This one sits somewhere between a soup and a rice bowl. Roasted carrots, chewy brown rice, and a sharp turmeric broth with ginger and lemon. It’s the kind of thing I reach for when I want something nourishing but not heavy. The broth alone is worth making — it has all the zing of turmeric tea but in a more obviously savory form. Serve it alongside my chopped apple, kale and parsnip salad for a really satisfying cold weather meal.
The broth starts with shallot, garlic, ginger, and turmeric cooked down in oil until paste-like. You’re cooking the raw edge off the spice before adding the water. That step matters, so take your time! A squeeze of lemon at the end keeps the broth from feeling flat.
When I was studying nutrition at culinary school, we had a guest speaker who sold sprout growers. He absolutely glowed. He told us he ate three tablespoons of sprouts every morning. We all bought a grower afterwards. I still make a habit of eating sprouts when I can. They add freshness to whatever roasted veg and grains are happening that week. Sunflower sprouts are my favorite and are extra lovely in this bowl.
One reader tops this bowl with chopped black olives for a salty contrast. I tried it and loved the interplay of flavors. You could add roasted tofu cubes for a little extra heft as well.
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Roasted Carrots & Rice with Zingy Turmeric Broth
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced and divided
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ small shallot, minced
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- cooked brown rice, for serving
- sprouts/shoots/small greens of some kind (I like sunflower shoots)
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Notes
- Any roasted root works here — parsnips, sweet potato, squash. The dish is really about the contrast between caramelized root vegetables and the sharp broth.
- For a richer broth, add a splash of coconut milk with the water.
- This recipe is written for one serving. It scales easily — just multiply everything and use a larger pot for the broth.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment.
- Toss the carrots with 1 teaspoon of the thyme, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Scatter them in a single layer on the baking sheet and slide them into the oven. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are browned in spots and soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots. Sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and remaining thyme. Sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the turmeric to the pot and stir to incorporate. Keep stirring until the mix seems paste-like. You're cooking the raw-ness out of the spice at this point, ideally for about 2 minutes (add more oil if necessary). Slowly add the water and stir.
- Bring the broth to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Add the lemon juice and stir at the end. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the roasted carrots and cooked rice in a bowl. Strain the turmeric broth if you like, then ladle it on top. Garnish the bowl with sprouts and sesame seeds if you like.
I just made a version of this (w/o ginger because I didn’t have any fresh on hand, and used kettle & fire vegtable broth instead of water). Roasted the Carrots with Vidalia Onions w/ thyme and traeger veggie seasoning. used a fair amount of lemon juice and a heavy sprinkle of turmeric powder. went with a wild rice and some red pepper flakes to garnish. Loved it. Thanks for posting this recipe.
THIS IS SO UNBELIEVABLY YUM. Will be on rotation to get me through the rest of the winter!
Made this soup today and loved it! Started with roasting the carrots in the morning, added acorn and honey nut squash..all the while soaking brown rice for as long as possible, this was about 7 hours, forgot to soak last night. Then for the broth, instead of water I used mushroom broth, fresh turmeric as well as powdered and a purple onion because the coop was out of shallots. Cooked the broth in the day and covered with a lid till supper time. Later in the evening, chopped up some fresh parsley as garnish, didn’t have those delicious looking pea shoots and my husband and I enjoyed the most delicious and nourishing meal. Thanks for inspiring the recipe to unfold for us! Also I just used one whole carton – 4 cups of broth and about 8-10 carrots, 2 small squash and eye’d the remaining ingredients to correct proportions. Beautiful photographs with warming ingredients lend for an amazing immune booster and overall wellness vitamin rich soup blend. Thanks so much!!
I made this using fresh turmeric in lieu of ground and polenta instead of rice (idk I thought it would soak in the flavor more.) I SO loved it. will definitely make again, maybe using parsnip and a little more lemon juice. Thanks for the recipe ox
Your blog is a spammy ad mess! Shame because your recipes are so good.
Wow! What a gorgeous way to get some anti-inflammatory turmeric into your diet. This broth looks really incredible.
This is such a beautiful meal! I just made it for a client today … taste tested it of course… and will have to make it form me and my guy ASAP! So good! I added some grilled asparagus on top as well.
Hi Laura, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made it this week and it was so delicious! I almost never cook with ingredients like ginger and turmeric, but I was sick this past week, and was inspired to use immunity-boosting ingredients. I mentioned you in my blog post: http://lacycooke.blogspot.com/2014/10/changes-and-ideas.html
Thanks again!
Hi! This is my first time coming across your blog and I love it! This recipe is fantastic, like you said, sweet and sharp. Your photos are great too. I look forward to following you more!
I used parsnip and squash instead of carrots. And added a bit of lemongrass. :) It is a lovely idea, changes from the usual rice bowl! thanks for sharing!
I got here from Heidi’s 101cookbooks.com and I’m so pleased for the recommendation. I made this with a few adjustments, including four times the amount of ginger, lemon and turmeric plus some homemade coconut milk in with the water. Outrageously good! Thank you so much for a quick, restorative, healthful and bright addition to my repertoire.
I look forward to getting your healthfulled ,
Delicious looking receipes ..
Thanks
Goodness, this bowl is just stunning. I will be so happy when I make it soon. Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipes and photographs!
