CARROT CREAM
The CREAM or VELVETED CARROT SOUP is a delicate yet flavorful first course, with a slightly sweet taste, great to enjoy hot or at room temperature, ideal for a light lunch or dinner.
A satisfying Carrot Cream despite its low calories, smooth and velvety, also perfect for those following a dietary or vegan diet as it is free from animal-derived foods.
Preparing it is really easy and quick: just clean carrots and potatoes, cut them into pieces and then put them in a saucepan along with the broth (or water) and start cooking slowly over low heat. Once the vegetables are soft, blend everything to obtain a SMOOTH CARROT SOUP, perfect for any lunch or dinner that will be appreciated by children too.
The ingredients to prepare this CARROT CREAM are few and simple, and you probably already have them at home: carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery, although the carrots are in significantly greater percentage than the others. Potatoes are added for their starch content, which gives more consistency to the soup, but you can also omit them.
If you want to make this carrot soup even lighter, besides omitting the potatoes, you can cook it in water instead of vegetable broth. For those who prefer stronger flavors, you can sauté onion and after boiling the vegetables, sauté them for a few minutes before blending.
Or further enrich the carrot and potato soup with cubes of golden bacon, croutons, or soft cheese, or use the carrot cream to cook rice, pasta, or legumes to create a true all-in-one dish.
Now all you have to do is read the recipe to prepare the VELVETED CARROT SOUP together. For more recipes with carrots, have a look at
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 210.79 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 38.38 (g) of which sugars 14.01 (g)
- Proteins 4.49 (g)
- Fat 5.76 (g) of which saturated 0.93 (g)of which unsaturated 0.54 (g)
- Fibers 8.59 (g)
- Sodium 1,122.87 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs carrots
- 2 potatoes (medium)
- 1 yellow onion (or red)
- 1 stalk celery (with its leaves)
- vegetable broth (about 4 cups)
- as needed extra virgin olive oil (raw before serving)
- as needed fine salt
- bread croutons (or toasted bread)
- black pepper (ground)
- bacon (crispy)
Tools
- Pot
- Immersion blender
STEPS
First, peel the carrots, remove the ends, cut them into not too large pieces, and rinse them under cold running water. Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes, and rinse them as well. Clean the onion, slice it thinly, cut the celery stalk and then chop it together with its leaves.
Now that you have prepared the ingredients, put all the vegetables in a large pot and completely cover them with vegetable broth (or water). Cook over medium-low heat with the lid on for about 25/30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Remove the vegetables from the pot, reserving the broth if there is any left, as you might need it later to adjust the thickness of the soup.
Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and blend with the immersion blender. It should have a smooth and velvety consistency. If it is too thick, you can add a bit of the broth set aside earlier. Taste and adjust the salt. Your carrot soup is ready! Serve with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and some croutons or slices of toasted bread.
STORAGE
The carrot soup can be stored, closed in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can be reheated in a pot or microwave as needed.
NOTES AND TIPS
POTATOES: The presence of potatoes, rich in starch, serves to achieve the right creaminess, but if you prefer, you can omit them, and the carrot soup will still be tasty, although slightly more liquid. If you want to make it creamy anyway, you can add soft cheese like ricotta or goat cheese, or a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt.
VARIATIONS: If you love richer and more flavorful tastes, you can sauté potatoes and carrots in a pan with oil and onion and then add a few cubes of bacon or pancetta. Or simply make it more aromatic by adding some nutmeg or grated ginger just before serving. Lastly, if you want to turn your carrot soup into a complete dish, once the soup is prepared, add broth to cook rice, pasta, or cereals in it.
HOW TO SERVE THE SOUP: I simply added a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and some croutons; alternatively, you can toast some bread, add a pinch of pepper, or a few fresh basil leaves. To make it tastier, add at the end some cubes of crispy bacon or a spoonful of creamy cheese.
