Roasted Carrot Soup

Every now and then, all of us get gripped with the resolution to cook and eat healthier dishes. Salads, soups, and subs materialize out of the random assortment of vegetables, fruits, and condiments hibernating in the fridge. In this random trial and error, a few attempts click. Here is one such a dish that is heart-warmingly good for you, especially on a bleak winter evening that looks into the final week of the semester.

Ingredients (serves five)

1. 6-7 medium-sized carrots
2. 2 tomatoes
3. 1 medium-sized onion
4. 5 cloves of garlic
5. 1-2 cups of cooked beans (kidney beans, soy beans, white beans, garbanzo, black-eyed, black beans etc.)
6. 2-3 teaspoons of salt
7. 2 teaspoons of pepper
8. ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
9. 3 tablespoons of olive oil
10. 4 cups of vegetable stock or water
11. some croutons for garnishing
12. some sprinkling of grated cheese for garnishing

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Roughly chop the carrots, tomatoes and onion, and toss them with the garlic cloves. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil, add a teaspoon of salt and pepper, and combine well till the vegetables are evenly coated. Roast the vegetables at 400 F for 40-45 minutes.
2. Allow the roasted vegetables to cool. When cooled, blend them together adding a few cups of water/vegetable stock until the vegetables are pureed. Since carrots are slightly fibrous, the puree will not be totally silky and smooth. Some may prefer to strain the fiber, but I don’t, since I believe it has some good nutrients that should be consumed.
3. Transfer the puree to a pot and let it come to a boil on medium heat. Taste the puree and adjust the seasonings (salt and pepper) accordingly. When the soup begins to heat up, add half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg (freshly grated will be more aromatic). If you have bullion cubes, you could add a couple of them at this point. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more water/vegetable stock. I don’t like my soups to be diluted with a lot of stock of water, so I keep it on the thicker, pulpier side.
4. Stir occasionally until the soup reaches a boil. At this point, add the boiled/cooked beans to give the soup some protein. I added kidney beans/rajma beans. Reduce the heat, and let the soup simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Finally, turn off the heat. Serve the soup with some croutons and grated cheese on top.

I like the idea of having proteins and vitamins in one easy and tasty dish. It’s also easy to gulp down when you have deadlines that eat into your precious meal time.