This comforting carrot and ham soup, made using coconut milk, is just what you need when you are feeling under the weather or trying to keep warm on an extremely cold day. Its flavorful Moroccan spices will instantly help to warm you right up.
By now, you may have noticed that I don’t cook a whole lot of ethnic food. Unless, of course, you count southern food as ethnic. Which I don’t by the way. I just consider it normal everyday food. Anyway, today that’s all changing. Kind of. What I mean to say, is that I made a Moroccan soup to share with y’all. However, if you want to get really technical, there’s nothing overwhelmingly ethnic about this particular soup. I mean, I can pretty much guarantee, that you have almost every ingredient to make it in your house right now, except maybe the coconut milk. But let’s be honest, coconut milk isn’t all that out of the ordinary or exotic, now is it? What I’m trying to say is this, ethnic food doesn’t have to be scary to cook in your own kitchen. Sure there can sometimes be some unique ingredients, however, most of the time ethnic recipes just combine ingredients that you already have on hand but would not normally think of putting together. So, break out of your comfort zone. Make something different. Why not start with this warm, flavorful, and absolutely delicious Moroccan soup?
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
- 6 Cups Ham Stock
- 1 Pound Carrots, Peeled & Sliced
- 2 Red Potatoes, Peeled & Diced
- 1 Apple, Peeled, Cored, & Diced
- 2 Tablespoons Crystallized Ginger, Finely Diced
- 1 (13.66-oz.) Can Coconut Milk
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne
- 1 1/2 Cups Ham, Finely Diced
Directions:
- Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the diced yellow onion and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, or until translucent.
- Add the stock, carrots, potatoes, apple, and crystallized ginger. Bring to a rolling boil.
- When the soup comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots, potatoes, and apple are tender.
- In several small batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth.
- Return the soup to the same Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut milk, orange juice, garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Stir to combine. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small sauté pan, cook the finely diced ham over medium-high heat until it is warmed through and browned.
- Serve the soup garnished with the finely diced ham.
Suggestions:
- You can use any type of stock for this recipe, however, I prefer homemade ham stock. This recipe is perfect to make after holiday meals when you have served ham on the bone. Don’t let that ham bone go to waste. Place it in a large stockpot, cover it with water, bring to a boil, and then drop the temperature to low for a few hours. Strain and use right away or freeze for later use.
- You can use either crystallized ginger or fresh ginger in this recipe. I prefer crystallized ginger because it is already somewhat softened and the sugar helps add flavor to the soup. If you use fresh ginger, make sure to add a tablespoon or two of honey to the soup to help add sweetness.
- I used full-fat coconut milk in this recipe for richness and flavor, however, you can use low-fat coconut milk if you prefer.
- The cayenne in this recipe can be adjusted to fit your spice level.
Improvements:
- Replace the red potatoes with one sweet potato.
- If you are vegetarian, replace the ham stock with vegetable stock and garnish with toasted shredded coconut in lieu of ham.
- Make this soup and freeze it for when you are having an under-the-weather day. It’s the perfect soup to eat when you’re not feeling well.
- CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
- 6 Cups Ham Stock
- 1 Pound Carrots, Peeled & Sliced
- 2 Red Potatoes, Peeled & Diced
- 1 Apple, Peeled, Cored, & Diced
- 2 Tablespoons Crystallized Ginger, Finely Diced
- 1 (13.66-oz.) Can Coconut Milk
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne
- 1 1/2 Cups Ham, Finely Diced
Directions:
- Place the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the diced yellow onion and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, or until translucent.
- Add the stock, carrots, potatoes, apple, and crystallized ginger. Bring to a rolling boil.
- When the soup comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots, potatoes, and apple are tender.
- In several small batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth.
- Return the soup to the same Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the coconut milk, orange juice, garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Stir to combine. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small sauté pan, cook the finely diced ham over medium-high heat until it is warmed through and browned.
- Serve the soup garnished with the finely diced ham.
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Soup Saturday Swappers is a group of friends who get together on the third Saturday of each month to share their favorite soup and stew recipes based on a theme chosen by one of the members. Visit our Pinterest board to find more great soup and stew recipes. This month’s “Moroccan Soups & Stews” themed Soup Saturday Swappers is being hosted by Palatable Pastime.
- Chicken Tagine Mchermel by Pandemonium Noshery
- Harira Soup with Merguez Sausage by Palatable Pastime
- Moroccan Apple and Sweet Potato Beef Stew by Making Miracles
- Moroccan Bean Soup by Our Good Life
- Moroccan Carrot & Ham Soup with Coconut Milk by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Moroccan Lamb, Chickpea, and Lentil Soup (Harira) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Moroccan Lamb Soup by Sneha’s Recipe
- Moroccan Lentil Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Moroccan Tomato and Chickpea Soup by Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking