I bought two five-pound bags of carrots at the health food store because who can pass up a five-pound bag of organic carrots marked down to $0.99? Not me, that’s for sure.
We ate what we could before they started going bad and then we chopped up the rest in the Vita-Mix and froze them in 1-cup baggies. And now I have two big bags full of finely chopped (almost pureed) carrots.
I figured it wouldn’t be hard to find great recipes to use them in. However, as I started searching online, I realized that maybe finding good recipes using carrots wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d originally thought.
So I’m turning to you all–my trusty advisors who rarely steer me wrong–to see what ideas you have for me to help me use these carrots? Anyone have a favorite carrot-laden recipe that is delicious and somewhat healthful? If so, I’d love to have you leave the link in the comments or email it to me. Thanks so very much!
I always seem to buy too many carrots – never thought of freezing them though. When I have carrots that I need to use I will usually make a carrot soup. A simple base soup would be cook onion in a little butter or oil until transluscent, add carrots and stock and cook until tender and puree, salt and pepper to taste. I usually put some kind of spin on my carrot soup, additions I have used include:
Cream (a classic) and top with some fresh herbs
Apple and Ginger
Parsnips
Ginger(fresh if possible) and Garlic
Curry Powder and topped with a dollop of plain yogurt
Cardomom and Orange Zest
Coconut Milk and Garam Masala
Fresh herbs, sour cream, plain yogurt etc. all make great garnishes. I never make this soup the same way twice since I usually try to use ingredients we already have in our cupboards/fridge/patio garden – my husband has loved each and every one.
If your family likes carrots, you can often get away with substituting up to 1/2 of the requested amount for sweet potato or squash recipes. So if you’re making mashed sweet potatoes (YUMMERS), go with 2 c sweet potatoes & 1 c. carrots. They blend well, so you don’t have to add as much sugar for this as you might for sweet potato casserole/ pie. You can also slip some in butternut squash soup, but keep the ratio a little lower (3 c butternut: 1 c carrot). Happy carrot-ing!
I always use lots of carrots in the pasta sauce I make for the freezer.
I have also used carrots, onions and green peppers in my sloppy joes.
Turkey burgers! It makes the turkey very moist and delicious!!
I am always sneaking veggies in wherever I can…shhh! Don’t tell 🙂 I’ve added carrots (celery or broccoli) into meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes & tacos. I make sure they’re finely chopped and added only to dishes with stronger flavors. In addition to getting another serving of veggies into my kids without a fight, it also helps to stretch our food dollar!
Golden Mashed Potatoes! Mix as much pureed carrot as you’d like into your mashed potatoes. You can’t taste the difference and kids think they are extra special.
My first thought was carrot cake or the ole stand by of glazed carrots. I also put carrots in my chicken noodle soup, veggie soup, and ham & bean soup. You can also add them to any tomatoe sauce for a natural sweetness.
Roberta
My mom always puts carrots in her chili, and it adds a delicious sweetness and heft. There’s also an amazing roasted vegetable spread that uses carrots, that I could happily just eat with a spoon–so sweet and rich-tasting, yet so healthy! http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/recipes/special-occasions/roasted-carrot-and-herb-spread.aspx
try using them in smoothies, carrots are sweet and will add flavor. try fruit, & veggies, oj and if you can find them try using chia seeds the highest consumable omega 3 food out there, they are smaller than a sesame seed and taste less. I make smoothies with banana, what ever fruit i have in the fridge, carrots, celery etc. just try it its a good breakfast loaded with vitamines.
I had a recipe that I used to make a lot for carrot bread (a lot like pumpkin bread) from my Better Homes and Garden cookbook. I’ve also tried recipes before for banana carrot bread.
WOW! 385 comments already! I’m not reading a single one. Just wanted to say that next time you have that many extra carrots, if you’ve ever tried making sweet pickles, you can pickle the carrots! We made pickled pumpkin one year, and had so much leftover brine (mostly vinegar, sugar, water and spices), we decided to pickle some extra carrots we had. They turned out great! You just have to peel and cut the carrots into pieces about the size of a small gherkin pickle, and boil them to your preferred al dente level of crunchiness, then follow typical canning procedures. The kids really liked them, too. Best wishes!
Add to chili, meatloaf, spaghetti, or smoothies. The possiblities are endless!! I also remember growing up, my mom made carrot cookies. (I know sounds gross but, it had orange glaze on top….mmmmm good!!! Nothing like carrot cake….)
Steam. puree, then add to apple sauce. Dehydrate the combo and make apple/carrot leathers. You could just steam, dehydrate and grind into a powder to add to baked goods, snack bars, and sauces. The beauty of dehydrated foods is the storage space they save. Only tiny quantities of vitamins are lost in this particular combo.
and meatloaf.
I have two secrets to tell you:
1. My husband doesn’t like vegetables. I see this as a character issue but he sees it as a taste issue. I love my husband and want him to live a long healthy life with me so:
2. I sneak carrots into a lot of foods. Everytime I make chili, spaghetti, smoothies, and a few other things that I can’t remember off the top of my head my husband is actually eating carrots. I do this by blending them to smithereens in my blender. It is so easy to hide them in anything with tomato sauce. They just blend right in.
I know that your family actually likes vegetables (I’m a little jealous!) so I’m sure that they wouldn’t mind knowing that they are eating carrots but I think it is still a good way to give a little nutritional punch to chilis, spaghetti or anything else with a tomato sauce base. 🙂
Oh and I remembered another one… enchiladas!
When I make tacos using ground turkey instead of beef I stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of pureed carrots. It adds moisture and sweetness to the mix. It’s the same color as the taco seasoning so my daughter has no idea it’s in there.
Also works for turkey meatloaf or meatballs.
Use them for cakes,casseroles,soup,salads,muffins,and cupcakes.
you could mix some up in your spaghetti sauce for added vitamins.
Carrot Cake, Carrot Juice, or Carrot Bread
That’s a lot of carrots!! You might be able to add some to smoothies? My kids don’t like it, but carrot soup is an option. You can whip up some carrot cake or muffins, Emerald has a recipe for So Good Morning Muffins that call for carrots but don’t seem too carrot-y. Also, you can throw some in spaghetti sauce or lasanga. For lasanga, we saute 2 small zucchinis and cook up 2-3 carrots, then we add these to half a pound of ground turkey and mix in a jar of spahghetti sauce. Good luck!
Carrot Souffle recipe originally from Piccadilly Restaurant: http://www.food.com/recipe/piccadillys-carrot-souffle-149667
It’s delicious!
I use them in meatloaf, cake and muffin recipes (instead of applesauce), I also make a carrot soup (instead of butternut squash) I cook in Chicken broth with onion, potatoes, celery, and parsley, puree add a little fat free half and half at the end. I serve with home made corn muffins.
I also add them to my spaghetti sauce to increase the veggie consumption.
Here’s a recipe you might be able to use – http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2010/08/our-carrot-tomato-soup.html
I add carrots,broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, etc to the ricotta cheese, or creamcheese/cottage cheese part in a veggie lasagna for added veggies and a thicker heavier lasagna to fill you up faster.
Could you make some baby food with it and give to a friend who is in that stage at the moment?
Do you have a juicer? Put your carrots into the juicer along with other veggies and fruits such as celery, beets (adds a robust flavor) cut-up apples, etc. Makes a healthy, delicious drink full of vitamins and minerals. If you’ve never had this before, you’ll be surprised how sweet the carrot juice tastes.
You can use it in applesauce cake or muffins. Use one half carrot puree and one half applesauce. Add some honey or sugar for sweetness.
In france we eat pureed vegetables pretty regularly…you can steam them and purree them just like you would for mashed potatoes add a drizzle of cream or butter and some salt and pepper… you can also take the steamed vegetable (carrots, broccoli, fennel, whatever…) and add it in with mashed potatoes which gives for a more hearty texture, changes up the flavors and makes the mashed potatoes a little less caloric and more nutritional…plus my kids LOVE getting their vegetables this way….but my kids like vegetables in general… the other option is to do pretty much the same thing but thin it down with broth or milk to make a creamy soup…you can add in other vegetables (and less potatoes) if you go this route.
just wanted to add…if you “mix” your vegetables this way you need either a hand-held soup blender or a food processor…it won’t work good doing it with beaters like a lot of americans do for mixing up mashed potatoes.
I’d be preparing some in boiling water, Steamed I guess you call it till tender then drain the water add butter & salt and eat up! Also make a few carrot cakes.You could make a few and freeze what you can’t eat right away for a healthy dessert or snacky type food.Don’t forget to add cream cheese icing,to die for!!! And a dear friend of mine who passed away last January used to make a carrot salad.It was good but pretty sweet.
When I saw your post I laughed at how many of us mothers are alike in so many ways without even knowing each other. Enjoy my take on the same situation. God Bless, Mary
http://myloveforideas.blogspot.com/2011/05/carrot-crazy.html
This may sound wacky, but steam, puree, and then mix it with peanut butter to stretch and health-ify (yep, just created a verb that should never have been created) your peanut butter. Looks wierd, tastes the same. My husband’s trick.
Add to jarred spaghetti sauce for extra veggies and sweetness.
How about making carrot cake muffins and then freezing them to pull out for later? Makes a GREAT surprise for the mailman when he/she delivers your mail OR take to some neighbors or even your child’s teacher; if you have small children…GOOD LUCK
ALSO…I just remembered the “If you give a Mom a Muffin poem”…you could make up muffins, include the poem and share w/some Moms?
This is a link to a Carrot-Ginger Soup. I got the original one from a Cooking Light magazine but this is very similar. It’s great hot or cold which is a bonus!
http://whippedtheblog.com/2009/12/01/simple-carrot-ginger-soup/
Also, I just did this today ~ mix 2-3 finely chopped carrots, an equal amount of finely chopped broccoli florets and 1 block softened cream cheese. I used low fat but plan to use fat free the next time. I added a little seasoned salt to the recipe. The veggies were not cooked, by the way. This is sooooo good on crackers as a snack, as a veggie dip, or you can get “fancy” and make sandwiches out of it for a “tea party”… we had it at a bday party a couple of weeks ago and my daughter has been begging me to make it ever since. After making it today, I’m pretty sure it will stay in rotation 🙂
Puree them and put them in a vegtable soup stock.
carrot cheesecake
carrot cake
carrot muffins
carrot casserole
puree and add to different soups for a vegatable serving
carrot juice
carrot and raisin pie
and I have receipes for all the above and more
Could you please share your carrot recipes
with me
What about carrot cake!!!
Carrot cookies, carrot raisin bread, carrot soup, carrot raisin slaw, carrot orange juice, put carrots/v-8 juice, carrots in meatloaf, put carrots in meatballs, carrots in stirfry!
