Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Soup Freezer Meal Prep
A bowl of golden roasted carrot soup tastes like it simmered all afternoon, but the real work happens once, on a weekend, and then waits in your freezer.
Carrots, garlic and onion roast until their edges caramelize, then get blended with creamy chickpeas and broth into a thick, velvety soup with a gentle kick from red pepper flakes.
Freeze it in blocks, and lunch on a busy day is just one block in a dish, a few minutes of heat and a handful of Parmesan stirred through.
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Freeze time | 4 to 6 hours (hands-off) |
| Reheat time | About 6 to 8 minutes, straight from frozen |
| Makes | About 5 one-cup portions |
| Keeps | Up to 3 months in the freezer |
Why Roasting the Carrots Is Worth It Here
Boiled carrots taste sweet but flat. Roasting them in a hot oven browns their natural sugars, which gives the soup a deeper, almost nutty flavor you cannot get any other way.
Roasting the garlic and onion on the same sheet softens their bite, so they blend in smoothly instead of tasting sharp. Everything cooks on one pan with no stirring, and the oven does the work.
Chickpeas make the soup thick and creamy without any cream. That also helps it freeze well, because there is no dairy to separate or turn grainy when it thaws.
Why Freeze the Soup Base and Add the Cheese Later
Parmesan stirred in before freezing loses its sharp, salty punch and can make the soup a little stringy once it thaws. Adding it while the soup is hot keeps it fresh and lets it melt into soft, savory ribbons.
Single-portion blocks also mean you reheat exactly what you need. One block makes a quick lunch, and two make a light dinner with some crusty bread.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots (about 8 medium), peeled and cut into sticks
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- Finely grated Parmesan, about 2 tablespoons per portion, for finishing
You will also need a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment, a blender, a silicone freezer mold with 1-cup compartments, and a zip-top freezer bag to store the blocks once they are frozen.
How to Make Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Soup
Part 1: Make The Soup
1. Roast The Carrots And Garlic
Heat the oven to 425°F. Spread the carrot sticks, garlic cloves and onion wedges on the lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender and browned at the edges. Keep an eye on the garlic, and pull out any cloves that start to turn dark, because burnt garlic tastes bitter.
2. Add The Carrots To The Blender
Let the tray cool for a few minutes, then move the roasted carrots into the blender. Scrape in any spices and browned bits from the parchment too, since they carry a lot of the flavor.
3. Add The Garlic And Onion
Add the soft roasted garlic and onion on top of the carrots. They should squash easily between your fingers; if they do, they will blend completely smooth.
4. Blend Into A Thick Puree
Blend the vegetables into a thick puree. If the blender struggles, add a splash of the broth to get things moving.
5. Add The Chickpeas
Tip in the drained chickpeas. They give the soup body and a little protein, and they blend into a creamy texture without any dairy.
6. Pour In The Broth
Pour in about 2 1/2 cups of broth. Start with less than you think you need, because it is easy to thin the soup later and hard to thicken it.
7. Blend Until Smooth
Blend for a full minute or two until the soup is completely silky. Taste and add salt, pepper or a little more broth until it is the way you like it.
Part 2: Freeze
8. Pour Into Molds
Let the soup cool to room temperature, then pour it into the silicone freezer mold. Cooling it first stops ice crystals from forming and keeps the texture smooth.
9. Freeze Until Solid
Freeze for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until the blocks are completely firm.
10. Pop Out The Blocks
Push the blocks out of the mold and store them in a labeled zip-top freezer bag. Your mold is then free for the next batch.
These are the 1-cup silicone freezer molds I use to portion every component. Get the freezer molds on Amazon.
How to Reheat and Finish
11. Add A Frozen Block To A Dish
Place one frozen block in a microwave-safe glass dish. There is no need to thaw it first.
12. Heat Until Hot
Cover loosely and microwave for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the soup is fully melted and steaming. You can also warm it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat with the lid on.
13. Sprinkle With Parmesan
Scatter about 2 tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan over the hot soup.
14. Stir Until Melted
Stir it through right away so the cheese melts into the soup in soft, savory strands.
15. Serve
Spoon it into a bowl or eat it straight from the dish. A crack of black pepper or a few extra red pepper flakes on top is a nice finish.
Storage and Variations
The soup blocks keep for up to three months in the freezer, so write the date on the bag. Once the soup has been reheated, eat it rather than refreezing it, and keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
For a little tang, swirl in a spoonful of Greek yogurt instead of the Parmesan. A squeeze of lemon brightens it up, and a handful of baby spinach stirred in at the end turns it into a more filling meal.
