This creamy carrot soup ‘pond’ recipe uses butternut squash or pumpkin, for a delicious vegetarian soup worthy of being a table centrepiece. Served inside a tromboncino squash and garnished with homemade carrot top pesto, chilli hairs and autumn leaves crackers.
Autumn recipes are everything – especially ones that work all year round. I had some trouble naming this particular soup because of its customizability. For this specific recipe, I used the squash I had at hand, with carrots. However, you could use any squash of your choice or pumpkin.
Plus, I absolutely love making seasonal recipes that match the seasonal colours. And, okay, I’m a bit late posting this recipe since technically I’ve had it ready to post for a while. However, if you’ve caught a particular new show on Channel 4 and Netflix – Crazy Delicious – then you may know why I’ve had to keep it under wraps (teehee).
Luckily butternut squash is available all year round so you can make this soup at any time. It’s also just a great, homely, winter-warming option.
The veggies themselves make a creamy, thick soup that is incredibly more-ish and comforting. Creamy pumpkin soup is a staple of mine during the autumn/winter months, so this squash and carrot soup is definitely going to be made often.
You know how dishes like shepherds pie (technically ‘gardeners’ pie for the plant-based version I suppose) and stews are just warm, comfort food? Well, this soup is officially my comfort-food soup.
There’s no ‘broth’ as such, which means there’s no need to get lots of pans dirty, waiting for things to bring to a boil. All you need is a baking tray, oven, and blender.
Soup is absolutely a favourite option of mine for using delicious, seasonal veg. Not to mention that the vegetables used are usually budget-friendly too.
Carrots are quite possibly one of the cheapest vegetables you can get to be honest. I always feel shocked at just how affordable they are when I’m working out the costs of a recipe. This soup is then made thick and creamy with the use of your squash of choice.
Texturally speaking, this is much more on the side of a thick pumpkin or butternut squash soup. As my usual carrot soup recipe is quite a bit more liquid-y.
In fact, I actually used carrots with stalks for this particular recipe, and that is because I then used the stems to make a cheeky Carrot Top Pesto. I used the pesto to garnish this soup as well as serving alongside my homemade autumn Leaves Crackers. Note* I also sometimes add a cheeky glug of olive oil to decorate too.
How to make the Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup:
Simple recipes are honestly my bread and butter. This soup is one of the easiest ones I’ve ever made, and yet it’s also one of the most delicious.
To begin, preheat your oven to 220C.
Then it’s time to prepare your carrots and squash.
Note* As I’ve mentioned above- this recipe works well with a variety of different squash vegetables, including pumpkin. For this particular recipe, I was making a table centre-piece so used the squash I had on hand. That’s the tromboncino squash.Â
Tromboncino squash is an interesting squash for various reasons. For one thing, the taste and texture of the squash vary hugely depending on when it’s harvested. I’m using it in its winter squash form when the taste is similar to butternut squash.Â
However, as a younger, green summer squash, it apparently tastes more like a sweeter zucchini (I haven’t tested it myself).
Just be aware that the colour of your soup will differ depending on your choice.Â
Prepare your carrots and squash by washing them and chopping into large 1″-ish thick pieces.
Lay the carrot and squash pieces in a single layer over two large baking sheets. Brush them (or drizzle) with rosemary-infused olive oil and maple syrup then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for around 20- 30 minutes, or till tender. For a slightly more caramelised finish then I suggest turning the vegetables halfway through and drizzling with a little more oil.
Once baked, leave to cool slightly and then add to a high-speed blender along with half the water. Blend until you have a creamy puree consistency.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend some more, to thoroughly combine. Note – If you’d prefer, you could use vegetable stock in place of water.
Your Serving Options:
As you can see in the images, I decided to make a carrot soup ‘pond’ for this soup. I also used pumpkins and squash in various sizes as serving bowls.
This is because this recipe was actually a part of a natural, table-top display. So obviously this isn’t necessary for those making it at home for yourself.
If you haven’t already seen it, I have a pumpkin soup recipe using a similar method though. So, If you want to know exactly how to prepare and roast mini pumpkin ‘bowls’ for your soup, you can read my Turmeric & Ginger spiced Pumpkin soup recipe post.
When ready to serve, I just spooned it into the various squash and pumpkin.
I also like to drizzle my soup with some homemade carrot top pesto.
Note* When making this recipe, I suggest buying carrots with the greens attached and then you can make the pesto while the veggies are roasting although this is, of course, an optional step.Â
You can also add some chilli hair to garnish, optionally. Chilli hair is simply thinly sliced and dehydrated chilli peppers.
You can also garnish with edible flowers and nigella seeds, pumpkin seeds or croutons, for texture. I served this soup along with some homemade autumn leaves crackers, which act as a crouton and can be dipped in the soup.
Note* For a delicious ‘cheesy’ flavour you can also add some nutritional yeast. Either add it directly into the soup when blending or sprinkle some on top.
Squash and Carrot Soup Pond
Ingredients
- 1.5 Kilograms carrots
- 750 grams pumpkin sliced into small pieces
- 1 cup olive oil rosemary infused (optional)
- 1 cup maple syrup
- Sprinkle of salt
- Sprinkle of pepper
- 600 grams cream cooking creme fraiche
- 750 ml filtered warm water if not using a high speed blender - otherwise just filtered water at room temperature
- 15 grams fresh grated ginger
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 Degrees Celsius
- Prepare your squash* and carrots by chopping into large 1"-ish pieces.
- Lay the carrot and squash pieces in a single layer over two large baking sheets. Brush them ( or drizzle) with rosemary-infused olive oil and maple syrup then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or till tender. For a slightly more caramelised finish then I suggest turning the vegetables halfway through and drizzling with a little more oil. Â
- Once baked, leave to cool slightly and then add to a high-speed blender along with half the water. Blend until you have a creamy puree consistency.Â
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend some more, to thoroughly combine. Note - If you'd prefer, you could use vegetable stock in place of water.
- Your Serving Options:
- I decided to make a carrot soup 'pond' for this soup. I also used pumpkins and squash in various sizes as serving bowls.Â
If you haven't already seen it, I have a pumpkin soup recipe using a similar method though. So, If you want to know exactly how to prepare and roast mini pumpkin 'bowls' for your soup, you can read my Turmeric & Ginger spiced Pumpkin soup recipe post. - When ready to serve, I like to drizzle my soup with some homemade carrot top pesto. ** You can also add some chilli hair to garnish, optionally. Chilli hair is simply thinly sliced and dehydrated chilli peppers.
You can also garnish with edible flowers and nigella seeds or croutons, for texture. I served this soup along with some homemade autumn leaves crackers, which act as a crouton/ can be dipped in the soup.Â
Health
Is there cookbooks for the show crazy delicious, chefs I am excited about all the Chefs techniques cooking
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I’ve added all my recipes from the show here on the blog. Check this post: https://www.alphafoodie.com/my-crazy-delicious-recipe-round-up/