could roast the carrots and parsnips before adding them to the pot to bring out even more flavor.
If you want to bulk out the carrot soup, add lentils or any other type of beans you’d like, such as pinto beans.
Other flavor variations to consider for your carrot soup may be:
- Curried Carrot Soup – Add 1 tablespoon of curry paste or 1 tablespoon of curry powder
- Carrot Ginger Turmeric Soup – Add 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric powder
- Carrot Tahini Soup – Add 2 tablespoons of tahini paste
The great thing about this carrot soup recipe is that you can add flavors, so you do not always have the same soup.
I like making such soups because my family thinks they are getting an entirely different soup each time.
Sneaky, but it’s a great way to meal plan on a budget, especially when meat is expensive.
How To Make Carrot Soup With Parsnip, Ginger and Lime
I intended to make my carrot soup quick, easy, and cost-effective.
From start to finish, the carrot soup took me 25 minutes which included 10 minutes of prep time.
The recipe time will increase if you choose to roast your parsnips and carrots.
Along with carrots and parsnips, I decided on spring onion, ginger, and lime to flavor this soup.
For the creaminess of this soup, I went with a mix of heavy cream and coconut milk.
In the UK, I often use coconut milk because it costs around $2-3 and is full-flavored.
Since I only had a small refrigerator in my kitchen, storing cans of coconut milk was easier.
Alternatively, If you don’t want coconut milk, you can use strictly heavy cream or vice-versa.
Types of Broth For Carrot Soup
For the broth, you can make homemade chicken broth or buy a carton of chicken broth or chicken bouillon cubes.
Whatever fits your budget is what you want to focus on and quality.
How To Make Carrot Soup
Carrot Soup With Parsnip, Ginger, and Lime
- Recipe Type: Soup
- Author: Mr.CBB
- Prep time: 10 mins
- Cook time: 15 mins
- Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 6
Carrot soup with parsnips, ginger, and lime is a quick, delicious, healthy, and budget-friendly meatless soup perfectly served with rolls and butter or crackers. Garnish with sour cream, shredded old cheddar, spring onion, chives, or fresh parsley.
Ingredients
- 2 medium parsnips peeled and cut into medallions or cubes
- 1lb of carrots peeled and chopped or baby carrots
- 1 spring onion chopped
- 2 tbsps salted butter
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tbsp of fresh ginger minced
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- Fresh parsley or spring onion for garnish
Instructions
- Add coconut milk, carrots, parsnips, salt, pepper, ginger, spring onion, and chicken broth in a large pot.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then lower to medium heat until the carrots and parsnips are soft—about 10 mins.
- Remove from the heat, then add the whipping cream, butter, and lime juice.
- Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth.
- Taste for flavor salt and pepper and add more if needed
- Garnish with fresh parsley, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, chives, or spring onion.
Carrot Soup With Parsnip, Ginger and Lime
Carrot soup with parsnips, ginger, and lime is a quick, delicious, healthy, and budget-friendly meatless soup perfectly served with rolls and butter or crackers. Garnish with sour cream, shredded old cheddar, spring onion, chives, or fresh parsley.
Ingredients
- 2 medium parsnips peeled and cut into medallions or cubes
- 1lb of carrots peeled and chopped or baby carrots
- 1 spring onion chopped
- 2 tbsps salted butter
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tbsp of fresh ginger minced
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- Fresh parsley or spring onion for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, add coconut milk, carrots, parsnips, salt, pepper, ginger, spring onion, and chicken broth.
- Bring the pot to a boil, then lower to medium heat until the carrots and parsnips are soft. About 10 mins.
- Remove from the heat then add the whipping cream, butter, lime juice
- Using a hand blender, puree the soup until smooth
- Taste for flavor salt and pepper and add more if needed
- Garnish with fresh parsley, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, chives, or spring onion.
Another variation is to add chopped tomatoes and paprika or pepper flakes to create a spicy carrot tomato soup.
Lastly, garnish with fresh parsley, sour cream, grated old cheddar cheese, chives, or spring onion.
Discussion: What would be your optimal flavours for this carrot soup?
Share your feedback below in the comments, as I’d love to hear what you’d enjoy, and perhaps it will give me more ideas.
Mr.CBB
