Carrot Ginger Soup ( Vegan Chicken like soup)

Vegans like to have a plant based broth to serve as their chicken wanna be soup. This carrot ginger soup is perfect.  It is a light broth with a rich soothing taste- with many of the vegetables that are in a traditional chicken soup ( but without the chicken of course) 

I've made this soup at family gatherings where most of the guests are meat eaters. Actually, they were surprised to find out that it was not regular chicken soup! The flavor is so good, it can food even my 93 year old mother in law who still can't quite get the " vegetarian way of eating." 

I serve this soup two ways

The first way to serve it is to leave it as a clear broth that I serve with rice noodles or my fabulous  homemade gluten free matzo balls.  

The second version is a thick delicious creamy puree. The basic recipe is so fast and easy, you can have homemade healthy soup in just 30 minutes!

 Clear Warming Broth Topped With Scallions

Thick Carrot Ginger Puree With Fresh Rosemary

Make this soup 2 Ways

As a broth- it is perfect for when its cold outside, or when you are feeling a little under the weather. It is soothing, light, and nutritious. The concentration of carrots and parsnips give it a slightly sweet taste that is kind of like a -chicken soup and feels healing like chicken soup.

Creamy Puree -It can also be made into a creamy thick puree by just processing the broth in the blender or using an immersion blender. Personally, I like it best this way. I like to top it off with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a little handful of fresh thyme from my herb garden. Yum!

Is it healthy? 
You bet ! Carrots are full of beta carotene which converts to Vitamin A, the fresh ginger is bursting with health protecting antioxidants,  the onion has quercetin which boosts immunity, and parsnips provide minerals and potassium. This is an easy, yet healthy soup that the whole family will love.

Pin it Now: This is a soup you will want to pin so you don't forget about it.

Author: Judee Algazi from Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

5 cups water
2 cups vegetable broth
1 medium onion, diced
8 organic carrots, sliced
2 TBSP olive oil
1 large parsnip, cut into 6 large pieces ( cut down the middle and then cut in threes)
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
1 ball of Asian style rice noodles
3 scallions, chopped for garnish
Himalayan Salt to taste

Directions

Clear Broth Soup

Bring 5 cups water to a boil, turn off heat and set aside. Saute the carrots, onions and ginger in a dutch oven in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir frequently. Add boiling water, parsley, parsnip and bring back to a boil, reduce to a simmer cooking slowly until carrots are tender about 15-20 minutes. Soup can be eaten plain or add a ball of Asian rice noodles and cook until noodle is separated and soft ( about 3-4 minutes). Add salt and pepper if desired and garnish with sliced scallions.

My notes: 
For a real treat leave out the noodles and make my fabulous gluten free matzo balls
Use a wide pot to make the soup instead of a tall narrow soup pot .

Pureed Soup
Follow the directions and at the end puree with an immersion blender ( or in the blender)

  

Saute Vegetables

Add Water and Cook Until Carrots Are Soft

Add Asian Rice Noodles During Last 5 Minutes

Version 1:  Vegetable Soup with rice noodles; add a dash  of cinnamon or allspice for a sweet taste or add salt for a more savory taste.


Version 2:  Add a little salt and puree soup in blender! Yum...

Either way, this recipe makes a great soup!