This Carrot Soup Gets a Pop of Spice From an Unexpected Ingredient

How’s your soup repertoire looking lately? While you might be well-acquainted with some broth-based delights or chunky stews, recipe developer and writer Erin Alderson says you may be missing a key pillar of soup season: “A creamy vegetable soup is a meal I feel like everyone should have in their rotation.”

Why should you look to a creamy vegetable option instead of indulging in the standard meat or bean concoctions? “It’s straightforward, you can use many different vegetables, and it can be a lovely base for fun toppings,” Alderson explains. And her version of carrot soup perfectly illustrates these principles.

“For this version, I’ve paired the sweet carrot flavor with a chile-spiked crunchy spelt,” Alderson writes, explaining that this is “a favorite way to use up leftover cooked grains.” Worried about potential sogginess? Alderson says the hearty grain holds up under moisture: “The spelt only softens slightly in the soup and offers a crunch with every bite.” Her one last word of caution? “Just try to not eat all the spelt before serving the soup!”

Carrot Soup with Chile-Fried Spelt

Serves 4

Ingredients

Soup

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1½ pounds (680 g) carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into wedges 
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 5 cups (1.2 L) water
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• 3 to 4 teaspoons lemon juice

Fried Spelt

• 1 cup (194 g) cooked hulled or pearled spelt
• Avocado or other neutral high-heat oil, for frying
• 2 teaspoons medium-heat ground chile
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cane sugar

Instructions

1. Make the soup: Heat the avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook the vegetables, stirring just a couple times, until everything has a good sear. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the carrots are quite tender, 15 to 20 minutes. 
2. Using a stand or immersion blender, carefully puree the vegetables until you have a soup consistency. Return the soup to the stove over medium heat. Add the heavy cream and heat until the soup is warm. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice to taste, adding more salt if needed. 
3. Make the fried spelt: Add about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil to a small saucepan and heat until it reaches 325°F (160°C). Carefully add the spelt and fry for 4 to 6 minutes, until the grains have substantially darkened in color. Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove the spelt from the oil and place in a medium bowl.
4. Combine the ground chile, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. While the spelt is still hot, sprinkle with the chile mixture and toss until well coated. 
5. To serve: Divide the soup into four bowls. Sprinkle with the fried spelt and a bit of the chile mixture left in the bottom of the bowl.

Notes: Using water instead of broth helps keep the carrot flavor prominent, if that’s your preference. The right amount of salt and lemon juice are key to brightening the soup without taking over. Play around with balance of flavor and find what works best for you.

Seasonal variations: This soup is my base recipe for most cream soups. During summer, I like to char paste tomatoes in a pan and make a cream of tomato soup; during the colder months, root vegetables like parsnips and rutabagas, or cauliflower or winter squash, puree well and are great with the crunchy grains.

Excerpted with permission from The Yearlong Pantry by Erin Alderson, published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, October 22, 2024, RRP $35.00 Hardcover.