Here is a link to a healthy turkey meatloaf with carrots and mushrooms that I have used. It is not your traditional meatloaf, but the whole family really enjoyed it. http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Turkey-Carrot-Mushroom-Meat-Loaf-Recipe.html
I had once read a tip to get more veggies into kids–put pureed carrots (or any kind of baby food veggies) into spaghetti sauce. It won’t change the taste or the color, but certainly adds more nutrients!
Souns like a great idea & you’ll probably never know they are their. Could use for a carrot cake or maybe just in any cake mix, mabe even in cole slaw.
I also do this with spaghetti sauce and chili. Just use the equivalent of 3-4 carrots and toss it in. I feel better giving it to my toddler. I put carrots in everything. I routinely buy 10 lb bags of carrots and I keep a 3rd whole, slice another 1/3 to make cooked carrots with cinnamon and honey (I freeze them raw in bags), and the other 1/3 I chop into carrot slices for snacking. You can throw the finely chopped carrots into soups (chicken, lentil, beef, veggie), I also saute onion, chopped carrots, bell pepper, eggplant, and tomato and throw it in with some pasta. Add a little store bought pesto and you have a tasty veggie pasta. Other than those ideas, you can do carrot bread/muffins (like a zucchini bread) or carrot cake.
Add 1/4 cup pureed carrots to your smoothies (enough for two smoothies) when mixing in the blender. You can’t tell they’re in there and you get your veggies!
Cook them, mash them and then use them in place of pumpkin in baking. They make great pumpkin ….er I mean carrot pie. It is the spice that makes it taste so good. You can also use them in soups.
I would break off a chunk and put it in spaghetti sauce whenever I made spaghetti…other than that you could use a chunk in fruit smoothies too!
Put it in Spaghetti Sauce.
Put is back in the vitamix or a blender and make carrot, apple, ginger juice!
I have a most amazing carrot soufle recipe. It tastes like a dessert and looks like it was difficult to make, but it isn’t. I got it from Southern Living.
Add them to muffins or pancakes.
You’ve gotten lots of delicious advice, but I would suggest putting them into pizza crusts, biscuits, rolls, or breadsticks. I often make my pizza crusts w/ pureed chickpeas, shredded carrots, zuccini, and/or baby spinach. This really amps of the “passive” nutrition.
My friend always adds them to her spaghetti sauce. Some extra beta carotene and no flavor difference.
I like to make my kids meatloaf cupcakes. I make meatloaf then put them in a muffin tin (put the meatloaf in baking cups just like you would a cupcake). After the meatloaf is cooked I put mashed potatoes on top to look like frosting on the cupcake. Then I put shredded carrots on top of the mashed potatoes to look like sprinkles on the cupcake. My kids love this!!!
Here’s a really easy soup recipe.
large can of v8 juice
chopped potatoes
carrots
ground beef
Combine in pot, bring to a boil, simmer until veggies are tender. This is a really flexible recipe – you can add other veggies as well.
Check out soulemama dot com (am I allowed to do that?) and she has an awesomw Carrot-Tomato Soup, since it’s September, you might also have an abundance of tomatoes….
I make carrot cake pancakes for my kids they love them and its a good way to sneak some veggies into breakfast. I just add some finely shredded carrots and some cinnamon into pancake batter. (they also freeze really well) In Jessica Seinfield’s first cookbook ‘deceptively delicious’ she has a recipe for ketchup that uses carrots.
We enjoy cooked carrots! I just peel, slice, and put in a pan with water(not enough to cover.) I add 1 tsp. of brown sugar cover and cook until tender. People beg me for the “recipe!”
Don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious” has several recipes with carrot puree hidden in them!
Carrots are great to add to any juice if you have a juicer. My husband does an apple, carrot, pineapple, cucumber, ginger root blend in the juicer that is amazing!
Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food by Jessica Seinfeld has a really good brownie recipe in it that has pureed carrots and pureed spinach in them. There are also several other recipes that have carrots in them.
This may sound overly simple, but my dad used to make mashed carrots as a side dish. My uncle used to mash carrots into mashed potatoes. I have put mashed carrots with rice.
If you have a juicer…. juice them (2 carrots per 1 apple) and the kids will LOVE their juice and they will get their veggy serving, too
We never have that problem, what with having horses and even our dogs love them. In fact the medium size dog has never stolen thawing meat from the countertop, only carrots!
Carrot and coriander soup, the husband loves it!!
Paula Deen has great recipe for split pea soup called Shaggy Man Split Pea Soup, I add about twice the carrots the recipe calls for and it’s yummy!
What about pot roast or boiled dinner?
Loosey-goosey muffins by Ashley Baxter
For 18-24 muffins, depending on how deep the cups are:
About 2 cups whole wheat flour
About a cup of oats-helps balance the mushiness and acts as a preservative
2 eggs
3/4 cup of yogurt or sour cream, etc.
**IF YOU DON’T USE sweetened yogurt, INCREASE your sugar(sucanat if have) by 1/4 cup, or add another banana and a little more sugar, etc.
1/2 cup sucanat, sugar or honey
mush stuff: Either 3-4 cups of carrot pulp
or 3 cups of something more liquidy, such as strawberry and banana
or 2 cups of sweet potato or pumpkin.
cinnamon
baking soda-2 tsp
baking powder- 2 tsp
big dash of salt
1/4 (more if not using much pulpy/mushy stuff) cup olive oil
1/4 cup chia seed
1/4 cup ground flax seed
if needed, more liquid in the form of apple cider or milk or more yogurt
dark chocolate chips, 1 bag
Basically, I try to have a batter than won’t be liquidy but is also not like stiff cookie dough. So, soft batter that can be piled high on a spoon without falling off, but with some airiness to it.
Also, bananas, yogurt and salt seem to be very helpful ingredients in getting the right texture and sweetness.
Convection 335 for at least 17 minutes or regular bake 350 for closer to 20 (in my oven — yours may be faster/slower).
These are super healthy and kids love them!
Carrott cake or muffins!!! Throw in some chocolate chips….yum!!!!
Just mix them in anything you cook. Trust me, if you don’t tell, they won’t know. My husband doesn’t like squash. I made chicken and rice and added shredded squash and carrots and he didn’t even know! He kept telling me how delicious the dinner was. I told him about the “additions” after all the leftovers were gone. 🙂
An old fashioned recipe. When I was younger and thinner I would make this and eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner until it was gone. Maybe that’s why I’m no longer thinner! (Protein, grains, veggies, fruit and dairy. What a PERFECT combination. 🙂
CARROT CAKE TERESA
This cake tastes better after one day in the fridge.
Also very freeze-able. I use more carrots and nuts
for a more solid cake.
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 small can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple (with juice)
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups peeled grated carrots (about a l lb. package)
1 cup chopped nuts
1. Mix dry ingredients and set aside.
2. Mix oil, sugar, and eggs, beating after each addition.
3. Add dry ingredients, carrots, pineapple, and nuts and mix well.
4. Grease and flour pans. (Makes one sheet cake size)
5. Bake a 325º for 35 to 45 mins or until it is done in the middle. Cake will be brown.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 stick salted butter or margarine
1 box powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Beat well until smooth and kind of fluffy.
Spread on cake (thickly) when cake is cool.
Serve cold, cut in squares.
Try Carrot Kugel. It’s delicious. I got this recipe from http://www.elanaspantry.com.
5-6 cups chopped carrots cooked until soft
1/4 c agave nectar (I cut this in half)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp orange rind
3 eggs
1/4 cup almond flour
Blend everything together until smooth. Place in 8″ glass pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. It’s good hot or cold.
Fresh shredded carrots can be used in hamburger soup. The main ingriedient is hamburger and carrots, and since it has to simmer quite awhile, the carrots add a awesome flavor to the broth. It can be frozen in plastic bowls and reheated for later. With cold weather on it’s way, hamburger soup is a great meal and filler-up in the winter.
You could put them in almost anything you want extra veggies in. Throw some in meatloaf, spaghetti/marinara sauce. You could also try to put a small amount in homemade mac and cheese (I would do a small portion first as I don’t know how much it would affect the flavor). I do this all the time with squash/zucchini that I get from my in-laws or the marked down bin at the grocery store. I also do it with spinach. Of course, carrot cake or carrot cake muffins would be YUMMY!
My oldest kid made up a Cold Burrito recipe and actually won a contest with it from the Dallas ISD Food Service Department. You use finely chopped carrots, cucumbers, dried cranberries, pecans, and turkey or ham (or both). Tortillas. Cream cheese & mayo. Here’s the link: http://mommyswishlist.blogspot.com/2008/11/return-of-nuts.html
I didn’t have time to read the previous comments, so I’m sorry if I’m repeating. I add carrots to tomato based sauces, like spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, soup. I almost puree them and then add them in. They do little to the flavor, but add a lot of extra nutrition.
Have you ever had a carrot pie? It is very similar to pumpkin pie, with a very subtle difference – I’ve only had it once, but it is ever so yummy!
Zucchini and Carrot Soup!!! :] Delicious!
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2010/05/12/pureed-fresh-zucchini-carrot-soup/
I add shredded carrots to bulk up my ground beef for things like taco meat and sloppy joes. I add 1/2 lb. ground beef + 3/4 to 1 cup (whatever I feel like at the time) of finely shredded carrots + finely chopped onions and peppers. It adds veggies and helps my meat go alot farther. Mixed with the meat, seasonings and peppers and onions, it’ll deceive even the pickiest eaters 🙂
I add shredded carrots to taco soup. Or to taco meat. Or shredded beef in the crock pot.
Morning glory muffins – also carrot bread with coconut, pineapple, rasins and nuts!
I make homemade cheese sauce for mac and cheese. I make a white sauce put in some pureed cooked carrots and also add some pulverized white beans. I then keep adding the sharpest cheddar cheese I can find until it starts tasting cheesy. I then freeze in silicone muffin tins so it’ll be as fast to prepare as the box version.
I like to make cous cous with part water and part broth or carrot juice. If they are pureed you might be able to do the same type of thing (might need to water down slightly or add more water to get water/cous cous ratio correct). It turns the cous cous orange which kids think is super fun. Add peas to make a fun green and orange contrast. If you make it at Halloween time add peas after plated and make Jack o’Lantern faces and stem around a round scoop on everyone’s plate. Enjoy!
What CAN’T you add pureed carrots to? Soups, stews, chili, enchilada sauce, risotto, meat balls or meat loaf, salad dressings, pancakes, bread, muffins, etc. Just use it in place of some of the liquid in any recipe.
Make a carrot cake from scratch:
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup crushed pineapples
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in walnuts. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.
carrot soup is really good! i’ve made this one before and loved it: http://www.eatliverun.com/carrot-ginger-soup/
You could give them to someone who needs baby food 🙂 And put them in pasta sauce, but I see that’s been mentioned already!
