The Orange Soup That Became Our Family’s Winter Favorite

It all started when my children were very young and absolutely refused to taste any vegetable that wasn’t a potato. Every vegetable-packed soup I prepared for the approaching winter was met with suspicion and a firm declaration: “I don’t like onions,” “I don’t like pumpkin,” “I don’t like zucchini,” “I don’t like carrots.”

I had a problem. From my children’s perspective, corn schnitzel and couscous could serve as the perfect solution to every meal. But I wanted to give them a real nutritional boost for the winter.

At the time, we lived in Safed, where winters were cold — very cold. I needed a quick, healthy solution that would both sneak vegetables into their diets and provide a serious dose of vitamins to support their immune systems.

I tried countless soup recipes and blended every single one after cooking so the kids “wouldn’t see what was inside.” Unfortunately, green, white, or brown soups still weren’t appealing to my picky little eaters.

Then I discovered orange soup.

What started as a simple recipe using a few orange vegetables gradually evolved into a nutritional powerhouse with two major advantages:

1. The Bright Orange Color

For some reason, children absolutely love it.

2. No One Really Knows What’s Inside

And that’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Ready to give it a try?

Image: Shutterstock

Ingredients for a Large, Nourishing Pot of Soup

• 4–5 medium sweet potatoes

• 3–4 large carrots

• 2 onions

• 3 zucchinis

• 5–6 medium potatoes

• A handful of celery leaves

• ¼ cup red lentils

• A small piece of pumpkin or ¼ butternut squash

• Oil for sautéing

• Water (enough to cover the vegetables)

• Turmeric

• Black pepper

• Salt

Optional:

• A pinch of cinnamon (for those who enjoy the flavor and aroma)

Instructions

1. Heat a little oil in a large pot and sauté the onions for several minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also cover the pot and cook the onions over low heat until they become golden and slightly caramelized.

2. Add all the vegetables, cut into fairly large chunks. There’s no need to dice them finely since everything will be blended later.

3. Add enough water to cover the vegetables.

4. Stir in the chopped celery leaves, turmeric (don’t skip it!), black pepper, and salt.

5. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes.

6. Add the red lentils and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.

7. Once all the vegetables are soft, blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.

8. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Image: Shutterstock

Success Tips

The soup should be thick, creamy, and velvety. The water should just cover the vegetables and reduce slightly during cooking.

Feel free to adjust the vegetable quantities. The more potatoes and sweet potatoes you add, the thicker and creamier the soup will become.

Don’t skip the pumpkin and carrots — they provide plenty of vitamin A. And definitely don’t leave out the turmeric, which is a powerful antioxidant.

The soup should have a subtle natural sweetness thanks to the caramelized onions, so be sure not to skip that important first step.

Serve hot and enjoy a comforting bowl of winter goodness that even picky eaters will love.