Copper Pennies – pickled carrots

Carrots, I must confess. I haven’t always loved them, especially cooked! Yes, I was the finicky child that would always pick all of the carrots out of my bowl of stew. Fortunately, tastes evolve over time and today, I not only toss carrots into soups and stews, and make Grandma’s carrot and raisin salad, I’ve discovered a great side dish, Copper Pennies, that’s basically cooked carrots!

They’re dressed up with a sweet and sour, pickle-y sauce. Are you ready to embrace the colorful root veg and give these pickled carrots a try? Serve them warm or chilled for a most refreshing summer dish.

Copper Pennies were a staple at church pot luck meals I attended 15-20 years ago. I suspect the recipe has been making the rounds for decades before that.

I love pot luck meals. It was a common practice in Ed’s Air Force squadrons to have parties where everyone brought something. Of course, everyone brought their best dishes. It made for such good grazing! Like church pot lucks, they’ve both been a great source of recipes over the years.

Copper Pennies fall into the quick and easy and therefore, perfect category, especially if you use a food processor to slice the carrots.  They keep in the fridge for weeks, so make a bunch, It’s great to have a vegetable side dish ready to go.

You can’t beat the bright color and flavor they add to your table, and my calorie counting app (My Fitness Pal by Under Armour) reminds me they’re a great source of vitamins A and C.

I made a batch recently for a potluck and had multiple requests for the recipe, always a good sign! How about you? Where do stand with carrots? Love them like Rosie the beautiful but pushy rabbit or leave them like young Lois?

Copper Pennies - pickled carrots

Recipe type: Vegetable side

Serves: 15 servings

This colorful, sweet and sour dish is quick to make and keeps well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (10¾-ounce) can condensed tomato soup
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked, and sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Remove from heat and add soup
3. Mix the carrots, onion, and bell pepper together in a large glass dish
4. Pour the sauce over the vegetables, stir to combine
5. Refrigerate overnight