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but Jessica Seinfeld’s cookbooks are a really great source for using any veggie purees you might have. I used this cookbook when I was trying to use up the rest of my daughter’s baby food stock pile once she started eating finger foods.
wow! you sure got a lot of responses. I didn’t read them all so this may just be more of what others have said, but in addition to carrot cake, try disguising them in other foods. Add them to spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, taco meat, meatballs, etc. I had tons of zucchini from the garden & this is what I did with some of it and I am sure it will work for carrots too. In fact, you have inspired me. I planted carrots in the garden this year & they are a little bitter for eating out right, but I think I will chop & freeze them & do exactly as I just suggested you do. thanks!
I make these carrot cake pancakes for brinner (breakfast for dinner). Very yummy!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-cake-pancakes-10000001949746/
Finely chopped carrots or shreds tossed in a bit of oil and vinegar is great as a grown up side. We had this many times in Germany with sliced beets and cabbage all tossed with oil and vinegar. We came to really enjoy it.
Neither my husband or I like carrots but we realize the importance of eating healthy. Since we don’t like the taste, we usually hide them in stuff.
We love putting carrots (and other veggies) in fruit smoothies for the extra vitamins without the veggie taste. They’re called “green smoothies” or “the green monster.”
We also hide it in ground meat. It’s a good an healthy filler and makes the meat go a long way. Use it in tacos, spaghetti, or anything else!
There are great recipes for carrot cashew quiche on allrecipes.com. I had it this weekend for the first time at a baby shower and it is really delicious.
You can put these in just about anything. You might want to make up a bunch of soups and freeze in gallon freezer bags. You could make Chicken Noodle (add the noodles when heated up), Minestrone soup, Stew. Also, we put carrots, peas & corn in our chicken spaghetti. If you haven’t already froze them, you could stick them on the dehydrator if you have one. Then, add to recipes at your leisure. I know there is a Cream of Carrot recipe out there. Oh, there are several recipes for muffins that call for them. There is a Powerhouse Muffin recipe and I have a recipe for Peanut Butter muffins (you put pureed bananas and carrots in these)…and they are yummy. We cannot a bunch of quarts in the Spring. I got 50lbs. of organic carrot buy ordering in bulk from my local grocery store. They made just a little profit. So, we ate and ate on them for meals, and canned about 20 quarts.
http://weelicious.com/2010/06/03/carrot-snack-sticks/
yummy healthy crackers!
So many good ideas listed! And with winter coming, I’ll be adding some to soups. Just saw a link on Parents.com with a video of The Sneaky Chef. She sneaks all kinds of veggies and fruit into meals so her kids get enough of them. She has two cookbooks I believe (although I don’t own them), but I know you can see some of her recipes online. She uses a lot of purees to replace other ingredients in recipes, including carrot and sweet potato puree, caulifower and zucchini puree, etc. Just an idea.
I often put shredded carrots in spaghetti sauce and meatloaf to get the kids to eat extra veggies.
I also like to grate carrots into my spaghetti sauce, meatloafs, and just about anything else I can think of.
Lucky you, you have the fixings for my favorite recipe: Carrot muffins! Here’s my recipe, which I altered to be healthier, on my personal blog:
http://www.myfunnyfunnyfamily.com/2006/01/i-can-bring-home-bacon.html
It’s too late this time around, but next time make up a batch of pickled carrots! (I like mine sweet, hubby likes the sweet & sour…plenty of recipes on google.) I am always on the hunt for cheap bags of carrots just for this purpose. But you want the carrots whole, not shredded/diced.
Throw in meatloaf, meatballs, smoothies, pumpkin Bread /muffins, spinach rice pilaf (rice made with chicken broth…. Throw in some carrots & broken spaghetti noodles, add chopped spinach last 5 minutes).
I just have to say, I love you and your website! God put you in my life for a reason. Thank you!
Okay, I just made a spicy carrot/habanero hot sauce. (pili pili in Swahili – I’m from Tanzania; live in South Fl)
1 cup of chopped carrots
7 Habanero peppers (with seeds)
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves
1/4 chopped red onions
1/4 cup olive oil or grapeseed oil
salt/pepper to taste
Grind all the ingredients in a mixer (like vitamix or magic bullet), except for the oil and salt/pepper. Once everything is fairly ground, add the oil and salt/pepper and mix up real quick.
Stays in your fridge for weeks; even months. I use it to spice up my dishes at the table.
Enjoy! And thank you for all you do!
This sounds wonderful! I’ve never heard of it but the ingredients are right up our alley!
I must admit the only thing I do with carrots is puree them and use them in spaghetti sauce. My little one does not care for veggies much so I have to get creative. (In case you are wondering, yest I still put veggies on his plate) What more can you ask for an easy healthy meal, you can barely taste the carrots and my whole family loves it
Here’s my recipe for Apple Carrot Bread – super yummy!
http://thekitchenskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/apple-carrot-bread.html
When I was a busy mom of a 6-12 month old, it would have been such a blessing for someone to bring me a gallon ziploc half full of ice cube tray frozen carrot puree blocks!
Jessica Seinfeld’s second cookbook, Double Delicious!, is full of restaurant immitations with a twist. She adds pureed vegetables into almost anything from meatloaf to quick breads to cookies (?).
Yep, it’s Jerry’s wife.
Muffins with raisins. I also add to stuffing and any rice dish. Several times I have added them to banana bread to make it healthier.
Carrot cake, carrot muffins w/dates or golden raisins.
tomato sauce, my all time favorite is add to soups i.e. minestrone or stirfried… of course for the latter it would have been nicer to have them sliced or chopped and flash frozen for easy access and texture, but it still can work. esp. with Chap chae noodles, rice or cooked w/ ground turkey soy sauce and wrapped in spring rolls like lumpia. serve w/ sweet chili sauce.
Sorry if this has already been suggested…Morning Glory Muffins. They are a bit labor intensive but totally worth it.
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/morning-glory-muffins-recipe#fragement-2
We love Veggie Manicotti around here! You mix carrots, zuchinni or summer squash, ricotta cheese, mozerella cheese, green or yelllow onion, and an egg. Put in some kind of shell and top with spaghetti sauce and more mozerella. I have TONS of squash and zucchini in my freezer right now I need to use!
Carrot cake is always a good candidate, but you can sneak them into almost anything. Meatloaf, pasta sauce, meatballs and the list is endless.
I don’t believe your family is into spicy foods, but we love anything with hot sauce, and this is a great, healthy twist on Buffalo wings: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/buffalo-stuffed-skins/
Add extra veggies.
put them through a juicer or make cream of carrot soup base – i do this all the time – make cream of carrot soup right up to the point where you add the creamy dairy ingredient – cool it and freeze it , then when you reheat, just add your dairy product – also, cook them down and use them as you would pumpkin or sweet potato – if you get them to the right consistency, they are all pretty interchangable in recipes like pie or muffins or quick bread – hth!
Add them to marinara sauce along with other veggies like spinach!
Copper pennies! (an old-timey recipe that is really good– the only way I will eat cooked carrots): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/copper-penny/detail.aspx
Also, carrot juice is the best–add a little apple for sweetness. It tastes good and makes you feel so healthy!
Carrot lemonade!
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/drinks/carrot-lemonade/
My first impulse was carrot cake, too. (Maybe it was all those years as a kid helping my mom in the kitchen every year by grating 3 cups of carrots for my dad’s birthday carrot cake.) I just have to reiterate the beauty of adding grated carrot to salads.
Back in my college days, I used to work in the kitchen for a summer camp for inner city kids, and veggies always came back untouched. We also put a basic salad out (family style dining) probably every meal, with sliced carrots in it (admittedly some of the other staff’s definition of carrot slices was VERY thick), and we’d always have all the carrot chunks come back even if the rest of the salad was eaten. Then I had the idea of throwing the carrot into the food processor, and the kids LOVED it! They ate more salad, since some colorful carrot sprinkled on top adds to the presentation. The best things was it was actually quicker than chopping carrots, since I could do big batches in the food processor.
Since then I often add some freshly grated (I fine the texture of finely grated better than the standard large shredded) carrot to our basic salad at home, especially if we’re out of tomatoes (seems like I’m always short of my Vitamin A requirement, so any help I can get). I also started noticing that almost every commercial salad has a little shredded carrot in it, whether it’s a bagged salad or McDonald’s basic side salad, but most people don’t even notice the carrot (but I’m sure they buy more of these salads than they would without the carrot). Anyway, I’m a fan of “hiding” veggies in plain sight 🙂
We always put carrot puree into our pancake and waffle mix and make as normal (sometimes add a little cinnamon or nutmeg). We like them better than plain!
Another idea is carrot bars with cream cheese frosting (think pumpkin bars, more like cake). And I’m sure you can use some of it in your yummy smoothies!
Thank you for the suggestion. I tried the carrot pancakes. They were good!
Carrot Banana Bread
1/3 C. oil 1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
whoops, pushed a wrong button. Here’s the rest of the recipe:
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C. mashed ripe bananas
1 C. grated carrots
1/2 C. chopped pecans
In a mixing bowl, combine oil and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with bananas. Stir in carrots and pecans. Transfer to a greased 9×5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
My four year old discovered this recipe one day while browsing a cookbook (with lots of colored pictures) We tried it and it is a huge favorite in our house, I like it because it’s a nice afternoon snack that is fairly healthy
Carrot and ginger taste great together. My dad makes a great carrot ginger soup. There are lots of recipes for various versions online, try a few and see what works for your family. If your family likes coconut, I think I’ve seen more Asian-flared ones with coconut too.
I also like carrots mashed with other root vegetables, blended with turnips, or parsnips even just carrots and potatoes. Plain and simple is nice with a little salt and butter or coconut oil. The addition of a single “exotic” spice like coriander or nutmeg can make carrots quite exciting, a blend like curry can really kick it up.
And really, your carrot-apple muffin with coconut from your Simply Centsible Breakfasts is a great recipe. (I’ve even made it with a lot less oil for my family with no problems.) OK, now I have to go get some early apples….
I grate carrots often and put them in our meatballs/meatloaf–almost anything ground beef!
I’ve been meaning to try this myself – I saw on somebody’s blog that they always add grated carrots to their ground beef. It stretches the meat and adds flavor as well.
Carrot Juice uses up a lot of carrots easily. My mom would always buy 5 pound bags, and it would make just enough juice for all 4 of us. It’s really good for you, but not always the best tasting 🙂 Just send them through the juicer. You could add apples to make them sweeter.
I love afghan rice – especially with kebabs or greek burgers. You just add a bit of honey, a handful or raisins and grated or finely chopped carrots to rice (its wonderful with jasmine rice) in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Also, pureed carrots with a good bit of butter is really tasty as a side and couldn’t be more simple. Sprinkle cinnamon on top if that’s your thing.
You could add it (cooked and pureed) to pancake batter or muffins or it might work well as a replacement for the applesauce in your fantastic whole wheat waffles.
