Carrot Red Pepper Soup [vegan, dairy-free]

A wholesome carrot red pepper soup your whole family will love. Perfect with avocado toast or a stretchy grilled cheese!

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Don’t you just love it when you find a dinner that is A.) delicious, B.) healthy, and C.) easy to make? This soup is a grade A winner in my house for knocking all three of these criteria out of the park.

I especially love this soup for being yet another star in my constant quest to incorporate more veggies into our everyday meals. Although we are not vegans or even vegetarians, I do like to go meatless at least a few times a week.

Also, I have a toddler, and let’s be honest – the chances of him choosing to eat veggies are SO MUCH HIGHER if they’re part of a muffin, meatball, pasta sauce, or soup, than served on their own. (Unless it’s sweet potato. Then be on guard, because he will DEVOUR IT ALL.)

Rest easy, sancti-mommies, I don’t pretend they’re not there, and I still put the unadulterated veggies on his plate. But at least for right now, everyone in my house knows that’s just for appearances sake. Maybe one day he’ll eat some broccoli, and I’ll try not to fall out of my chair.

So, soups like this are a big fat winner. Except there’s nothing fat about it. The bulk of the soup is carrot, with a bit of red pepper, yellow onion, thyme – because thyme makes every savory food taste even better, I swear – and … stay with me … kale.  

The first time I added kale to this carrot soup, it was solely because I had way too much of the leafy green left over in the fridge. But, it’s great! I mean, you’re adding only a small amount in relation to the carrots and savory herbs, and the long-ish cooking time means that any of the bitter flavor that turns many people off on kale is completely gone. So, in essence, you get all the benefits of kale (Vitamin A! Vitamin C! Calcium!) with no drawback.

Just a crazy delicious soup, especially perfect for cozying up on a cool fall or winter day. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and cashews, pair it with a grilled cheese, avocado toast, or just some good crusty bread, and enjoy! ♥

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Carrot Red Pepper Soup

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Total 60 mins

Yield 6-8 servings

A wholesome carrot red pepper soup your whole family will love. Perfect with avocado toast or a stretchy grilled cheese. Vegan and dairy-free!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into slices
• 2 lbs. (1 kg) carrots, peeled and cut into coins approximately 1/2 inch thick
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1 large handful kale, leaves only, coarsely torn 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 4 cups (1 liter) vegetable stock*
• coconut milk, optional, for serving**

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, approximately 6 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, red pepper, and kale, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, another 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook approximately 1 minute, just until fragrant.
4. Pour the stock over the veggies and stir. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat back to medium, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the carrots are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
5. Use an immersion blender, standard blender, or food processor to puree the soup until smooth. Stir in a bit of coconut milk, if desired, garnish, and serve. 

Notes

*If you are not vegan or vegetarian, chicken stock also works well. Of course, strict vegans will want to ensure their vegetable stock is certified vegan.

**If you are not dairy-free, or tolerate dairy in small amounts, heavy cream, Greek yogurt, or creme fraiche are all good substitutes to coconut milk.

If you're looking for a good, inexpensive immersion blender, here is the one I use and love. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough - life-changing! 

Just like the roasted tomato basil soup (also dairy-free!), this soup keeps extremely well. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze for 2-3 months and defrost overnight in the fridge.

I've tweaked and adapted this recipe over time from this soup, which was originally inspired by a Williams-Sonoma cookbook and appeared on Nourish & Fete late last year. I pretty much always make it this way now, but I'm leaving the old post up for posterity, and for everyone to get a good gasp at the hideous old picture. 🙂 

Bring on More Comfort Food!

Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Soup [dairy-free]
One-Pot Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti
Weeknight Marinara Sauce
Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

More Veggie-Filled Foods My Kid (Really) Eats:

Wholesome Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Zucchini Basil Pesto
French Carrot Salad
Roasted Carrot Coins

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