Spooky Roasted Carrot Soup with Spiced Spider Crackers

Bust out your cauldron and whip up a batch of this nutritiously spooky soup that’s guaranteed to disappear before your eyes as the kids devour their dinner. When served with a side of homemade spiced “spider” crackers, this meal is sure to enchant everyone sitting at the table.

This soup makes a great pre-Halloween meal (if you’ve got the time) or if it’s unlikely you’ll be doing much other than ordering pizza another easy Halloween dinner prior to trick or treating, you can incorporate it into the buildup to the big night.

And while the spider theme makes this soup recipe a great addition to our Savvy Guide to Halloween, this delicious roasted carrot soup is the perfect fall or winter lunch or dinner to zap that chill right out of the air.

Serves 6

Recipe: Roasted Carrot Soup with Spiced Crackers

You’ll Need

2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½” thick coins
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
3 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp minced fresh ginger
4 cups chicken stock
1 - 400 mL can coconut milk
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt
3 large plain or whole wheat tortillas
Spider-shaped cookie cutter
½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Prep and Cook

1

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the carrots on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Season with ½ teaspoon salt and toss together until the carrots are evenly coated with the oil.
Roast until tender and slightly blistered, about 45 minutes.
2

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or saucepan set over medium heat and cook the onions and celery until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.
When the carrots are cooked, add them to the pot and cover with the chicken stock and coconut milk.
Bring the soup to a boil, cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.
3

While the soup is simmering and the oven still hot, make the crackers.
Stir together the olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt.
Brush the mixture over both sides of the tortillas and, using a spider-shaped cookie cutter, cut 2-4 shapes from each piece of bread.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes or until crisp.
4

Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or regular blender, until smooth.
Return to the stove and set the pot over low to keep warm.
Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
Scoop the sour cream into a zip top bag and set aside.
5

Ladle the soup into the bowl and snip the end of the zip top bag.
Pipe the sour cream onto the soup in a spiral pattern, then drag a toothpick or wooden skewer from the centre of the bowl to the edge in 1-inch intervals, creating a web.
Place a cracker in the centre of each bowl and serve warm.