Ragu sauce is a hearty meat pasta sauce. Saute finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery until soft, add chopped meat, brown and then add canned tomatoes. Simmer all day with salt pepper and oregano. Add basil and parsley 10 minutes before you turn off heat. VERY EASY in the crock pot.
Anything (homemade) tomato based I add carrots to. Adding them seems to help with acidity of the tomatoes and also sweetens some sauces so that you don’t need to add the pinch of sugar recommended. Also add to your green smoothies.
There is a Rachel Ray recipe on foodnetwork.com that is called buffalo chicken chili. It is amazing and the carrots would work perfect. I always use more than the recipe calls for.
I would use them in spaghetti sauce, soup, meatloaf and cakes/muffins! Good luck.
How about carrot cake? Baby food? Carrot Roll? I make a pumpkin roll from the Libby’s brand recipe, just substitute the carrot with the pumpkin. Carrot soup? That’s all I can think of. Good Luck!!
Raising Olives has THE BEST Carrot Souffle recipe:
http://raisingolives.com/2011/03/carrot-souffle-recipe/
My kids beg for it! You should definately try it out!
I always puree excess then add to my spagetti sauce, taco sauce, etc…that way I don’t waste and I have extra veggies added in.
Next time, you can do what I like to do with our carrots from the garden to store for year round use. I make sure the green parts are off, wrap them 10-12 to a bundle in newspaper, then lay them in a container, and then layer a bit of sand to cover. Store in cool, dry place (like your pantry in the basement) They keep for several months for us this way, and then you can use them “fresh” for longer, or for broths!
Soup, casseroles, add it in when you cook ground beef – just add them to stuff!
smoothies!
i think someone might have already said this but make a fruit smoothie! My husband has a juicer and he makes a juice with about 12 carrots and some other fruit and surprisingly it is so good…especially if you also add peaches. Can’t even tell the carrots are there 🙂
Healthy Morning Muffins from Everyday Food. My 5 year old loves these, and they freeze really well.
http://www.marthastewart.com/339779/healthy-morning-muffins
I roast carrots along with my garden tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant & puree it to make a fabulous roasted tomato pasta sauce. This is the only way I make sauce now & I make enough to last until next summer. The carrots add a sweetness to the sauce the is hard to pass up. Since you have already pureed them, I would toss them in a skillet with other pureed veg & saute them until cooked before I add them to pasta sauce. IF you need further instructions on how to do that, email me.
Stick it in with your chili. It’s another way to stretch out the batch.
Good deal:) i had an abundance of carrots last week and made this homemade carrot cake from Allrecipes.com. The frosting was a little sweet for my taste so i would do more of a cream cheese topping with less confectioners sugar:) happy baking. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-cake-2/detail.aspx
Obviously carrot bread and carrot cake are at the top of my list, but I also put them in almost every “red sauce” dish. Lasagna, spaghetti, you won’t even notice them.
I add finely shredded carrots to meatballs and banana nut bread – and the beauty is the kids can’t really taste them and there is a splash of color!
We use carrots to make a yummy Carrot Cake Smoothie. I generally use whole carrots, but the finely chopped or pureed carrots would make for a smoother texture. Such a great way to get more veggies into the kids…
http://discoverexplorelearn.com/2011/08/carrot-cake-smoothie/
Meatloaf, meatballs, lasagne, egg rolls, tacos, chilli, stuffing, and veggie and potato soups are a few of the things that I have stashed ground carrots in.
If you have a recipe you like for sweet potato casserole, carrots work just as well. Everything can be the same, except you might want a bit more sweetness to balance out the carroty flavor.
you have soo many comments already – but when I have excess carrots I always grate them and then freeze them. When they are grated it makes it so easy to add them to things like meatloaf or pasta sauce or endless other dishes. I love this because it adds a little extra depth of flavor, some light sweetness and that extra oomph to dishes that make you go.. “what is that?”
Thank you! I read this far to see if I could freeze them as I found a really big bag on sale cheap and didn’t want to waste them.
If you have a juicer, run them through the juicer and then juice some apples. Apple carrot juice is really good. And then take the left over carrot pulp and substitute it for zuchinni in zuchinni bread, or add it to muffins or cake. You can also use the pulp in meatballs, meatloaf, stuffing, or added to a sauce that is tomato based. I haven’t experimented with the apple pulp yet, because I don’t peel or seed my apples before juicing them.
I was going to suggest carrot juice. It is supposed to be a miracle juice. My husband will agree with that notion; he used it to repair his immune system ten years ago.
This carrot cake recipe from is really yummy. And it will use up 2 cups of grated carrots…not bad!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sams-famous-carrot-cake/detail.aspx
Quiches, Meat loaf, Swedish Meatballs, Taco Meat concoctions, Spaghetti Sauce for Lasagna or Pasta, Carrot Bread, Pizza Sauce, Home-made Salad dressings, Zucchini Breads, Soups, and salads (maybe on the salads?????????)
Add to any of the following…..Casseroles, soups, sweet breads, cake, brownies, taco meat, spaghetti sauce.
http://www.food.com/recipe/picadillys-carrot-souffle-30216
my mom makes this all the time with her frozen carrots its my favorite and with fall coming up its perfect for the warm months
Mommy’s Kitchen Blog has a recipe for “sneaky” spiced carrot muffins, which could be good if you have picky eaters and have to hide the vegetables
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2010/08/more-sneaky-muffins-spiced-carrot.html
I hide lots of veggies in my family’s meals – Spaghetti Sauce, Meatloaf, Sloppy Joes and Chilis – any tomato based meal will hide them well!
You can add them to spaghetti sauce, vegetable soup, etc to sneak in a few extra veggies!
Wow! There’s been a lot of awesome ideas! I’m excited to try some of these too!
I know soup has been mentioned already, but that was definitely the first thing that came to my mind. I love this Carrot Ginger Soup:
http://www.myopenfridge.com/search?q=carrot+soup
They make a wonderful addition to chicken soup. Other ideas: carrot cake or muffins, meat-loaf, spaghetti sauce, and lasagna. They cook down quite a bit in meat sauces so you could probably add a good 1-2 cups per recipe.
The Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld uses them a lot. We LOVE the Spaghetti Pie out of there.
Jessica Seinfield’s cookbook, Deceptively Delicious has tons of great ways to use pureed carrots hidden in foods.
Yes, I was thinking the same thing! I can’t remember the exact recipes, but there were some good ones.
Yep, that’s my vote too. I don’t have the book but my SIL does, and I copied the peanut butter banana muffin recipe from there. It’s great! I don’t usually have carrot puree on hand so I don’t make them tons but they’re always a hit when I do. Here’s a version of the recipe online (just sub carrot for cauliflower): http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=154040
We had Carrots Huntington last year at a Christmas dinner. I haven’t made them myself, but here’s a recipe I’d like to try:
http://lynnescountrykitchen.net/sidedish/Carrots/huntingtoncarrots.html
Also, last season, we were able to keep carrots for several months in the refridgerator by putting them in bag inside the cereal box. There is something with the bag that helps keep them fresh.
I add finely chopped carrots like these to soups, stews, bolognese sauce for spaggetti. In fact i would mix some in with homemade meat balls & burgers too! Anything to hide veggies… ;0
Do you have a doggie? Carrots are great for dogs. You could put some in with their food (about 1 tablespoon per day) as long as nothing has been added to them. It is great for doggies that have digestive issues.
oh and the carrots in the sauce is good for helping with the acid from the tomatoes..
someone may have already said this but carrot salad sandwhiches…i’ve taken the pulp from juicing carrots before add mayo and spice and use as a sandwhich. yum!
I had a carrot salad sandwhich (with finely grated carrots) on a European flight one time and it was fantastic. I hadn’t thought of it for a long time. Might try it again!!!!
What a great idea! I’ve always just thrown the carrot juice pulp into the composter. Thanks for a way to repurpose that into a delicious entree!
I am adding one, though it’s probably not the most healthy, but I thought it would be a sweet treat for your family instead of dessert and it’s super quick. I usually can my carrots, I have never tried freezing. I pull out one quart of carrots at a time and drain them, and throw them in a pan. Add butter (probably a couple tablespoons) and brown sugar (a couple tablespoons) and a little flour if the carrots are very wet. Cook until tender and it makes an amazing sauce! My kids eat them all and so does my sweet Husband, afterall, this is exactly how his Grandmother makes them! 🙂 Enjoy!
I love Fishmama’s chicken noodle soup and I always put the carrot in my food chopper so it is fine and the kids (and hubby) don’t mind.
I use carrots in any recipe that calls for onions (I use onions and celery too.). I have found that this is a really good way to stretch ground beef–I brown a pound or two, or ten and then I freeze that to use in different recipes. It’s almost a convenience food! 🙂
Tomato soup- 2 or 3 can of tomatoes, sauted onions carrots and celery (about a cup or two of each) in olive oil with basil, garlic, salt, pepper. Purée everything and add broth, about 4-6 cups.
You can sub carroots into any recipe that calls for pumpkin. I have done this and can’t realy tell the difference. I really like it in the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins that was posted on your site!
We put at least a cup of pureed carrots into our spaghetti sauce. Oh, and its good in chili, too. Extra veggies you never really taste!
Ok – this isn’t the healthiest but here is a recipe for an absolute killer carrot cake. Anything with carrots and pineapples can’t be that bad for you, can it? 🙂
http://www.wonderwomanimnot.com/2011/07/carrot-cake-recipe.html
Another idea…when I do a turkey, either a breast or whole turkey, I make a bed of carrots, celery and onions and lay the turkey on top to roast. (Put a tad of oil on the bottom too, so it won’t stick). Add at least a cup or 2 of water to the pan before baking. I promise you when you strain off the veggies, for gravy, it will make the best gravy you ever had!! Just make gravy in your usual fashion as you do from broth.
The French have a word for this… mirepoix (chopped carrots, onions and celery). It is the base for many dishes – soups, stews and under roasting poultry. I always roast whole chickens on a bed of mirepoix and toss a couple cloves of garlic and herbs inside the cavity. Then I use the bones, garlic, herbs and roasted mirepoix to make stock. Oh, man!
Use a cast iron skillet to roast and the veges caramelize, adding even more flavor to everything.
Wowza! Sounds amazing.
You are right…I had no idea of the name for this as I happened upon doing this on my own (proves there are no original ideas, eh…ha ha). I make the gravy the day I bake the bird, then after we eat, I debone and excess skin, the veggies I strained off, etc into a crockpot or on the stove top in a large kettle, cook for several hours, even half a day, etc. and I add a teaspoon or so of vinegar when making broth as I have learned that it does not show up in the taste but really leeches out the good stuff from the bones. It makes the heartiest possible broth that way. Then strain off all that, cool a bit and put into the fridge to get the excess fat to come to the top so you can take that away…then freeze for later uses. Wow…now I am not sure I can wait for Thanksgiving to do a turkey (and the very best tasting ones I have found are organic and if you can find them, pastured, free-range are better even…worth the cost…taste like turkey did when I was young and I am 59!)
