Description
This creamy carrot soup is a comforting and flavorful dish made with sautéed bacon, onions, garlic, and tender carrots blended smoothly with cream and milk. It is perfect as a warming appetizer or light meal, served with a swirl of cream, fresh herbs, and crusty bread for dipping. The soup balances the natural sweetness of carrots with savory bacon and aromatic seasonings, resulting in a rich yet vibrant bowl of goodness.
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 oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until golden and crispy. Remove from pot, allow to cool slightly, then chop into small pieces.
- Sauté onion and garlic: Add chopped onion and minced garlic into the bacon drippings in the pot. Cook for about 2 minutes until onion becomes translucent but avoid browning.
- Add carrots: Stir in the carrot chunks and coat them well in the oil and drippings to release their flavor.
- Simmer the soup: Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth and stir. Cover the pot with a lid and adjust heat so the soup is simmering energetically (medium heat). Cook for 20 to 25 minutes until carrots are very soft and tender.
- Puree the soup: Remove the lid and turn off the heat. Use a stick blender directly in the pot to puree the carrot mixture until smooth. Alternatively, cool the soup slightly and blend in a stand blender in batches.
- Add cream and milk: Stir in the cream, milk, salt, and pepper to taste. Adjust the soup’s thickness by adding more milk or water if desired.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with swirls of cream, chopped bacon, and fresh parsley or thyme. Serve alongside crusty bread for dipping.
Notes
- If you skip the bacon, compensate for the flavor loss by adding 1 tsp ground coriander or other favorite spice directly into the soup, or 2 tsp finely chopped ginger sautéed with the onion and garlic.
- Nutrition per serving is based on 4 servings. Omitting the bacon reduces calories to about 200 per serving, and if cream is also omitted, calories drop to around 99 per serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 300 ml)
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