I made this for lunch today. Didn’t have any ginger but it was still delicious without it!
Tonight I ran this for dinner service with some great results! Thanks for the inspiration. “Odori-Brined Pan Roasted Pheasant Breast with Herb-Roasted Rainbow Organic Carrots & Crimini Mushroom Infused Wild Rice in Spicy Turmeric Broth with Ginger & Allium”
It can be funny how we find the need to twist the words for the restaurant guest. In short, “It is good food, and we care about our ingredients and techniques. You will love it.”
Your roasted carrots dish seems tremendously appropriate for this time of year. Love those colors.
This is one of those “all-my-favourite-things-in-one-bowl” recipes that had me coo-ing immediately – sweet caramel root veg, ginger-garlic spiciness, turmeric earthiness – and OF COURSE it was absolutely delcious. I topped the bowl with some wrinkly black olives which I would HIGHLY recommend to add some salty to the earthy-citrusy-sweet flavour combo!
Thank you so so mcuh Laura ;)
h x
Totally agree. Just made this and it was delicious. Sauce was zesty and totally agree, I too added some feta (vegetarian not vegan) as I too felt the need for some saltiness. I served with quinoa. My husband has just gone back for more. Love it when people make the food and then write the lovely comments. :)
What an amazing dish you have created. Like a bowl of sunshine. Can’t wait to have a serving of this!
Hope you have a lovely weekend,
Sini
It’s 80F today but I’m filing this away for Aussie winter– nourishing recipe, thank you!
I’m down with anything with turmeric or sprouts. My favorite are broccoli and radish! They last so long in the fridge too. My sprouting was fueled by the fact that our stores (Alaska) will no longer carry mung bean sprouts :( But now I do my own! This looks wonderful!
I love the idea of putting a gorgeous broth with a light grain and a roasted vegetable. I definitely intended to try this – perhaps as part of a variation using quinoa. Would that work, too? Beautiful photos, as well.
Can’t wait to try this – going to attempt it without oil, hope it doesn’t lose too much flavour.
This recipe has such a beautiful array of colors! I’ve been craving protein in this cold so I think I’m going to try this with a handful of chickpeas. Mmmm…
Beautiful recipe! Thank you for sharing
http://lifeandcity.tumblr.com
This looks like the kind of meal I would make, and then keep on infinite rotation until my skin was orange from beta-carotene and my spoons yellow from turmeric. But, I’m totally okay with that, because someone told me it’s the cool thing nowadays. Shoots are a bit new to me, but I’m sure they’d find a cozy place among the goodness and warmth.
This is real serious I’m making what I have in the fridge & pantry. They are always the best meals, and tumeric is good for inflammation something we all likely have in Ontario in the depths of winter. Nice one.
I’m loving both turmeric and roasted carrots right now. This post is is gorgeous and inspiring! I’ve gotta go grab some carrots and turmeric on my way home now :)
This could now be one of my favorite “simple but great” recipes to make :)
Your pics are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
This sounds absolutely lovely! I think it’s just the meal I’ve been in need of. The photography is so gorgeous, as usual!!
I think the simple dishes – direct from the pantry type – tend to be the best. Sounds delicious and the photos are beautiful!
Ah, zingy broth, sweet roots, chewy rice with fresh, crunchy sprouts…sounds crazy good, made me so hungry for this kind of meal!
This is the perfect recipe for me today. I am in the thick of fighting this weird bug. Don’t we all get sick right after we talk about how we haven’t got sick all year? This soup is perfect. I have been making a turmeric tea in the mornings so I am excited about this broth!
I met Tony at the Guelph Organic Conference a few years ago. He certainly does have a glow! And seems to always have people around him.
Thanks for the perfect timing of this recipe, Laura!
Bring on the turmeric! I don’t use it enough and vibrant recipes like these are a vital reminder that I need to incorporate it into my cooking much more frequently. :) Gorgeous recipe, Laura — thank you so much for sharing this.
I’m loooving tumeric right now, especially trying to get out of this winter slump. Also, sprouts are my favorite, so I’m in with this!
I like this sunny bowl—this is the type of thing I eat ALL the time. Thanks for the nice shout-out about the sprouts, too. I love picturing your sprout-dancer-joy man :)
x
S
Hi Laura,
I just saw your beautiful pic you sent with this morning’s tweet and had to come see more. Imagine my surprise when I come across some of those beautiful food photography I’ve ever seen! Your site is gorgeous and so inspirational – thanks for sharing!
What a great idea! Turmeric has become one of my favorite spices lately – I love its pungent flavor, and especially its healing properties. I haven’t experimented much with it in foods though, as I typically just stir it into my morning warm lemon water. This is a must-try for me! Love your recipe.
This is so beautiful Laura. I love the simplicity of it and the way you photographed it. I need more tumeric in my life (I’ve always wanted to be one of the cool kids.)
I love adding turmeric to everything. Between the color and the health benefits how could you go wrong? This looks so delicious! Thank you, thank you.
Never apologise for tumeric recipes – that little spice is packed so full of goodness + I don’t think it’s possible to have too much of it. Love the goodness of this recipe + those little sprouting powerhouses on top.
Yum, this looks like a real crowd pleaser!