And I also love to use cast iron whenever possible. A friend let me have one of their HUGE oval shaped cast iron baking pans…I have no idea what it might be called, but it mostly fills up the oven in size and I use that when I can, instead of the usual turkey roasting pan.
Also referred to as the trinity…carrot, celery and onions…..base for alot of Italian meals!
I never heard of vinegar in stock. Huh. I’ll have to look into it. I do the same thing making big pots of stock and freezing it.
And Elizabeth… don’t wait for Thanksgiving and turkey. Try chicken. So delicious! 😉 I never buy boneless, skinless breasts. They are so tasteless. I always roast whole birds and use the meat the same way I would breasts – chicken chili, enchiladas, etc.
Dee, as I have many food allergies, actually ORGANIC chicken is about 75% of the meat I eat. One recipe I tried once…and need to relocate again, involved stuffing the inside of a whole chicken with lemons, garlic and herbs, etc….and it tasted so delicious…actually better than the rotisserie ones from the store!! I actually prefer the dark meat on poultry, but often do use just breasts because of my husband’s preference. (I am allergic to turkey, but eat it some anyway. I have also found that any organic meat not only tastes better, but seems to go down easier, even if allergic to it). We do have turkey some outside the holidays as others in our kin can eat it easier than chicken. But it has been awhile since I have seen a Glatt brand turkey, which I have found in our area anyway, is the best (plus Trader Joe’s have them some and they are the best price too).
This is pretty much to die for:
http://www.food.com/recipe/glazed-carrot-halwa-238478
Carrot Halwa… an Indian carrot dessert.
Carrots are perfect in spaghetti/tomato/pizza sauce. Sweet, thick, and healthy. Also great in risotto and layered in lasagna.
http://frugalfamilyfeasts.blogspot.com/2010/02/loaded-tomato-sauce.html
Here’s an AWESOME carrot cake recipe that bakes amazingly with fresh-ground whole wheat flour! It freezes awesome too (w/o frosting, of course). I frost with a cream cheese/honey frosting…just those two ingredients! Yum!
Will you update us when you decide?
http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2009/03/bobs-red-mill-whole-wheat-carrot-cake.html
I say forget healthy and enjoy some carrot cake. 😉
You could make an “a la vodka” sauce for pasta. I don’t have a recipe on hand, but my mom uses carrots as part of the sauce base. Hope that idea helps.
Toss them in anything that they’ll “hide” in–spaghetti sauce is one thing I can think of that doesn’t seem to ever change much with added veggies.
Put 1 cup in your spaghetti sauce
I’ve always wanted to try the recipe below, which calls for equal parts carrots and flour (1.5 cups each!). It would help you use up carrots in a hurry!
http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/2009/09/cinnamon-carrot-bread-125.html
I don’t know if it has been mentioned but I have made a pie from carrots before! Tasted a lot like sweet potato. Very orange though, lol.
I second the suggestions for carrot cake/muffins!
It won’t help you this time, since they are already pureed, but next time I’d suggest the Moosewood Carrot Soup (delicious!)
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/08/21/the-original-moosewood-carrot-soup-recipe/
I would probably add to green smoothies, soups, pasta sauce. You could add them into chicken pot pie/beef and potato pot pie, add to orange chicken.
Beef and potato pot pie:
http://recipesmademyway.blogspot.com/2011/04/beef-and-potato-pot-pie.html
Green Smoothie
http://recipesmademyway.blogspot.com/2011/09/strawberry-banana-green-smoothie.html
Orange Chicken- Veggies:
http://recipesmademyway.blogspot.com/2011/08/orange-chicken-veggies.html
I was going to suggest the carrot souffle, but someone beat me to it. It is SO GOOD!!!
I grew up eating Carrot Souffle at Thanksgiving and Easter (thanks to my mom) and now I carry on the tradition. I shared the recipe on my blog last fall, so the easiest way to get the recipe to you is to share the link:
http://carriesbusynothings.blogspot.com/2010/11/carrot-souffle-recipe.html
Even if you don’t try it this time – DO try it in the future (SO GOOD!!). I’ve substituted Splenda for all the sugar and it was still good.
You can make “Gajar Halwa” indian desert. Just Google for recepie.
golden meatball casserole…it calls for grated or sliced carrots. The recipe should pop up if you type the name into google.
I use them in Spinach Orzo. I add 1 cup instead of 1/2. My kids and husband LOVE this dish. I also add cooked chicken to make it a one pot meal. It is originally a fast side from the Betty Crocker quick and easy cook book. Here is the link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/spinach-orzo/b119fdf5-4442-497a-b774-79a8c49e9557/?p=1
Carrot Soup! Very healthy and perfect for the fall. Carrot and Cilantro soup is one of my favorites as well as carrot and ginger.
Add them to spaghetti sauce– extra hidden veggies 🙂
Me too! It makes the sauce a little sweeter, so adjust your spices accordingly.
YES! And add it to your sauce before making lasagna! My very observant husband never knows it’s there!
I was going to suggest this as well. I always chopped or puree carrots into my homemade pasta sauce. No one ever complains.
I do the same…. LOL
This was going to be my suggestion as well. 🙂
Yes! I use FishMama’s recipe (Lifeasmom dot com) for crockpot red sauce, and when I’ve found organic carrots marked down, I’ll shred them and add them when I dump everything else in the crockpot. We use that sauce primarily for our weekly pizza night, so I puree it after it’s cooked & cooled. So yummy.
Whole Wheat Carrot & Raisin Muffins: https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddm8vxt9_18f37khzd5 – adjust spices to your family’s taste.
This recipe was part of an ad for Agave Nectar.
Carrot Cake Agave Muffins: – Makes 36 muffins
1 cup Organic Amber Agave Nectar
4 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
3 cups shredded fresh carrots
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat ove to 350 F. Prepare 3 – 12 cup muffin pans with liners. In a large bowl, combine agave, eggs, and oil, beat well. Stir in carrots. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Blend in batter. Fill cups only half-way for proper baking. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until the center of a muffin springs back when lightly touched.
This sounds really good.
I’m trying this one….sounds delicious!!
We always add them to meat loaf, but you could add them to meatballs too. Really, you could add them to anything: pasta sauce, sweet breads, pancakes, soups, baked pastas, risotto… you get the idea.
yep I was gonna say meatloaf! Makes it soooo moist!!!
When I make quiche, I replace half the milk with pureed carrots. Yummy!
Oh, great idea!
One of our favorite taco recipes calls for ground chicken, grated carrots, onions, and 2 cups of chopped tomatoes. Add cumin, chili powder or whatever seasoning you like. These are both pretty and tasty! My husband didn’t even realize they had carrots in them (even though visually its pretty obvious)!
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned it already, but there is a soup recipe that I absolutely love from the blog, The Reluctant Entertainer. It is a carrot orange soup. It has a bright delicious flavor and is very healthy. Give it a try! Here is the link: http://reluctantentertainer.com/2008/10/tasty-fall-recipes-luncheon-part-ii/
Lentils! I cook a bag of washed lentils (about 2 cups) with as many finely chopped surplus carrots, wilting celery sticks and sprouting onions/garlic as I have in the fridge, add chicken stock, salt and a can of diced tomatoes, and cook 30 minutes for soup, 40 if I want more of a saucy lentils consistency. It’s delicious either as a main or side dish.
I’ll second that. Add some elbow (or other small) pasta toward the end and top each serving with Parmesan cheese. Yummmm.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/glazed-carrots-recipe/index.html
Alton Brown does glazed carrots, I make them all the time, they are AMAZING!
Carrot Bread! I’ve make it using carrots instead of zucchini (same recipe, different veggies) still super good!
I’ve done the same thing. Sometimes half zucchini and half carrots. Yummy, easy, and healthy snack when made as muffins with at least half whole wheat flour, “healthier” sugar, etc.
I’ve done the same with blueberries, carrots and zucchini!
I’ve been making a soup for the last year that my husband loves. It’s very simple and only has a few ingredients. I dice carrots, potatoes, and onions and bring them to a boil. Cook until just slightly firm. Pour off excess water. In a large soup kettle, add 1 can of chicken broth, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add cooked veggies. Cook 1 lb of ground beef or turkey and add to soup. Add 4-5 cups milk, more if you like a more “soupy” soup. Milk and chicken broth sound like a horrible mixture, but it really is good!
I make a similar soup, but stop short of the meat and milk – jusdt a carrot-potato consomme.
http://livinginthekitchenwithpuppies.blogspot.com/2011/01/moosewood-mondays-risotto-with-carrot.html
Put them in smoothies along with fruit. No one will ever know the difference if you don’t tell them. Trust me, I did it when I made my grown daughter a smoothie and she never guessed!
Carrot cake is a definite must! Don’t forget the carrot and raisin salad too! You could also make carrot and raisin muffins. Throw some in a green salad, or pasta salad… use some when you layer your lasagna.. make it a veggie lasagna.. or you could put it in the meat or sauce too!!
how bout carrot zucchini cake..it is a amish recipe…it is delicious!!! :)..or u can send them to me..my horse daisy mae would like some..lol…
We use it in spaghetti sauce, chili, pizza sauce, lasagna, and anything else I can hide it in
This is a recipe that I use baby carrots in, from Jessica Seinfeld’s book Deceptively Delicious. They’re yummy and you can’t even tell there’s carrot in there! Peanut butter banana muffins:
http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/js-peanut-butter-banana-muffins/
Can you add them to smoothies?
I just added some carrots to applesauce I made today for my kids. You can’t taste the carrots and the sauce looks fine even though it is a bit more brighter-colored than usual. Shredded carrots are great in cole slaw, tossed on salad, mixed with tuna salad, or baked into things. 99 cents for 5 lbs is a great deal! Let us know what you come up with to use them up.
My family likes this carrot bread. I used whole wheat for half of the flour & it turned out fine. (I left off the candied carrots.)
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/quickbreads/carrot-bread-with-cream-cheese-icing/
How about carrot cake muffins? Delicious and healthy. Plus, since you already pureed the carrots it will make them extra soft and moist. I made it before with baby food carrots I had extra of.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-cake-muffins-50400000111527/
This one also looks yummy
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/morning-glory-muffins-2/detail.aspx
Fabulous recipes mentioned here. I’ll have to try some. Is there anyway you could package some homemade baby food (ice cube style) and donate to a dear new mom. Might bless the socks off her.
I add finely chopped/grated carrots (along with grated garlic) to hamburger when I make hamburgers. It really helps to stretch the meat!
Add a cup of carrots to your favorite pancake recipe and some pumpkin pie spice. You almost don’t need the maple syrup! It’s so good my son and I make them for lunch! Yum.
I think this looks really good!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pecan-Topped-Carrot-Pie
This is going to sound funny, but my mom used to put carrots or zucchini in our banana bread. Carrots are sweet enough that you don’t really notice them but it adds extra nutrients and banana bread recipes without one of them are weird to me now.
