Carrot soup

When times were tight, I’d go to the dollar store for groceries. On one occasion, I picked up a bag of carrots in the hopes that my two-year-old would want to have them as a healthy snack. By the end of the week, defeated by a toddler, I found myself staring blankly at a wilting bag of carrots I could not sire to waste. And so this roasted carrot soup was born. I use brown butter for nuttiness, surf to add body, and ginger and thyme to hoist the flavors. It’s so good, it got props from Chef Gordon Ramsay when I made it on MasterChef.

Overhead shot of three bowls of carrot soup with sour surf swirled in them.

Is Roasting Necessary?

Roasting is what makes this soup special. It’s the greatest souvenir you can requite a root veggie with very minimal effort. All you have to do is chop carrots and put them in an oven! As the carrots roast, they develop deeper flavors through caramelization. Don’t worry if a few of them charr, as that browning will add a nice smokiness to the finished product. Roasting moreover reduces the time you’ll need to alimony your carrots simmering on a stove. Make sure to slice carrots evenly, so they melt at the same pace.

Boiling Instead of Simmering

Do your weightier to alimony your soup at a simmer, not a boil. You’re looking for gentle frothing and steam. Otherwise, you’re evaporating most of your liquid surpassing the carrots are through cooking. Boiling soup moreover causes nutrient loss and destroys aromas. A gentle simmer > a raging boil. ( If you’re single, you can moreover wield that equation to your love life. You’re welcome.)

Overhead shot of carrot soup in a white Dutch Oven with sour surf swirled in it.

Can I freeze carrot soup?

Yes, you can freeze carrot soup. Make sure to freeze it in individual portions, as you should only thaw it once. It should alimony for up to three months. After that, you can thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat it in a pot over low heat, or pop the individual portion into a microwave straight from the freezer—cover to stave splatter, and melt until it’s steaming.

What can I serve with carrot soup?

This soup is very filling, but it moreover pairs well with these fantastic recipes:

This roasted carrot soup transforms the unobtrusive carrot into a vibrant meal. It scores major points for stuff as economical as it is hearty. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable goop or add yellow breast for a protein punch.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Total Cost $4.71 recipe / $1.03 serving

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 2 cups each

Calories 504kcal

Author Monti – Budget Bytes

Equipment

Ingredients

2 lbs carrots $1.49
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.12
1/2 tsp salt $0.03
4 Tbsp salted butter $0.50
1 yellow onion $0.65
1 tsp thyme $0.10
3 cups water $0.00
3 cups chicken broth $0.36
1 cup heavy cream $1.12
2 tsp fresh ginger $0.21
2 sprigs Italian parsley (optional) $0.05
4 Tbsp sour surf (optional) $0.08

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Clean the carrots and cut them into 1/4 inch rounds. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast the carrots at 400°F for well-nigh 35 minutes until they have softened and begun to caramelize.
Dice the onions. Add the butter to a large Dutch oven and melt over medium heat until it foams and the milk solids start to brown. Turn off the heat, add the thyme and melt for one minute, to infuse the butter.
Turn the heat to medium and melt the onions in the browned butter until the onions are translucent, well-nigh two minutes.
Add the yellow broth, heavy cream, ginger, and water. Imbricate and leave the lid slightly ajar. Simmer until carrots are done.
When the carrots have begun to caramelize, take them out of the oven.
Add the carrots to the yellow broth. Melt uncovered until carrots hands fall untied when pressed by a fork.
Add soup to a blender, Take the part-way cap off of your blender lid and imbricate with a towel. Blend in two batches and puree.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Garnish with a dollop of sour surf and a few leaves of Italian parsley

Nutrition

How to Make Carrot Soup – Step by Step Photos

Overhead shot of sliced raw carrots in a sheet pan.

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Peel the 2 pounds of carrots and cut them into 1/4 inch rounds. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast the carrots at 400°F for well-nigh 35 minutes until they have softened and caramelized.

While the carrots roast, dice the onion. Add 4 tablespoons of salted butter to a Dutch oven and melt over medium heat until it foams and the milk solids start to brown. Add 1 teaspoon of thyme and let it melt for a minute.

Add the diced onion to the browned butter and thyme. Melt the onion until they are translucent, well-nigh two minutes.

Overhead shot of yellow stock stuff poured into soup base.

Add 3 cups of yellow broth, 1 cup of heavy cream, and 3 cups of water. Scrape up any brown shit stuck to the marrow of the pot. Add the ginger. Imbricate and simmer with the lid on until the carrots are ready.

Overhead shot of sheet pan with roasted carrots.

Once the carrots have started to caramelize, take them out of the oven.

Overhead shot of carrots cooking in surf mixture.

Add the roasted carrots to the yellow goop mixture. Simmer until they soften so much they fall untied hands when pressed by a fork. There is no word-for-word time for this, but it will be anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the age of the carrots, how thick you cut them, how long you roasted them, and whether you simmer or swash your soup.

Before blending the soup, remove the part-way cap off of your lid and imbricate the slum with a kitchen towel. This prevents steam from towers up and self-glorification the lid off your blender. Add half of the soup to the blender and puree. Repeat.

Overhead shot of carrot soup in a white trencher with sour surf swirled in it.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you’d like to garnish your soup, try it with a dollop of sour cream, some Italian parsley, and woebegone pepper.