Spice Roasted Carrot Soup with Pumpkin Seed Croutons

I am all about quick vibrant soups and this roasted carrot soup is just what I need for a quick working lunch.

Organic carrots and onions are roasted with an Ethiopian spice called Berbere and I love the fact that the oven is doing all the hard work while I can get along with other things.

Once the veggies are caramelised and oozing in flavour, the soup literally takes 10minutes to make.

Don’t like heat? No problem, you can substitute the spices with a mixture of cumin, coriander and Spanish sweet smoked paprika.

This soup is ALL about the carrots, so see if you can get your hands on a wonderfully fresh organic bunch. I would however, suggest weighing your carrots as the weight differs between bunches.

Getting Ahead: The veggies can be roasted 2 days ahead and the soup can be made 3 days ahead and its freezer friendly too.

Seasonal Swaps: You can use butternut or sweet potatoes instead.

I love it just as it is with the topping but if you love a bit of carb-on-carb action, I think a garlic flatbread would be lovely too!

A hand-blender or food processor to blitz the soup.

• 1kg carrots, peeled and cut into thin batons
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 garlic bulb, cut lengthways
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• SPICE HEAT: 1 tablespoons berbere spice mix
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked sweet paprika
• (OR) SPICE NO HEAT: 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander & 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 sprigs thyme leaves
• 1 litre vegetable stock, warmed
• garnish: a good chilli oil, fresh thyme leaves and/or a dollop of yogurt

Topping

• 4 slices ciabatta/sourdough bread, roughly torn
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• pinch paprika (opt)
• salt & pepper
• drizzle of olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200c
2. To make the marinade, place the spice mixture of choice in a small bowl along with olive oil and teaspoon of salt, mix well.
3. Line a baking dish with baking paper (saves on washing up and you trap all the lovely spicy flavoured seeds), add the carrots and onions and the marinade, mix well with your hands, covering all the vegetables, wrap the garlic in foil with the thyme sprig. Drizzle the garlic generously with olive oil, close the foil and roast the veggies and garlic for 25 minutes or until the vegetables and garlic are soft and starting to caramelise. Please keep an eye on the garlic as it might be soft before the carrots.
4. Meanwhile, to make the topping, mix the torn ciabatta, pumpkin and sesame seeds together with the oil. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of paprika if using. Roast in the same oven as the carrots for  5 to 8 minutes until golden. The croutons will harden as they cool.
5. When the carrots are golden, remove the thyme sprig, squeeze out the soft garlic and add the carrots (including the garlic) to a medium saucepan, add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes. Blitz until smooth and season with salt.
6. To serve, ladle the soup in 4 bowls, divide the topping between bowls and a good grind of pepper. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and chilli oil if you feel decadent. Enjoy!