Cook, puree, freeze and add to anything with tomatoes for a healthy boost! I freeze them whole to use to make chicken stock. You can also chop, par boil, freeze for later — just like a bag of frozen carrots at the store. Shred and freeze for carrot cake/muffins, etc later.
My absolute favorite carrot recipe….and the kids love it too!
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/eatingout/eating_c/chick-fil-a-carrot-salad.htm
“Did you say carrots?????”
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e110/annsni/IMG_0818.jpg
I agree with the majority. I will chop up carrots and add them into almost anything. Like when I have to saute an onion or green pepper I will add finely chopped carrot right in with them. My kids are oblivious and I love getting extra veggies into their food.
after the fact – but you could have just blanched them and froze them that way. I do that all the time with all kinds of veggies, mostly from my own garden.
I’m sure you can use the carrots in all kinds of different soups. chicken noodle soup, potato soup, broccoli cheese soup, maybe even chili, add some to sloppy joes to make them a touch healthy (haha), lasagna sauce, veggie lasagna…..
Morning Glory Muffins! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/morning-glory-muffins-2/detail.aspx I cut the sugar down to 3/4 c. and use mostly ww flour. Healthy and tasty, my kids LOVE them 🙂
I was going to post this same link! Not the exact recipe I use for my Thresher Muffins–but the same concept–and you can do anything to this recipe!! Add zucch. or replace the apples with it–I use coconut oil or butter or even just up the applesauce instead of the veg. oil. Oh, and sometimes I use 1/4 c. wheat germ in place of some of the (ww) flour. I have to freeze these quick or they disappear much too fast!! 🙂
Also for Crystal, I was going to mention that King Arthur Flour had a carrot sandwich bread recipe in the last couple of years that was wonderful–not finding the recipe online, but it used pureed carrots in it–we loved it!
These are my favorite too. In fact, last time I made them, I juiced the carrots and then used the pulp in the muffins and it worked great! I use sucanat/WW flour/coconut oil and eat way too many!
These muffins are delicious!
http://weelicious.com/2011/04/18/carrot-apple-coconut-muffins/
I put them in the pumpkin muffin recipe you posted last year or the year before and add white chocolate chips and also I have an awesome recipe for egg rolls that uses them!
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Chocolate-Carrot-Cake
I’ve made a chocolate carrot cake before which was pretty good and a little change from the typical carrot cake.
Carrot dill soup- our families favorite until our youngest daughter developed a carrot allergy!
soup, muffins, cakes, casseroles, smoothies… 🙂
Though I have not used frozen carrots in making carrot cake, surely it would be ok. The main way I use finely grated carrots is in pasta, spaghetti, lasagna sauce!! It helps cut the acidity so that people who have some problems with strong tomato sauces can handle it. And if you make chili with any kind of tomato based sauce in it, also use it there. It also makes the product a tad more sweet. And of course, homemade chicken soup!! I make mine using celery, shallots, onions, garlic, carrots, peas (added near the time it is ready to eat), some kind of noodle (we use rice or brown rice), whatever amount of broth and chicken of course and most importantly, very finely chopped broccoli (you will not believe how much yummier it is with broccoli, plus it seems to have better medicinal properties when made with broccoli!!)
Another way to use carrots is in making Tsimmies…a wonderful winter veggie Jewish dish. Email me if you want the recipe for this.
hi,
whenever we harvest a huge batch of carrots. one things i make is carrot croquettes. I promise, you be swept be thrilled at how easy it is to put togather. They freeze really well. you can also serve these in pita or in wraps , make a sandwich or just eat them with ketchup.
Herez the recipe link. ( i make mine without the sauce condiment).
Carrot baked oatmeal?
I make a Turkey meatloaf where I use 2 lbs of ground turkey and chop up carrots, green and red peppers to add in it!
i was not sure if anyone mentioned an indian sweet dish that uses alot of the carrots…its called carrot halwa…absolutely scrumptious…
recipe link:
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2007/04/26/gajar-ka-halwa-carrot-halwa/
carrot pickle:
http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2008/06/16/carrot-pickle-gajar-ka-achar/
i love this site for my recipes and they all come out…good luck
There is a copycat recipe for Carrot Souffle like they serve at Picadilly cafeteria. Not something you would want to eat everyday due to the sugar, but I know you use other sweeteners so it might be more healthy for you. It is delicious! Awesome to serve with Fall meals and at Thanksgiving.
http://www.food.com/recipe/picadillys-carrot-souffle-30216
Add them to spaghetti sauce. Use them similarly to apple sauce in brownies (oil replacement). I make this recipe often when I have left over carrots or sweet potato or pumpkin: http://www.parenting.com/article/the-sneaky-chef-peanut-butter-blondies
What about Split Pea soup? Fall and winter are approaching and that soup would be good to have on hand in the freezer. If interested, I have a great recipe for it.
Or Carrot Raisin Salad. Just a thought or two for you!! Good luck. Can’t wait to hear what you decide.
I add pureed carrots into anything red, orange or yellow to get my kids and husband to eat them! They go in spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, macaroni & cheese, etc. I also stir some into chicken broth when I make soup, because they won’t eat the pieces of carrots, so this way they get a little! You could add some to smoothies (they’re so sweet), and obviously use them like canned pumpkin in muffin and cake recipes.
After cooking ground beef or turkey and draining fat add 1/2 cup pureed carrots and taco seasoning with a dash of water, simmer and stir until excess moisture is cooked out, makes great HEALTHY taco meat and no one ever knows!
I love this Buffalo Chicken Chili by Rachel Ray. You could probably squeeze in a few more carrots than the recipe calls for. Here’s the link http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=697
Yummy carrot souffle
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Souffle/Detail.aspx
We made this last week and loved it(kids even wanted to take it for lunch). Since you purée it at the end I don’t see why you can’t use your carrots. Instead of goldfish, I made grilled cheeses using my waffle maker;) Kids loved it!
http://mealmakeovermoms.com/recipes/slow-cooker-soups/potato-carrot-soup-with-goldfish-croutons/
I had an excess carrot problem a few years back. I had processed them fine but found that there was a slight grainy texture becuase I had not cooked them long enough and because of the large quantity I had used in my first recipe lol… So I opted for vegi-lasagne 2nd time and stuffing for pork, cabbage eggrolls third time ( which worked out perfect).. In my case, the freezing had added excess water, so plan a little extra time to cook off the water-that comes along with it. I am always having cooking science class at home. Have fun!
Carrot Orzo! Basically shredded carrots simmered with onion and pasta, then mix in shredded parmesan cheese at the end.
My family inhales this!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/carrot-orzo-10000001990020/
I was going to suggest the “hiding” thing too. Just added nutrition to a dish that has a stronger taste to mask it! 🙂 Try adding it to brownies instead of the oil or applesauce…I wonder if that’d be good!!
My girls and I LOVE this!!
http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2011/05/raw-carrot-cake-cheesecake/
jen
and if you don’t care about it being raw or non dairy- you could make the topping with cream cheese.
jen
Oh my goodness what a great deal!! I don’t blame you one bit for stocking up on those. I would have been tempted to buy 5 bags, though!! Looks like you got some great ideas for using them up….and they covered all my ideas. 🙂 Enjoy!!
This is the most delicious carrot soup:
4 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
6 carrots
1 celery stalk
2 med potatoes
1/2 tsp parsley
5 c chicken broth
1 c milk or cream
salt & pepper
Saute onion & celery. Add carrots, potatoes, broth & parsley. Cook until potatoes are tender. Puree with hand blender. Stir in cream and season with s/p.
Mmmmmmmmm…. so good.
This is about the same recipe I use. With fall coming I sometimes use 1/2 carrots and 1/2 pumpkin (or butternut squash).
We all love it….
Get the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld..It has TONS of recipes using carrot puree.
I agree with several other comments, that you should sneak them into other recipes. We do this all the time: Tacos, your haystacks, spaghetti, meatloaf, any soups… The possibilities are endless!
Carrot and Pumpkin Soup – delish and several different ways to make it. Perfect for fall.
http://www.janespice.com/recipes/carrot-and-pumpkin-soup
http://www.organicvalley.coop/recipes/show/pumpkin-carrot-soup/
http://www.grouprecipes.com/92280/thai-style-roast-pumpkin-and-carrot-soup.html
Healthy too!
Veggie muffins. I haven’t tried these yet but they are on my list to make this week! http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/recipe-veggie-muffins.html
Carrot soup is actually pretty awesome, a little cumin and curry, chicken broth and cream. Lots of recipes out there with different variations. We like it best at “room temp” or even a little chilled.
I saw a recipe a while back for carrot cake freezer jam. Sounds good to me.
Too bad they’re chopped. If they were sliced, you could saute them in a touch of oil, add a few tablespoons of orange juice and about a tablespoon of lemon juice, and season with salt, pepper, and freshly ground nutmeg. Once the juice becomes a glaze, top with toasted, slivered almonds. Surprisingly good, and I don’t usually care for cooked carrots.
Otherwise, try this mushroom sauce: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/penne-with-mushroom-sauce-10000001809033/
It is my husband’s favorite. I usually double the sauce and freeze half.
I like pureed carrots in applesauce.
I’m not a huge fan of cooked carrots, but this past weekend I made creamy carrot & jalepeno soup. I liked it, my honey *loved* it and it was easy, so a win all around. We found the recipe here:
http://thefromagette.com/blog/2010/10/10/creamy-carrot-jalapeno-soup-rosemary-scones/
I put them in ground chicken patties with celery to make chicken burgers, then put a little hot sauce on the bottom of the skillet and turn them a few times. Put them on a bun and add sharp cheddar or blue cheese and it’s like hot wings.
I use chopped carrots in beef chili, homemade chicken noodle soup, and pot roast (all of these are crock pot recipes)
I have a chicken rice soup variation that includes carrots.
Saute veggies of choice (onion, celery, and carrot are what I use) in a little oil. When tender, add 2 1/2 or 3 cups chicken broth and some thyme and sage. When the broth boils, add 1 cup rice. Cook until rice is tender (20 minutes for white; 35-ish for brown). Stir in shredded chicken, and salt and pepper to taste.
Love this in cold weather!
That is an amazing deal on carrots Crystal! Carrots are great in about anything!
