Recipe: Carrot ginger soup with a cheesy twist 

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This hearty carrot ginger soup is flavourful, and it’s packed with protein thanks to an unlikely ingredient — paneer cheese.

Carrot and ginger is a classic and comforting fall combination, and it’s the perfect base for warming soup. Early fall is one of the best times of year to find local carrots in B.C., which really shine in this recipe. As they cook down, the flavour becomes intense and almost sweet, balancing out the sharpness of the ginger. It’s a perfect match.

The real highlight of this dish, though, is the paneer. If you aren’t familiar with it, paneer is a soft, white cheese commonly used in Indian cooking that is made by curdling hot milk. It’s a non-melting cheese, so in this soup it provides body and thickness. Adding the paneer makes this soup hearty enough to be a full meal on its own.

This is a great recipe to batch up and freeze. It will hold up in the freezer for up to three months. Warm it up when you are ready to eat and serve it with tortilla chips or roasted chickpeas for crunch, and of course something spicy like sambal to finish.

Carrot Ginger Soup

3 lbs of carrots, peeled and chopped roughly

1 large white onion, chopped roughly

3 inch piece ginger, chopped

5 cups vegetable broth, plus 1 cup reserved

1 ½  tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

½ tbsp cumin powder

½ tbsp coriander powder

1-2 tsp red chili flakes based on your spice preference

1/2 a block of paneer (approx 150 grams), crumbled

Add the carrots, onion, ginger and vegetable broth and spices into a large pot and simmer on low to medium heat for 20-25 minutes until the carrots and onions are cooked through.

Cool the vegetable mixture and blend well. Add in the crumbled paneer and reserved stock and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.

Return the soup to the pot, warm and adjust the consistency with more stock or hot water to your preference.

This is a generous portion size and served as a main. As a starter this recipe will yield up to 12 portions. 

Serves 6.