Carrot Souffle: a Family Favorite Worth Sharing

Vegetable side dishes are rarely the star of the show, but my carrot souffle is the exception. This sweet and fluffy casserole is like eating dessert with dinner. If I didn’t make it for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Passover, there might be a riot involving both kids and adults at the table.

Like all great recipes, this one has a story. My husband and I were a young, newly engaged couple when we were invited to a Rosh Hashannah dinner by one of his mother’s friends. I had never celebrated the Jewish New Year and didn’t know what to expect. Everything was delicious, but the carrot casserole was unbelievable. At the end of dinner, I walked out clutching a copy of the recipe, determined to learn more about Jewish cooking, so different than the French food I’d grown up with, but so good.

The carrot souffle quickly became one of my signature dishes. Depending on the holiday, I vary the crunchy topping. Corn flakes, brown sugar and butter are my nut-free standard. For Thanksgiving, I love to throw in some caramelized pecans, a hint of sweet things to come. And for Passover, coarsely chopped matzo tossed with butter and brown sugar provide a nice contrast to the airy souffle.

Quality spices really shine in this dish: real vanilla, grated nutmeg, and a dash of cinnamon. Their flavor is what takes ordinary carrots to a whole new level, and makes this souffle the hit of my holiday table, every time.

Yield: 8-10
Author:
Carrot Souffle

Carrot Souffle

Vegetable side dishes are rarely the star of the show, but my carrot souffle is the exception. This sweet and fluffy casserole is like eating dessert with dinner.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

For the Souffle
  • 2 lbs fresh carrots boiled until soft (can use baby carrots)
  • 6 eggs
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 6 TBSPs flour
  • 2 TSP vanilla extract
  • 2 sticks melted unsalted butter
  • ½ Teaspoon of Nutmeg
  • Dash of cinnamon
For the Topping
  • 12 TBSPs dark brown sugar
  • 8 TBSPs melted butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup crushed corn flakes (feel free to make more if you want more crunchies)

Instructions

  1. Put cooked carrots and eggs into large food processor and puree until smooth.
  2. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon and melted butter. Process until smooth. Be careful, in my food processor, this brings the mixture completely to the top and sometimes a little seeps out.
  3. Bake in greased 9”x13” pyrex pan at 350°F for 40 minutes.
  4. Mix the topping ingredients together. Put the topping mixture over top of baked soufflé. If you’re preparing this dish ahead of time, stop here. Just cover it with some foil and put it in the fridge.
  5. To finish the dish and get it ready to serve, bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You can literally do this as the turkey is being cut, but don’t forget it as we did one year, or you’ll end up with a burnt topping, and many sad Thanksgiving guests.
  6. Serve hot. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
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