Carrots in Cake, Bread, Muffins or Pancakes
Carrots on Salads or Jello (my Mom use to make Lime Jello and put Carrots on top, it looked pretty too) (if they are not too pureed)
Carrots mixed with Coleslaw, Soup, Spaghetti Sauce, Stir Fry Garden Vegetables
Here are a few recipes I have you can use carrots in:
*Family Recipe: Zucchini Bread (add carrots to it or substitute carrots for the Zucchini) – http://www.blessingsmultiplied.com/2010/10/zucchini-bread/
*Family Recipe: Grandma’s Crunchy Coleslaw – http://www.blessingsmultiplied.com/2011/08/family-recipe-grandmas-crunchy-coleslaw/
*Recipe: Easy Summer Vegetables – http://www.blessingsmultiplied.com/2011/05/recipe-easy-summer-vegetables/
*Recipe: Veggie Beef Soup – http://www.blessingsmultiplied.com/2011/01/recipe-veggie-beef-soup/
*Family Recipe: Dad’s Favorite Carrot Cake – http://www.blessingsmultiplied.com/2011/01/recipe-dads-favorite-carrot-cake/
Carrot Orange Pops
! 1/2 cups OJ
1/2 cup carrot puree
put in ice pop mold & freeze for 2 hours
I also add carrot puree as well as other purees (sweet potato, cauliflower,
squashes) to every day food usually when my family isn’t looking.
Add them to omlettes or meatloaf or meatballs. I like adding them to ground turkey or chicken burgers to keep it moist. Add in some other shredded veggies, beans, onions and breadcrumbs to make homemade veggie burgers.
When I make mashed potatoes, I throw in some carrots to make them look “cheesy.” You can’t taste them if you only put in about 1 carrot’s worth, but you do get the extra vitamin A.
I concur, put them in anything tomato w/ a tomato base and they will be a great addition, without the taste, mmmm healthy!
Beer Cheese Soup! This one is delish: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beer-cheese-soup-v/detail.aspx
BTW- I only use 2 tbsp butter, not 3/4 cup.
You can never go wrong with soups or smoothies! Personally, i would have eaten those yummy gems in about a week–by myself! I love raw carrots!
I always add them to my meatballs, meatloaf, homemade burgers, and pasta sauce. I use the carrots and also add some flax to my meat in place of eggs to help it stick together due to egg allergies
If you like sweet potatoes….this carrot souffle recipe is sort of the carrot alternative….http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Carrot-Souffle/Detail.aspx
i don’t have any recipes off hand, but carrot cake, muffins, bread! throw some in spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, meatballs, they’re easily hidden and they add a nice sweetness to most things. enjoy!
Use it in meatballs etc.. Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld has lots of options for vegetable purees.
I add shredded carrot to lots of things; any ground beef recipe, chili, pasta sauce, soup, stew, sloppy joes etc. It’s a great filler to stretch meat and add nutrients. You could also make a carrot soup.
hahaha I buy 10# of carrots just for my crew to munch on. Of course, I have a few more kids than you do (so far)! LOL
I grate up carrots and put them into gallon freezer bags. I just take my rolling pin and hit the frozen carrots to get off the amount on want when making carrot cake.
I put chopped carrots in almost everything! They take on the flavor of what they are cooked with, so even though only one of the six of us loves them, we will all eat them without noticing they are there. Some examples are your brown bag burritos, lasagna, spaghetti sauce, chili . . . really, the possibilities are endless!
I learned how to used all kind of pureed vegetables in food from the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious. Highly recommend it.
Adding all kinds of different pureed veggies to foods you’d never think of has made them moist, more flavorful and much more healthy. 🙂
A great way to get rid of them would be to make soup. I love to make this tomato soup recipe by Michael Chiarello: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michael-chiarello/homemade-tomato-soup-recipe/index.html
I just use canned fire roasted tomatoes rather than roast them myself. Let us know what you end up using them for!
I used cooked mashed carrots in any recipe that I would use pumpkin.
I would use them in macaroni & cheese (store bought or homemade). I usually use squash puree, but carrots would give it more of a “real” mac n cheese color if you are using whole wheat pasta. My nephew is constantly asking for “real” mac n cheese when I give him whole wheat macaroni and cheese. The brown pasta makes the cheese color not so bright. You can also puree it a little more and replace the oil in your baking recipes. I would only replace up to 50% of the oil, because of the strong carrot flavor. You can make some healthy brownies by substituting half of the butter for carrot puree. You can add puree to meatloaf, or make some carrot spice cookies. Or, add it to your oatmeal (without pureeing it some more). My mom makes “carrot cake oatmeal” by adding spices and grated carrot to it. That is a GREAT deal on the carrots, good job!
We’ve mixed it in with taco meat to much success..and ditto much of what has already been suggested.
Perfect for carrot soup!!!
A very traditional soup base (originating in France I think) is to saute a mixture of carrots, celery and onions, then puree the mixture. It makes a really delicious soup base. I think your carrots would work great as a soup base.
Another idea, give some to friends with babies to use as organic carrot baby food.
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/04/20/whole-grain-vegan-carrot-cake-loaf-with-lemon-glaze/
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6002223&prev_term=carrot
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6001763&prev_term=carrot
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6002053&prev_term=carrot
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6001702&prev_term=carrot
I LOVE everything on this blog and as you can see, lots of carrot recipes! All healthy, also.
gingered carrot soup…
after cooking some more with broth, onions, garlic… add some grated ginger. Then, puree the heck out of the it. make as soupy as you like. Yummy with bread.
I have two ideas… Put in the crockpot with chopped potatoes, onions water and roast and seasoning Or like everyone else desserts 🙂
carrot and pineapple muffins, carrot cake, lots of soups call for carrots and stews.
Carrot Souffle
Supa Easy and will have you 2lbs less carrots lol
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cafeteria-carrot-souffle/detail.aspx
Curried Carrot Soup, again supa easy, leaving you with 2lbs less carrots.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/curried-carrot-soup/detail.aspx
I made a carrot souffle before that was wonderful! Don’t know how healthy it was since it was similar to a sweet potato casserole but the kids liked it so that makes it a success:)
I always put shredded carrots in my meatloaf. It’s a way to add extra vitamins in a little bit of a sneaky way.
Perhaps you could steam/mash them a little and substitute them for some of the pumpkin in your famous pumpkin choc chip muffins? Since they’re so much sweeter than pumpkin, you might not want to go whole-hog, but I’m sure they’d be a really yummy and nutritious partial substitute!
Oh my gosh this happened to me last year!!!!!
Steer Clear of carrot cake and other baked goods if you are using basic recipes. Especially if they are as pureed as you say they are. I had the same thing happen to me with some older carrots from the farmers market. It didn’t turn out as I hoped, there was a lot more moisture in the cake. However, I would throw them in your pasta sauces, casseroles, etc. That’s the best thing you can do with them. If you want to bake, you will need to carefully review your recipes and modify. Good luck. It took me awhile to get rid of mine!
carrot tacos. Mix two cups of ground/processed carrots with green chilis and chopped sweet onions. Put two spoonfuls into a corn tortilla and deep fry as you would a regular taco. top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and salsa. You can also add pinto beans to the mix of carrot, green chili and onion for more texture.
Carrot ginger soup – freezes well too and also makes a great dressing!!!
I use carrots in my zucchini bread, I usually cut the zucchini by 1/2 cup and add the carrots to replace. I’ve also made chocolate veggie bread using my zucchini bread recipe, I replace 1/2 cup of flour with cocoa powder and then use zucchini, yellow squash and carrots in equal parts to total the full amount of zucchini. My son LOVED it but won’t eat squash any other way. 🙂 Being sneaky in a good way is good!
I have a yummy zucchini bread recipe that has carrots in it. I will see if I can find it.
You can simmer the carrots in 2 cups of water & 1 cup of heavy cream for a few hours and it makes a very nice soup base (we juice carrots all the time for that!)
I saw this recipe a while back and thought I would try it when the time is right. http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2011/08/yet-another-perfect-pizza-crust.html
I would use it in soups or in baked oatmeal with pumpkin pie spices. Then top it with a bit of whipped cream or milk. Enjoy all the possibilities.
I put finely diced carrots (along with celery, mushrooms, and peppers) in my meatloaf. Works particularly well if you use turkey/chicken/extra lean beef, as it adds quite a nice bit of moisture without adding extra fat. While you’re at it, make your meatloaf in the large sized (Texas sized?) muffin pans and everyone gets the yummy crunchy bits and a nice moist middle! I never make them any other way anymore!
Rachel Ray has a recipe for Tacozagna. Just as the name implies, it’s like eating tacos in lasagna form. It’s a big hit at our house and calls for grated carrot – I finely grate mine. I also like this recipe because you make your own taco seasoning (very easy) and it has a bunch of veggies in it that your kids will never even know are there. You can find the recipe at foodnetwork.com
make homemade tomato sauce, you can sneak veg into the kids and they won’t even know. I puree up all kinds of veg into my sauce, then freeze it in quart bags and you have organic, homemade sauce whenever you want.
Carrot kugel http://kosherfood.about.com/od/sidedishes/r/kugel_carrot.htm
Homemade Coleslaw or Muffins?
I would make it an excuse for corned beef in the crock pot with lots of potatoes and carrots! Or a beef stew with large slices of carrots and potatoes! Make a lot and freeze for the nasty winter day!
Carrot cake, stews, soups… basically anything that calls for carrots dump them in… even toss them into pancakes with a little brown sugar and apple pie spice…
I always put shredded carrots in my lasagna, but that idea seems to be well covered already. The other dish that came to mind that my family loves is Shepherd’s Pie. Carrots, in any form, are always a great part of this traditional comfort food.
Has nobody said Carrot Jello… Not healthy but oh so yummy! you use Lemon and orange jello and pineapple. I grew up on it… super yummy. And my mom always put way more carrots than most recipes call for. the jello just held it together.
Funny! I grew up on this too, only it was lime jello with shredded carrots and we topped it off with Miracle Whip! Yes, it sounds odd (hubby thinks weird), but it was great! It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized this wasn’t a normal combination. 🙂
Lemon and orange jello and pineapple and carrots? could i get a more precise recipe? I have a toddler and that would be a healthy snack AND sneak in some veggies 🙂 Thanks!
two small boxes of orange jello and two boxes of lemon jello
1 large can crushed pineapples (drain and reserve juice)
2lbs carrots grated
Prepare jello according to box directions except use the pineapple juice for a portion of the cold water.
set in the fridge to gel. When it is half way gelled add the pineapple and carrots. Do not do this before it has at least partially gelled because the pineapple will make it to where it won’t gel at all!
So, this is what my mom said over the phone. she usually does not measure.. just use the amount of carrots that looks right to you! I hope this helps. It’s not an exact science.
If it is a holiday or special occasion she usually will peel the carrots before she grates them. It look better this way but you don’t get the vitamins what you would with the peel on.
http://www.meals.com/Recipes/Pumpkin-Carrot-Raisin-Bread.aspx?recipeid=32395
You can use them in fried rice.
http://www.recipesecrets.net/blog/recipes/copycat-benihanas-fried-rice-recipe/
There are many other recipes out there. I use cooked brown rice and it tastes great! If you make a large batch of fried rice, you can freeze it into dinner sized or individual portions!
Trying to think of things not already mentioned ….
