Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping is warming, nutritious, bright and delicious. It is gluten-free and vegan, earthy, full of flavour and makes seasonal produce shout loudly from the rooftops. I am not a fan of cooked carrots – they are often way too sweet for me and remind me of school dinners I refused to eat. Carrots are amazing raw but cooked, no. However, this recipe, packed with cooked carrots, works. It works so darned well I could eat it every day. Turmeric is one of my favourite winter spices and the lemon juice works a treat in bringing the flavours to life.
This soup is warming, comforting and grounding. Perfect for lunch, dinner at home or on the move. The soup, when blended, becomes smooth, velvety and rich. It is heaven to eat.
You won’t believe how quick and easy Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping is to prepare. It takes only 25 minutes from starting the soup to bowls of steaming goodness on the table.
Perfect for lunch or light dinner and great for a packed lunch. Serve with Gluten Free Vegan Rosemary and Sea Salt Crackers or as a prelude to a main meal such as Pumpkin Salad with Crispy Sage.
Allergy Information – Winter Sunshine Soup
The soup is gluten-free and vegan and… celery free, coconut free, garlic free, lupin free, mustard free, onion free, peanut free, sesame free, soya free, tree nut free.
Top Tips – Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping
Blend using an immersion blender, jug blender or food processor. Whichever you prefer.
Use a floury potato (like Maris Piper) or you won’t get a smooth texture.
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Recipe – Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping
Difficulty easy
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Ingredients – Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping
400 grams carrots
400 grams floury potatoes (e.g. Maris Piper)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
0.5 teaspoon sea salt flakes
0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can chickpeas
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
800 millilitres vegetable stock
For the Chickpea Topping
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons chickpeas (from the can above)
0.5 teaspoon ground turmeric
0.5 teaspoon sea salt flakes
0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 grams parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (from the lemon above)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (from the lemon above)
Method – Winter Sunshine Soup with Chickpea Topping
1. Clean and scrape the carrots and potatoes and cut into a one centimetre dice
2. Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan, add the diced carrot and potatoes and stir, add the ground turmeric, lemon zest (retain one teaspoon of grated rind for the topping) and stir well. Put the lid on the pan and cook gently for approximately 10 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes soften. Stir from time to time
3. Drain the chickpeas and retain four tablespoons of chickpeas for the topping. Add the chickpeas and stock to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes
4. After 10 minutes or when the potatoes and carrots are cooked remove the soup from the heat, and blend smooth. Stir in the lemon juice (retain two tablespoons of juice for the topping). Season with salt and black pepper, check the seasoning and serve immediately
5. Whilst the soup is cooking make the topping. Place a small frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot add the retained chickpeas and stir well, add the ground turmeric, sea salt and black pepper a stir well. Cook for around five minutes until the chickpeas become crispy. Stir from time to time. Once crispy remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper
6. Finely chop the parsley and roughly chop the crispy chickpeas. Mix the parsley, chickpeas, grated lemon rind and juice in a small bowl
7. Serve the soup with the Chickpea Topping.
