Carrot, Ginger and Sweet Potato Soup

Low in fat, creamy and deliciously satisfying, this soup is packed full of fibre, beta-carotene and ginger, making it a nutritious, anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting and waist-line friendly dish.  Think of it as your “green juice for the winter”- a great and tasty way to pack a ton of nutrients, vitamins and minerals into one healthy meal.

You can pair it with crackers or crudités for a snack, or, for a fuller meal, with lean protein or wholesome wholegrain bread, along with some hummus and carrot sticks.  It can also be made in bulk to last you through the week, or frozen in smaller portions to have on standby whenever you need.

This soup, along with my World Cup Pea Soup and Lemony Lentil Soup (soon to come), definitely tops my list of all-time favourites – perhaps even taking the top spot!

Apart from its delicious taste, this soup also has nutritional benefits to match:

Carrots provide one of the highest sources of pro-vitamin A carotenes, with just two carrots providing roughly four times the RDA!  They are also a fantastic source of Vitamin K, biotin, fibre, Vitamins C and B6, potassium and thiamine.  Carrots are also an excellent source of antioxidant compounds (carotenes) that help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.  Interestingly, one study that examined the diets of 1300 elderly people in Massachusetts found that those who had at least one serving of carrots per day had a 60% reduction in their risk of heart attacks, compared to those who ate less than one serving of this carotenoid-rich veggie a day.  High carotene intake has also been linked to a 20% decrease in post-menopausal breast cancer and up to a 50% decrease in incidence of cancers of the bladder, sildenafil cervix, prostate, colon, larynx, lung and oesophagus!  And of course, as most famously known – carrots also promote good vision, especially at night!

Along with carrots, sweet potatoes are also an excellent source of antioxidants and Vitamin A.  Apart from being extremely tasty, this superfood is also packed full of fibre, potassium, folate, Vitamin C, iron, copper and, perhaps most importantly, (as previously mentioned), beta-carotene.  Additionally, not only do sweet potatoes pack in a good amount of iron, they also contain copper, a mineral that helps your body absorb iron.

Ginger possesses numerous therapeutic properties, including anti-oxidant effects and the ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds and aid efficient digestion.

So in case its creamy, guilt-free deliciousness wasn’t enough to convince you, there are more than enough good reasons to whip up a batch of this soup on a cold winter’s night! 🙂  Enjoy!

Recipe

Serves 4 (can easily be doubled)

Ingredients

1 large onion – chopped
7 medium size carrots – peeled and thickly sliced
1 Tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, chopped
1 large sweet potato – peeled & cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4.5 cups chicken flavoured / vegetable stock (made from stock powder – MSG free!)
1 tsp. salt (more acc. to taste)
Black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large pot, sauté the onion and ginger in 1 Tbsp. oil until transparent.

Add carrots & sweet potato and cook over a low heat until slightly tender.

Stir in stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.  Once fully cooked, turn off the heat and blend soup fully until completely smooth using a hand held immersion blender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sprinkled with any of the follwing: chopped fresh coriander, red pepper or chili flakes, pumpkin seeds or toasted flaked almonds!