Carrot pie (very similar to pumpkin pie)
http://fortheloveofgrub.blogspot.com/2008/10/colonial-carrot-pie.html
Morning glory muffins (though yours may be too pureed)
http://fortheloveofgrub.blogspot.com/2008/08/morning-glory-muffins.html
Carrot ginger dip (veggies, crackers, etc)
http://fortheloveofgrub.blogspot.com/2010/09/carrot-ginger-dip.html
Orange lentil soup (maybe a little different than other soups mentioned)
http://fortheloveofgrub.blogspot.com/2010/11/orange-lentil-soup.html
Carrot cake (great looking recipe on thepioneerwoman.com right now), spaghetti sauce. We also always put shredded carrots in our broccoli cheese soup when we make it. Just saute with the onions.
Dice and freeze them for mirepoix!
curried carrot soup:
cook carrots with chicken broth, add 1 can of coconut milk and red curry to taste, so yummy! (sorry I just make this from scratch so I don’t know how much of what I use, it comes out different every time, it also depends on how thick you like your soup.)
add them to pasta sauce after you saute them in olive oil with onion and garlic.
I would do carrot cake with these. We put them in stir fry all the time.
Carrot halwa, an Indian carrot dessert is extremely delicious. Here is a sample recipe: http://www.paajaka.com/2007/05/carrot-halwa.html
I think you could definitely cut down on the sweetness and cut out the saffron to make it both frugal and more healthful.
Cook up with your ground beef/turkey/whatever with some garlic, celery, and (sometimes if I have them bell peppers) then refreeze for super quick spaghetti, tacos, ground beef pot pies, tater tot casserole (on my website), etc. I usually do 6-10 lbs at a time and then refreeze in a big enough portion for a meal.
There’s a great ginger carrot muffin recipe from cooking light that uses whole wheat flour (you can search for it on their site). My very picky 2 year old loves them! (And the recipe calls for pureed carrots).
Maple Carrot Bars – we use this recipe http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-oatmeal-cookies-recipe.html and mash them into a cookie sheet then cut into bars. I store them in the fridge (or freezer for long term) and DH takes them to work as a snack instead of storebought granola/cereal bars.
SERIOUSLY, these are awesome!!!!
There’s a recipie for veggie calzones (very very delicious! My husband even loves them even though he’s a meat lover) on Tammy’s website that calls for a cup of finely shredded carrots–you can actually just use what you have with no problem I should think. Here’s the link: http://www.tammysrecipes.com/cheesy_whole_wheat_vegetable_calzones
I’m not sure if this counts as all that healthful, but yum!: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cream-Cheese-Carrot-Muffins
Add them to chili…throw in an avacado too…it makes delicious chili!
I’d go with carrot cake. Put them in salads. Put them in pasta sauce, like others said. Give some away to family and friends.
I also add shredded carrots to chili if I have some on hand.
Check out Deceitfully Delicious (cookbook) ~ there are lots of recipes you can put carrot puree into… I put it shredded carrot in meatloaf too!
I can’t seem to freeze carrots. They always turn brown even with double freezer bagging them.
Even with blanching first?
a few things come to mind:
1. add to your favorite soup/stew recipes it will help flavor and thicken
2. blend with ingreidients to make smoothies/protein shakes
3. make carrot cake or bread
4. use in baby food mixes?? did you blanch it first ?? if not then don’t use it for baby food
4. cook in microwave a few minutes and mix into mashed potatoes (do the same with cauliflower) it’s yummy and my kids like it mixed with butter/s& p and garlic!!
These muffins are great for snacks or breakfast. Uses 2 cups of carrots!
http://www.food.com/recipe/carrot-raisin-muffins-146051
I have cut them into little rounds and froze them like that. That way if I do want to throw them into anything, I can get into the large freezer bag, take what I want and put the rest back in the freezer.
I also cut them into circles or spears and freeze them that way. I froze two pounds this week for use in stew or as a side dish.
Carrot cake, carrot muffins, put some carrot in meatloaf or meatballs, put some in veggie soup, mix some into mashed potatoes. What about about the recipes in Jessica Sienfields cook book?
I’m not sure either of these qualify as healthy, but . . .
The waffles are on my to-make list; I have made the cookies and they’re very nice.
http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/carrot-cake-waffles/
http://gattifiliefarina.blogspot.com/2010/08/twd-gingered-carrot-cookies.html
I bet you could find some muffin recipes too.
Use them in your spaghetti sauce or any tomato based sauce for extra veggies and sweetener (http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2010/01/carrots-as-sweetener.html).
The other thing I would use them for is smoothies, especially in green smoothies. 🙂
Also winter is coming with the making of soups and stews….I would add some carrots in. It will not thicken your soups and stews as what potato starch will but still would add extra nutrients to your base. 🙂
The other thing I would do use them in is muffins! 🙂 You can use your pumpkin muffins or banana muffin recipe but instead of pumpkin or bananas use carrots. 🙂
There is a recipe for “Healthy Carrot Zucchini Muffins” on the Group Recipes website that is low in sugar and oil (uses applesauce). You can omit the zucc and just use the carrots!
You can cook and puree them then put it in lots of different foods such as spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf,…extra vegetable kick!
I have a yummy recipe for carrot-raisin quickbread in my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. And I found a recipe on the web for a yummy carrot bundt cake (sadly, I’ll have to look it up again because my bookmarks got eaten by a computer virus). And I bet there are a bunch of sneaky chef-type recipes with a carrot puree in them. Smoothies with carrots and another fruit might be yummy, too.
Carrot cake (although as for healthful, not too sure!) Carrot pancakes — YUM. Esp. with cream cheese drizzle or glaze. Also, put them in your smoothies.
I put grated/pureed carrots in my fruit smoothies, I add orange juice, spinach, bananas, carrots, strawberries, and blend, use whatever you have, these smoothies are so good.
Add them to spaghetti sauce, waffles, muffins, bread, of course veggie soup.
Cook some with your ground beef/turkey/whatever meat with onions and celery, and garlic (and sometimes I use bell peppers) then refreeze for quick spaghetti, tacos, ground beef pot pies, tater tot casserole (recipe on my website), BBQ Beef cups etc. I usually do about 6 pounds of meat or more at a time and then separate it into 8-10 cooked portions.
Smoothies!
http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/recipes/orange-carrot-smoothie-recipe-with-ginger/
Definately add them to smoothies! I make them a lot with oranges, pineapple, carrot, banana & plain yogurt. It tastes almost like orange sherbet . . .
I make a “confetti” meatloaf.. I put a bunch of frozen vegetables in the food processor and chop them up into tiny pieces.. then add to the meatloaf for extra nutrition.. Perhaps you could use your carrots as well as peas, peppers, onions, etc in a meatloaf… Or if you have them frozen in one cup amounts, maybe a couple of meatloafs… I do the same with meatballs.. I hide extra vitamins whereever I can, even though my kids love veggies.
Carrot cake anything! and of course smooties!
My family does not like carrots, so (being the sneaky wife & mother that I am) I always add about a 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots to many dishes so my family can’t pick them out. 🙂 Usually, they don’t even realize they are there!
Try adding some in anything made with ground beef or turkey (meatloaf, meatballs, sloppy joes, pasta sauce, etc) and I also toss some in to my soups – even into my Italian Wedding Soup.
HTH!
Carrot spice muffins
Carrot cake
Carrot soup
http://www.carrotrecipes.net/carrot-muffins.html
My first thought was freezing them and using them in muffins or a bread similar to a carrot cake. Kind of like you would with zucchini.
Well, you can always use some of it to stir into tomato soup (carrots add a nice bit of sweetness!) or spaghetti sauce. You can also use them in muffins. If they weren’t almost pureed you could use them in casseroles or other soups, but that might be kind of weird. 😉 I’m eager to see what everybody else comes up with!
I always use grinded carrots to make marinara sauce, bolognese sauce… any sauce that calls for chopped carrots, especially because being grinded my daughter won’t notice it because its cooked.
In my country we mix the grinded carrot with water and sugar for a delicous treat the kids love (like lemonade but with carrots).
I read your comment to my son. He would lije the recipe for you ‘carrot lemonade’. Thanks! What country are you from?
Michelle Obama was on the cover of BH&G this summer and made this recipe famous. I’ve made it (and canned it) before and it’s yummy. My kids do like it, too.
http://marcussamuelsson.com/recipes/carrot-lemonade-recipe
Homemade carrot bread, carrot bisque soup, carrot cake cookies and ect. I could keep going! I love carrots!
I have a cookbook that incorporates pureed fruits and veggies into the recipes. I will look and see if there are any for carrots that sound good! My first thought was little carrot cake muffins.
Carrot cake, carrot soup, carrot souffle, baby food?
Ideas off the top of my head- Throw them in vegetable soup, add to spaghetti sauce, hmm carrots are great but in main dishes they can be tricky. I am excited to see what the readers say also.
First thing I thought of was adding it to spaghetti or soups! You could try adding it to smoothies, too! 🙂
Maybe carrot cake?
What about some yummy Carrot cake or carrot bread?!
Carrot cake and throwing it into spaghetti sauce is about all I can come up with.
We only eat them raw or cooked with a roast at our house.
Carrot bread?
Here’s a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/quickbreads/carrot-bread-with-cream-cheese-icing
Make carrot cake, or you can put them in a tomato sauce and mac and cheese to add extra nutrients!
I was going to say spaghetti sauce and mac & cheese also! I think I saw recipes for those years ago in the cookbook “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld.
My other thought was to use them as a thickener in soups and add them to things that need moisture like meatloaf or even plain hamburgers.
I love that cookbook! I would definitely use them in dishes you normally make to add more veggies. I’ve used butternut squash (so similar) in spaghetti/pizza sauces, mac and cheese. Also, you can use it in brownies (sounds weird I know but I use canned pumpkin and they’re delish), breads, cakes and other baked goods.
you can hide those in so much! meat loaf, spaghetti sauce, etc..
Put them in spagetti sauce!
Or carrot cake/muffins!
I was going to suggest spaghetti sauce also!
Yes, spaghetti sauce for sure… I sneak all sorts of things in there, homemade soups, stirfrys, carrot cookies , cakes, muffins, salads, eggrolls, springrolls,
I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Carrot cake, carrot muffins, carrot bread, carrot pancakes, carrot in smoothies, carrot as a base in homemade marinara sauce…
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipe-collections/carrot/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_%28cuisine%29
I agree with the above. Plus since they are almost pureed, you can sneak them into savory dishes too like meatloaf, meatballs, tacos, sloppy joes, pasta sauces, lasagna, etc. If it is something that doesn’t cook for very long, you might want to cook them a little bit first so that they are soft enough to not be noticed (because even if small, if its still hard, you’ll notice it a little).
I use them in meatloaf or meatballs or sauces or muffins. Great deal!
Hi! You can find a bread machine recipe for carrot bread at Finding Joy in My Kitchen. It’s a cooking blog.
Jo Anna