Roasted Carrot Apple Soup with Pecans and Thyme

This roasted carrot apple soup is like a big hug – warm, comforting, and nourishing for the body and soul. It’s a nutty and sweet fall soup recipe that’s naturally paleo, whole 30 and gluten-free. Most importantly, my kid ate this without complaint (and even proffered a compliment!). A weeknight winner in this house.

There are basic comforts you covet when in the season of parenthood that involves the care and feeding of the tiniest humans. A full night of uninterrupted sleep. Staying snot free from September through April. A day without laundry. Three consecutive hours in which you don’t have to touch someone else’s bodily fluids. Clothes that stays clean the entire day. Well, that last one I’ve never been able to achieve, but the others are accurate.

Different parents cope with these cravings in different ways, all in an attempt to maintain a little bit of control over the incessant chaos that’s taken over their lives. Cam listens to really loud music. One of my girlfriends knits. Another does the whole adult coloring thing. A dad friend run races (slow clap for that guy).

In case you haven’t noticed, I cook. If I can’t sleep well, I might as well eat well, amirite? This recipe for roasted carrot apple soup is the definition of comfort. It’s as close as I can get to a rib-crushing bear hug from my BFF after a particularly shitty day. It’s sweet, but not cloying. It’s warm, and filling. And best of all it’s nourishing, both metaphorically and literally. Soul food, it is (says Yoda).

Roasted Carrot Apple Soup Recipe Notes

This carrot apple soup recipe is pretty easy and straightforward, but if there’s one thing you don’t want to skimp on it’s roasting the the carrots. Roasted carrots add just a little something extra to the flavor profile of the finished soup – a little nuttiness, a hint of smoke, and just enough caramelized sweetness. And since the carrots roast up pretty quickly while you’re getting the base prepared, it doesn’t impact the cooking time too much either. I shave the carrots first – one, I find the skins a little woody; and two, the soup will blend better without them.

A crisp, more tart apple is perfect here – I like honeycrisp and jonagold best in soup, but galas are nice too since they’re not super sweet. Peel and core the apples, and then cut them into small, uniform pieces so they’ll cook quickly and evenly.

Like almost every soup I make, I use my 6-quart Lodge dutch oven. It retains heat well and keeps a nice even simmer without too much fuss or attention. You’ll probably want to break out the blender to get the consistency super smooth. I have a Ninja blender and love it.

Last but not least, garnish away. I drizzled about a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil along with chopped pecans and fresh thyme. This provided us with four hearty servings that we ate with some good crusty bread and a simple green salad.

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Roasted Carrot Apple Soup

This roasted carrot apple soup is like a big hug - warm, comforting, and nourishing for the body and soul. It's a nutty, sweet fall soup recipe that's packed with vegetables and deeply nutritious. 

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Soup

Cuisine Gluten Free, Paleo, Whole 30

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 270 kcal

Author Danielle

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp avocado oil divided
• 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced into 1" coins
• 1 medium yellow onion diced to 1/2"
• 2 medium apples (about 1/2 lb) peeled, cored, and died to 1/2"
• 1 celery stalk diced to 1/2"
• 4 c. chicken bone or vegetable broth
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil for garnish
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme for garnish
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425*. Peel and slice the carrots, and toss in the avocado oil. Spread the carrot slices onto a baking sheet, then place on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Roast, flipping once, for 20 minutes until soft and caramelized.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the apples, onion, and celery. 

3. Heat a dutch oven over medium low heat and add 1 tsp avocado oil. Heat until the oil shimmers. Add the onion, cover, and sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 10 minutes.

4. Increase the heat to medium. Add the apples and celery and saute, stirring often, until the the apples are soft and starting to brown, 6-7 minutes. 

5. Transfer the roasted carrots to the dutch oven, and add enough broth to cover the vegetables by at least half an inch, and up to a full inch (about 4 cups). Top with the thyme sprig and season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil; then reduce to low and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft and the thyme leaves are falling off. 

6. Remove the soup from heat and fish out the thyme stems. Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and blend until smooth. Add a little water or broth to thin the soup if it’s too thick. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if desired. 

7. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with olive oil, chopped pecans, and fresh thyme. Serve immediately. 

Recipe Notes

This recipe is naturally paleo, whole 30, and gluten free. Make it vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth in place of bone broth. 

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Carrot Apple Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 270

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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