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By Jess Smith
Published Jan 16, 2013•Updated Nov 07, 2022
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Curried Carrot Soup with Toasted Pepitas is a simple curried carrot soup with extra flavor from curry spices and coconut milk and added crunch from pepitas. This easy soup is perfect for a weeknight dinner and gains more flavor if made ahead and kept in the fridge overnight.
Recipe Inspiration – Comfort in Routines
The return from the holiday season in the U.S. to our regular rhythm has set in quietly (albeit, as always, a bit too soon). I’m finding comfort in the routines. Early alarms and dark morning walks to the gym again define the start to my days and simple dinners at our kitchen counter conclude them.
Despite this peaceful return to the normalcy of everyday, I can’t help but feel a sense of unsettledness. Perhaps it’s the turn of the page on the calendar or even the subtle transition has cooled the air in our hot city, but I’m restless over something I cannot pin down. I have the sense that there is something I have overlooked – that feeling you get when you know there is a bill unpaid or an appointment missed. In search of a cure, I cleaned out cabinets and scanned checklists. I arrived at work early this week, ready to tackle some unproclaimed, lurking task. But still, the feeling lingers.
I am not one who tends to resolve to make big changes in January, although I embrace the sense of a fresh start. Instead, for me, January is a month for simplifying, slowing down, and embracing the familiar. Perhaps I’ll find that unpaid bill or missed appointment and feel a sense of relief, but I’m not holding my breath. I suspect it is something bigger. I am hopeful that it will be something extraordinary.
In the meantime, I’m loving that familiar brushing our teeth, reading books on the couch, kitchen-counter-dinner rhythm. I’m loving this place, with its IKEA bar stools and dishes piled in the sink, that Frank and I are simply ourselves, simply content to be embraced into the folds of the everyday.
Curried Carrot Soup with Toasted Pepitas
Maybe it was always a foregone conclusion after two years of living in Thailand, but I submit that everything is made better with coconut milk.Soups in this country are remarkable things, intensely flavored with rich broths, fresh spices, and often, with sweet, creamy coconut milk. The fresh stuff has consistently proven to be an odyssey for me to obtain, but I keep the infinitely more accessible store-bought variety in my pantry all the time.It makes me think that being vegan wouldn’t be half bad.I’d take coconut milk over the dairy version just about any day of the week.
I made carrot soup twice last week. The first version was pretty standard – a bit of cumin, but no cream or milk. It was good, and we ate every last spoonful, but it left me wanting more.Something with the slightest indication of heat and even more fragrant spice to complement the carrots.Something with coconut milk.The carrots really found their groove in this version of the soup.It was a subtle shift from carrot soup to curried carrot soup that made a huge difference. And don’t miss those pepitas (pumpkin seeds) on top – they are toasty and crunchy and pretty, to boot.
More Vegetarian Soups
- Creamy Tortellini Soup with Tomatoes and Kale {Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, Stovetop}
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup with Miso
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Curried Carrot Soup with Toasted Pepitas
Curried Carrot Soup with Toasted Pepitas is a simple curried carrot soup with extra flavor from curry spices and coconut milk and added crunch from pepitas. This easy soup is perfect for a weeknight dinner and gains more flavor if made ahead and kept in the fridge overnight.
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 40 minutes mins
Servings: 4
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Equipment
Stockpot
Standing or Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 1/2 cup Raw Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 2 1/2 pounds Carrots, diced
- 1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Yellow Curry Powder (see note)
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 6 cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
- 2/3 cup Light Coconut Milk
- Juice squeezed from ½ small lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Plain yogurt, for topping (optional)
Instructions
Place a soup pot over medium heat. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil and add the pepitas.
Cook the pepitas, stirring frequently, until they turn golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer the pepitas to a paper towel to cool. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Return the pot to the burner and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the carrots to the pot and cook until they begin to soften and look damp, about 5 minutes.
Add onions, curry powder, and cayenne and sauté until the onions become soft, 5 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.
Transfer soup to a blender in batches (or use an immersion blender in the pot) and blend until very smooth.
Return the soup to the pot and heat just until it begins to bubble.
Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk, lime juice, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, topped with a drizzle of plain yogurt and the toasted pepitas.
Notes
I used mild yellow curry powder (such as Madras powder) in my version, but you could easily use just about any variety of curry paste in this recipe – red, yellow, or panang (available in the Asian sections of many grocery stores) would all be wonderful and each would produce a unique flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 1020mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 47367IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $6.00
Calories: 267
Keyword: easy dinner, easy soup, easy, weeknight-friendly, family friendly, vegetarian
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All Recipes, Soups and Stews, Vegetarian
About Jess Smith
Jess is the recipe creator and photographer at InquiringChef.com. She spent nearly a decade as the Chief Recipe Developer for the award-winning meal planning app Cook Smarts. Her colorful, healthyish recipes have been featured in popular online publications including Parade, Hallmark, and HuffPost.
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