Oh So Carrot Soup

Thoughts & Inspiration

With this cold weather, I can't help but just want soup all day long.  This soup is a bowl of sweet/savory comfort - the sweetness from the carrot is perfectly complimented by the tomato and the mild garlic addition.  Enjoy!

Cook Time: 30 minutes   
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4 

Ingredients 

*3 cups baby carrots, sliced in half lengthwise

1 large Roma tomato
3 garlic cloves, halved

4 cups water

2 tsp Herbs de Provence OR 2 tsp Sage (depending on the flavor you want)

Salt

Pepper

Optional: 1/4 cup light cream (to make the soup extra rich and creamy)

Garnish
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic/Herb croutons
A few snips of chives
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (per bowl) 

In a deep soup pot toss in all ingredients except the herbs, salt, pepper and optional ingredient.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Place a lid on pot and simmer vegetables for 25-30 minutes.  After about 25 minutes test a baby carrot to see if your soup is ready – you should be able to slice right through the carrot without any effort.  If so, remove soup from heat and if the carrot isn’t quite ready, simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Allow soup to cool for 10-15 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and puree the vegetables.  I used my Vitamix and blended the soup for 5 minutes to create a really rich smooth texture.  Pour soup back into pot and stir in your choice of herb, salt and pepper to taste (Optional: You may add cream at this step if desired).  Serve in a bowl with your choice of garnishes. 

*Note: I used baby carrots in this recipe since they are already peeled to save myself time.