Copper Pennies Recipe
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This old-fashioned copper pennies recipe is a classic Southern side dish that includes marinated carrots and other vegetables in a sweet and sour tomato-based sauce.
I’m so excited to introduce y’all to this authentic copper pennies recipe today. Believe me when I say that these babies are delicious. I first tasted these sweet and sour carrots at a small cafe (which has sadly since closed) in Decatur, AL. They were served with delicious chicken poulet and a hot homemade roll.
Luckily, I was able to find similar recipes so that I can now serve them to my friends and family. I love to make these two dishes whenever we are having friends over the weekend since both can be made ahead. I hate to have people over and then spend all my time in the kitchen. Bet y’all feel the same, right?
The wonderful thing about these marinated carrots is that they will keep for about four weeks in the refrigerator. While they make a great side dish, they are equally good with soup and a sandwich. Heck, I sat down and ate a bowl of them by myself without anything at all. Even kids seem to like them.
We have carrots, onion, and bell pepper marinated in a sweet and sour sauce. It’s got lots of ingredients, like sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato soup, vinegar, and seasonings. But it’s so simple to make in less than 30 minutes. Simply let it cool and then serve it straight from the fridge. Southern side dish recipes don’t get much easier than that.
If you’ve never tried this and love tangy veggie salads, you’re in for a treat that you’ll crave for the rest of your life! Ready for this life-changing copper pennies recipe? Let’s get cooking!
Serve these with either baked ham, beef ribs, fried chicken, turkey breast, roast chicken, or pork chops and you will have the perfect meal.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tomato soup
- Vegetable oil
- Granulated sugar
- White vinegar
- Dry mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- Onion
- Green bell pepper
- Carrots
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make My Old-Fashioned Copper Pennies Recipe
Peel and slice the carrots into round coins (a.k.a our copper pennies).
Place in a saucepan and cover them with water.
Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until carrots are tender when pricked with a fork (about 10 minutes).
Drain the carrots in a colander and let them cool.
Add chopped bell pepper and onions and stir to distribute.
In a different saucepan, whisk together the soup, oil, sugar, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil over medium heat while whisking for 2 to 3 minutes.
Set off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Pour sauce over the vegetables and stir to combine.
Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours up to overnight before serving.
Serve cold from the refrigerator.
Enjoy your copper penny carrots!
Storage
One of the best parts of this marinated carrots recipe is that it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four weeks. Serve it straight from the fridge as is or you can warm it on the stovetop on low heat.
Recipe Variations
Here are some ways to make this easy copper penny recipe work for you:
- Add 1/2 cup of chopped celery when you add the other vegetables.
- Use canned carrots or store-bought crinkle-cut carrots instead of fresh carrots.
- Substitute the dry mustard for regular prepared mustard (like yellow mustard or Dijon mustard).
- Use any type of onion, but sweet onion is my favorite.
- Make it a tad healthier by substituting the white sugar for Splenda and cutting the oil in half.
- Add a tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley, thyme, dill, or chives. You can also add any of these fresh herbs as a garnish.
- Substitute the tomato soup for canned stewed tomatoes or tomato juice.
- Use apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar instead.
- Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
Recipe FAQs
Can you make copper pennies ahead of time?
Yes, you can and should make this copper pennies recipe in advance. You want to store the marinated carrots in the fridge for 8 hours up to overnight, but they’ll also keep for up to one month.
How do you serve marinated carrots?
There are so many ways to serve this copper pennies recipe.
- Enjoy them on their own as a main dish.
- Serve them as a copper penny salad with a grilled cheese sandwich.
- Enjoy them as a side dish at your next picnic or potluck. They pair perfectly with baked ham, beef ribs, fried chicken, turkey breast, roast chicken, or pork chops.
You may also like these Southern side dish recipes:
Ingredients
- 10 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 can undiluted tomato soup
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place the carrots in a medium saucepan and cover them with water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork.10 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups)
- Drain the carrots, add the onion and bell pepper, and set aside to cool.1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup), 1 small green bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- Combine soup, oil, sugar, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper with a whisk in a medium saucepan.1 can undiluted tomato soup, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Bring to a boil over medium heat while whisking to combine soup and oil. Continue to cook and whisk for about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the vegetables and stir to combine. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Serve cold from the refrigerator.
Nutrition
“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.”
~Zig Ziglar
Copper Pennies has been a treasured memory going back some 50+ years. I have been making this recipe now for some 10 years for at home as well as our seniors choir potlucks (our pianist always asks if I’m bringing it)! I follow it as written fairly closely with a few exceptions: I prefer the onion and green pepper slightly softened so I pour the sauce into the bowl over them straight from the stove and then add the carrots as well. I mix it all well and let it cool before it goes into the refrigerator. When friends ask how long it keeps in there, I chuckle a little and then assure them it keeps far longer than it lasts!
Thanks for sharing!
Could you sub apple cider vinegar for white vinegar? Or would that ruin the taste?
Yessiree!
I have been looking for this recipe for years. I had them at a family Christmas so long ago and loved them. I am going to make them for Easter. Thank you for this recipe.
So glad you found it and thank you for the 5 star rating! Much appreciated 🙂
I just made this recipe and it’s 500% worth making ! Excellent… thanks for sharing.
Can these be frozen? A friend gave me oodles of carrots Andy I ended up with 15 pints of marinaded carrots. We love them but really? I have shared but still have lots.
How many servings is this recipe?