The BEST way to eat carrots!! The humble carrot makes an amazing creamy carrot soup – but when you sneak bacon in, it makes it over-the-top delicious!Â
This is a terrific carrot recipe to serve as a meal. Thick and creamy, savoury and sweet, Carrot Soup is quick to make, healthy, freezes brilliantly, and the only thing it needs is hot crusty bread for dunking. And I love the colour!
Creamy Carrot Soup is the BEST way to eat carrots!
When the end of the week rolls round and the cupboards are pretty bare, I can still bank on having carrots, onion and garlic.
And there are a handful of terrific meals that I can think of making with these 3 things – Carrot Pilaf, sautéed carrot in garlic butter tossed through pasta, a golden fluffy omelette stuffed with buttery julienned carrots, and this creamy carrot soup.
Clocking in at just 351 calories for a big bowl, Carrot Soup is creamy deliciousness that’s full of nutrition!
Bacon is the secret ingredient!
Though this creamy carrot soup does have a wee bit more in it than just carrots, onion and garlic, they are mostly pantry essentials with the “other” things being optional.
Like – bacon. 🙂 Crisp up some bacon in the pot before adding all the carrot soup stuff, and it makes the most amazing flavour base ever. It really takes the humble carrot soup to another level.
So I’m really hoping you have some bacon stashed away in the freezer (and if not – why not?!😉)
Health benefits of carrot
As rabbits well know, carrots are GOOD for you!! Here’s why:
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High in antioxidants which are important for good health
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High in vitamin A – for general well being and specifically, vision and immunity
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Rich in other vitamins, minerals and fibre
Carrot Soup looks pretty much like Pumpkin Soup. In fact, you could interchange the two photos and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference (errr, well except for the fact that I took those photos so I know which is which 😂)
There are also similarities in the flavour. Naturally sweet with undertones of savoury, and the same thick, creamy texture – even if you don’t use cream. I do use a bit of cream in this recipe – but it’s optional. It adds an extra touch of richness that can be substituted with a dollop of butter – or left out.
When I’m trying to be “healthy”, I leave the cream out of the soup then drizzle just 1 teaspoon on the surface. It tricks my simple mind into thinking there’s more cream in it than there actually is!
Also – don’t forget Soup Dunkers. Always an essential part of a soup eating experience! Here are a few of my favourites.
Soup Dunkers
– Nagi x
Creamy Carrot Soup
Watch how to make it
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Creamy Carrot Soup
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 / 185ml milk (any fat %)
- Salt and pepper
Serving:
- Fresh thyme or chopped parsley
- Cream , for swirling
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden. Remove from pot, cool then chop.
- Add onion and garlic into the bacon drippings. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is translucent but not browned.
- Add carrots and stir well to coat the carrot in the oil.
- Add broth, then stir. Cover with lid, adjust heat so it is simmering energetically (about medium). Cook for 20 - 25 minutes until carrot is very soft.
- Remove lid, turn heat off. Use a stick blender to puree the carrot (or cool slightly and do in blender).
- Add cream, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Adjust thickness with milk (or water), if desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with swirls of cream, bacon and parsley or thyme if desired. Serve with crusty bread.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More healthy creamy soups
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Ultra low cal Creamy Vegetable Soup – a creamy soup broth without butter!
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Browse all Soup recipes
Life of Dozer
Enjoying the warm sun….
Neary my two year anniversary of making this soup, and yes – made it this morning. I have made it more than a dozen times in these two years. I used Costco bacon crumbles since I had no packages of bacon. Also, no cream, so half & half worked just fine. I like to use white pepper for its flavor, too. How something so simple can be so delicious – another recipetineats miracle recipe. Thank you, Nagi!