My good friend Kristina is an excellent cook (think paella for a dinner party). She is my go-to when it comes to food prep questions, and I have many. To be honest, I was a little nervous to ask her to suggest an easy meal because nothing she cooks seems simple to me. While this soup recipe of hers may not be as quick or basic as past Easy Eats dishes, it does serve a time-saving purpose. So, without further ado, guest blogger Kristina and her carrot ginger soup! 

As Thanksgiving approaches and I begin mapping a plan for the holiday food, I also like to prepare a meal for the evening before the “day of non-stop eating”.  Family members descend upon my house the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so I like to be prepared with a light, easy, healthy meal.  One of my favorites is carrot ginger soup.  Made of a few simple ingredients it whips up in a flash and you can even make it a day or two ahead of time.  If you are in Darien, shop local and pick up a nice crusty bread from Flour, Water, Salt, toss a great salad from ingredients found at the Darien Farmer’s Market and grab a nice bottle of wine from Sipstirs.  This meal is sure to please and make you a pre-Thanksgiving hero. Cheers, Kristina.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1-inch​ piece of ginger peeled and chopped
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups carrot juice (I like the juice from the refrigerated section of the store)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• shake of cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp half-and-half

Instructions

1. Heat the butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, and cook until tender but not browned, about 15 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook 1 minute more. Add the carrot juice, stock, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are very soft about 30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Puree in batches in a blender or immersion blender. Return to pan and thin with stock or water if necessary. Stir in half-and-half and adjust spices.