Stock-Glazed Carrots
By Robin Tasker · Serves 4 · 25 min
protein +
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SalmonSardinesCanned tunaThree lenses: how gentle on the gut, how nourishing, how tasty — because gentle isn't the same as healthy. How the scores work →
Soft, glossy carrots glazed in onion-free stock with ginger, maple and a little soy, finished with butter. Proof that gentle veg doesn't have to mean a sad bowl of plain boiled carrots.
Carrots are about the most pouch-friendly veg there is, but boiled and plain they're a bit joyless. This is the version I actually look forward to — soft and glossy, a little sweet, a little savoury, with a warm hum of ginger.
It leans on two things from the meal-prep kit: a splash of onion-free stock for depth, and garlic-infused oil for that savoury garlicky note without the garlic itself. It cooks down to a sticky glaze in one shallow pan.
Ingredients
- 500 g carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
- 250 ml onion-free stock
- 10 g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 sprig thyme (about 2 g)
- 20 g butter
- 15 g spring onion (green tops), thinly sliced
Method
- Put the sliced carrots in a wide, shallow pan with the stock, grated ginger and thyme. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
- Cook, stirring now and then, for 12–15 minutes, until the carrots are soft and most of the stock has cooked away.
- Add the garlic-infused oil, soy sauce and maple syrup. Keep cooking for 2–3 minutes, tossing the carrots, until the liquid turns into a glossy glaze that clings to them.
- Take off the heat and stir through the butter so everything goes glossy. Season with a little salt if it needs it.
- Scatter over the spring onion greens and serve.
Gentler swaps
Stock & garlic: our onion-free, garlic-free stock and garlic-infused oil build the savoury base without the onion and garlic solids that tend to cause wind.
Sweetness: maple syrup rounds the carrots out; a tiny bit of brown sugar does the same job. Keep it to a splash so it stays a glaze, not a syrup.
More ideas like this: see soft vegetable upgrades for pumpkin, hash and more.
For the family
Cook once — your gentle version, plus how to pep it up for everyone else.
These are a crowd-pleaser as they are, so the family usually just eats them. If yours like a bit more punch, lift their portion out at the end and toss it with a pinch of chilli flakes or a few crispy fried shallots — yours stays gentle and glossy.
Scores are modelled estimates, not medical advice. Everyone's gut is different, and tolerance changes over time. Reintroduce foods one at a time, and follow your own medical team's advice.