Make Carrot Soup

If you're looking for a healthy, delicious, throw-in-the-pot meal, this one is perfect. Whether you want to have a creamy carrot soup or go vegan and dairy-free, grab your pot now and you'll have dinner on it under an hour. We'll also include a number of ways you can jazz this recipe up with whatever else is in your kitchen pantry. Ready for your new favorite recipe?

Ingredients

Traditional Creamy Carrot Soup

  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 1/2 pounds of chopped carrots
  • 1 chopped onion
  • {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} cube fresh grated ginger root
  • 4 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 cup whipping cream

Dairy-Free Carrot Soup

  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 8 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) rice, washed
  • 4 cups (1 litre) boiling water or chicken/vegetable stock
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Mint, cilantro or chervil for garnish

Optional add-ins to either recipe:

  • 1 sweet potato or yam
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 stalk broccoli
  • 1 small bundle kale
  • Sour cream for garnish

Steps

Traditional Creamy Carrot Soup

  1. In a 6-quart pan, add the butter and onion to your carrots. Cook until the onions start becoming soft. This should only take a few minutes.
    • Pumpkin, fennel, apple, butternut squash, yam, tomato and sweet potato are also good bases if your cupboard is lacking in carrots.
    • Don't like onions? Use leeks instead!
  2. Stir in the stock, ginger, and any other desired add-ins now. Cover and bring to a boil.
    • Vegetables take different times to fully cook through, obviously. Since it's all getting pureed later it's less of a deal, but you may want to start with your starchier veggies first. Carrots, potatoes, and similar dense veggies are going to take longer than, say, kale or spinach. Leafier veggies can be put in a bit later if it's something you'd like to be conscious of.
  3. Reduce to a simmer until carrots are tender. When your fork easily slides into the body of the carrot, you know it's done.
  4. Pour the soup through a strainer, catching the solids and preserving the broth. You're separating them now to get the solids alone -- you'll need the broth in a second.
  5. Add the solids and about a pint of the broth to a blender. Pulse several times, then blend until pureed. Add broth as you go if the soup you are blending starts to thicken. Strain the resulting soup if you get celery strings or pieces that you don't want in your final soup.
    • Do not fill the blender more than halfway. Do this in batches, if necessary. Cover with a lid and kitchen towel, just to be safe.
  6. Return the soup and the remaining broth to the pan and add the cream, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Really, you can add whatever spices you like!
    • Cayenne, cinnamon, clove, cumin, garlic, nutmeg, paprika, and thyme all work swimmingly.
  7. Ladle into bowls for serving. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and strips of scallion or green onion, if desired. And be sure to serve hot and with some delicious bread and butter!

Dairy-Free Carrot Soup

  1. Sauté the onions in the olive oil. Heat 'em up in your saucepan until softened and turning golden brown.
  2. Add the carrots to the saucepan. Stir well, being sure everything is coated in the olive oil. And if you need a bit more olive oil, no one's going to tell on you!
    • By the way, you peeled and sliced your carrots, right? That outer stuff (you know, the part that lived in dirt) isn't what you're going for here. But they're gonna get puréed later, so it's not like they have to be pretty. Just chop 'em up into finger-width pieces.
  3. Cover and cook on medium for 10 minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Keep an eye on the onions especially -- if they're overcooking, turn the heat down a notch.
    • Sometimes carrots get a little bitter inexplicably when cooked. If that's the case (give 'er a taste test), add in a tablespoon of brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to offset it.
  4. Add the rice and water/stock to the vegetables. The rice is, of course, optional. You could also substitute potatoes for the rice -- or just not worry about either. Whatever you choose, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
    • Make sure to add the liquid before or immediately after adding the rice. Otherwise it'll burn!
    • Want to get a little Asian up in here? You can use coconut milk as a bit of the liquid, too!
  5. Whizz with a hand blender or in a food processor. The hand blender is super easy to use--you literally just place it in your pot and go. Then when you're done, rinse it off and you're good to go. But if this need was unforeseen, a food processor or even blender will work, too.
    • If you didn't purée it in the pan, take it back to the pan and reheat.
  6. Divide among serving bowls and top with herbs. Season with salt and pepper and season to taste, garnishing with green onion or parsley if desired. Be sure to serve it to your guests warm!
    • Other good garnishes? Nuts, bacon, grated cheese, dill and mint. And don't forget the bread and butter!



Tips

  • An immersion blender may be used in place of a standard blender.
  • Serve the carrot soup with some fresh yogurt or chopped parsley.
  • This method can be used to make almost any soup base. You are limited only by your imagination. Any vegetables can be used to make the soup base, as well as modified sauces. Chicken, turkey, pork, beef, and noodles can be added for other varieties.
  • You can also use this recipe to make carrot baby food and a puree if you add less stock, and simmer it longer to make a creamier reduction.
  • Store up to three days in the fridge.
  • If you would like to make parsnip soup, replace all carrots with parsnip.

Warnings

  • Immersion blenders tend to splash. Be careful, as the soup is scalding hot.
  • Be extremely careful when using an immersion blender. It is easy to pull the whole pot off the stovetop, right on top of you.
  • Keep the lid loose on the blender, and use a kitchen towel to prevent vacuum or pressure. The liquid may surge upward, and it will scald you.

Things You'll Need

  • Saucepan
  • Spoon
  • Measuring cups
  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Large pot
  • Blender or food processor
  • Bowls

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Sources and Citations

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