This is the kind of meal that comes together with help from an empty refrigerator. Usually the last two items left are a few carrots and celery. While I typically make stock, I was on a mission to use a small amount of wild rice that I found pushed to the back of my pantry.
It takes certain recipes for me to enjoy wild rice. I've had numerous wild rice dishes where the flavor was off. For this wild rice soup, the balance of sweet from the carrots and body from the wild rice makes for one delicious soup.
Carrot Wild Rice Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
1 pound carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup uncooked wild rice
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 to 2 cups water
⅓ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon of zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Scrub the carrots, trim the ends, and cut into ½” thick half circles; set aside. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil followed by the minced shallots. Cook until the shallots are fragrant and soft; 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and the cut carrots, cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Measure in the white wine and cook until mostly evaporated. Next, add in the wild rice, broth, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the rice is tender; 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Taste and add more salt as desired (this will greatly depend on the broth you use).
Notes
Nutrition
- Calories: 347
- Sugar: 15.4
- Sodium: 232
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 1.1
- Carbohydrates: 60.5
- Fiber: 10.6
- Protein: 9.5
- Cholesterol: 0
Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/wild-rice-soup/
Wild Rice Soup
variations
The carrot and wild rice combination is good. I'm not big on the flavor of wild rice, but the sweetness from the carrots help balance the earthiness of the rice. However, there are a few swaps you can make. I recommend striving to keep the balance of the sweetness and earthiness- it really rounds out the soup.
Vegetables: In addition to or as a substitute for the carrots, use sweet potatoes, potatoes, or root vegetables. Parsnips and rutabagas are quite lovely with the wild rice as well.
Greens: Once the soup is mostly done, stir in kale, chard, or spinach and let wilt. Adds a nice pop of color!
Rice: Not a fan of wild rice? Long grain brown rice will work in this soup, just plan to add a few extra splashes of broth as needed.
Explore
I find myself always pairing carrots with grains. The combination of the earthy/sweet carrots works well with most grains and can come together to form a wholesome meal. Plus, carrots work with minimal (or no) cooking- a big plus in my kitchen. Also, I recommend looking for different varieties of carrots- they all have different flavors. A few of my favorite easy carrot recipes:
Cumin Braised Carrots with Chickpeas
Pickled Carrot and Hummus Sandwich
Roasted Carrots with Couscous and Gremolata
Hans says
Perfect recipe- so delicious!
Jordan McGregor says
Thanks for the recipe idea Erin! It seems to me that more often than not I find myself in the situation where I go to the fridge and I just don't seem to have that much in there! I feel like this recipe can come in handy for times like that. Healthy, simple, and easy to make. Fantastic!
JJ says
Overall, I think the recipes is great, but the zest and the lemon ruined the soup for me. Maybe adding it in moderation would've been better but it tasted far too lemony when I finished it with the lemon. Next time for my recipe, I will be excluding the lemon or only adding 1-2 tablespoons. A whole lemon was too much.
★★★★
Erin Alderson says
Yikes! I've been trying to go back through recipes and specify better amounts for things like lemons (lemons have a wide range of zest/juice to produce). Just added new amounts and apologies for the extremely lemony soup.