"Leftover Carrot" Soup with a Fajita Kick

Ever opened your fridge and found carrots that are a little past their prime? What do you do—toss them or turn them into something delicious? Yesterday, I found five sad carrots lurking in the back of my fridge and decided to transform them into a warming, spicy soup. Let’s make the most out of those "on their last legs" veggies with this simple and flavourful soup recipe!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, chopped or crushed

• 5 carrots, chopped (or however many you have!)

• 2 teaspoons of homemade fajita spice mix (or your favourite store-bought blend)

• 1 pint of homemade stock (or use 1 pint of water + 2 stock cubes)

• 400g of passata

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Cooking oil/butter/ghee of your choice

  
  

Method:

1. Prepare the base: Heat your choice of cooking oil/butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.

2. Add the garlic: Stir in the garlic and let it cook for a couple more minutes.

3. Carrots & spices: Now, add the chopped carrots and your fajita spice mix. If you're using passata, stir it in here as well. Let everything mingle for a few minutes.

4. Add stock & simmer: Pour in the stock (or water + stock cubes) and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes.

5. Blend: Once everything is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and blend the soup until smooth.

6. Season & serve: Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed with salt and pepper, and serve hot!

A Little Kick with Fajita Spice

This isn’t your ordinary carrot soup! The fajita spice adds a lovely heat and depth of flavour, making it stand out from more traditional recipes, but feel free to use any mix you like.

Additional info:

Storage: This soup freezes well, so you can make a big batch and save it for later!

Variations: Don’t have passata? Try adding a tin of tomatoes or even some leftover roasted veggies for extra flavour.

Got leftover recipes to share? Drop them in the comments—I’d love to hear your creative ways of reducing waste and turning your older ingredients into something amazing!