I saw someone make this soup on the internet, and they called it “Viral Glow Soup,” which… made me roll my eyes. I don’t think this soup went “viral,” and adding the word “glow” to something just because it has vegetables that are good for your skin seems silly. However! I am a big carrot fan, so I took it and did my own spin on it.

When I was 16 and got my drivers license, as well as my parents’ credit card, I went true Wild Child. I would stop at the grocery store on the way home from school roughly every other day, and I would buy myself a 2 pound bag of carrots, using my parents’ money. Then, I would go home and stand at the kitchen counter and eat about half the bag with some hummus. CRAZY!!

(I am a firm believer that, when you give most kids and teenagers some freedom and power, they’re probably not going to abuse it. At least not in the ways most adults expect.)

As with most aspects of life, things have not inherently changed much. To make this soup, I went to Costco and bought five pounds of carrots. Which was too many, but as we just discussed, I think I’ll be able to work my way through them.

I have no doubt that carrots are good for your skin. It’s well known in my family that this high school carrot habit of my caused my hands and feet to turn orange. And during that time, my skin was doing really well. I had gone to a dermatologist and gotten some various prescriptions for creams and face washes, so you could say it was that. But I kept using those for a while after I stopped mainlining carrots, and my skin got worse. So…. I would say that the carrots at least helped. Especially when I learned that Accutane was essentially just a really intense dose of Vitamin A. I was getting very intense doses of Vitamin day every day of my junior year of high school!

So, I wouldn’t call this “glow” soup like the internet wants to. But, I have no doubt that all the veggies in it are good for you!

This is another recipe that can be really customized. The original recipe only called for turmeric, coriander, and cayenne. I decided that I wanted to use the blend of spices that I use to make my Indian Stir Fry, and used turmeric, paprika, garam masala, and cumin. This soup is truly such a blank slate of vegetables that you can truly use whatever spices you like or have on hand.

And if you couldn’t tell from the photos… I recommend having this soup with some grilled cheese.

Carrot and Leek Soup

Author: Audrey
Array: Array
Total Time: 0 hours

Ingredients

olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
8 large carrots
2 leeks
1 orange pepper
1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp garam masala*
salt and pepper, to taste
32 ounces chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup coconut milk

*you can also use 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp coriander, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or whatever blend of spices you like

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Instructions

Chop up your carrots, leeks, and orange pepper into smaller chunks. They don’t need to be tiny, but smaller pieces will make it easier to blend!

Heat the olive oil and garlic in your saucepan, and once fragrant, add your vegetables. Season with your spices, and salt generously. Let your veggies sauté for ~10 minutes, until starting to soften, and then add your stock and let it come to a boil.

Once boiling, cover the pan and let it boil until the veggies are soft and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. If it goes longer, it’s fine, because you’re just going to blend them up!

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or your desired consistency. Then add 1/2 cup coconut milk. Stir and let simmer until ready to serve!