Description
This Creamy Carrot Soup recipe is a comforting and flavorful dish made with tender carrots, savory bacon, and a smooth blend of cream and milk. Perfect for a cozy meal, this soup features simple ingredients and straightforward steps to create a rich, velvety texture enhanced by fresh herbs and a touch of crispy bacon for garnish.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 4 slices streaky bacon (~120g/4oz)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 large carrots, cut into 1.5 cm (3/5″) chunks
- 1 litre / 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth (4 cups)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml cream
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml milk (any fat %)
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- Fresh thyme or chopped parsley
- Cream, for swirling
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Cook the bacon: Heat olive oil or butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the streaky bacon slices and cook until golden and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot, let it cool slightly, then chop into small pieces.
- Sauté onion and garlic: Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the bacon drippings remaining in the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned, allowing the flavors to develop gently.
- Add carrots: Add the chopped carrots to the pot and stir thoroughly to coat all pieces in the oil and cooked flavors. This enhances the depth of taste in the soup.
- Add broth and simmer: Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth, stir to combine, then cover the pot with a lid. Adjust the heat to maintain an energetic simmer (medium heat) and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft and easy to mash with a spoon.
- Puree the soup: Remove the lid and turn off the heat. Using a stick blender, carefully puree the contents of the pot until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool slightly and blend in batches using a traditional blender.
- Add cream and milk: Stir in the cream and milk, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk or water if the soup is too thick for your preference.
- Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls, garnish with swirls of cream, the chopped crispy bacon, and fresh thyme or parsley. Serve alongside crusty bread for a complete and satisfying meal.
Notes
- If you omit the bacon, consider adding 1 tsp of ground coriander or another spice of your choice, or 2 tsp finely chopped ginger sautéed with the onion and garlic to compensate for the flavor loss.
- Nutrition values assume 4 servings. Skipping the bacon reduces calories to approximately 200 per serving, and omitting the cream further reduces it to around 99 calories per serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 300 ml)
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
