Late Sunday afternoon I found myself starving, and needing to get some shopping done. I headed off to Costco figuring I could grab the groceries and some free sample snacks to tide me over until dinner.
All was well until I made it to the freezer section. While searching for the frozen sausage patties, I mindlessly grabbed the sample being offered at the end of the aisle. It looked like a sweet potato fry. It was not. It was a carrot fry. Yes they exist, although I have no idea why. It tasted like a wet piece of cardboard. The sweet sample lady began explaining how they had no oil, salt, or artificial flavors. Aha, that is why they taste so bad I thought.
Truthfully I prefer my carrots in cake, dipped in hummus, or as soup. The later being what I am going to share with you today. This recipe is another favorite at our house. It is rich and velvety from the addition of cream cheese with a light smoky flavor from the paprika. We serve ours with buttered toast, or a few croutons tossed on top.
Let me know in the comments if you give this recipe a try. I would love to hear your feedback. For those who have asked about the recipe for the Sweet Potato Pound Cake we serve at the restaurant, I plan to share it here next week.
Happy cooking friends.
Carrot Soup
1 Pound Carrots, Peeled and Chopped into 1” Pieces
2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1 tsp. Sugar
2 Cups Milk
8oz Full Fat Cream Cheese, Cubed
½ Medium Onion, Diced
3 Tbsp. Butter or Coconut Oil
3 Tbsp. Flour
½ tsp. Black Pepper
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
Place carrots, sugar, and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 20 to 25 minutes until carrots are tender.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet saute onion in butter until tender. Once soft, stir flour into onion and butter.
Pour onion/flour mixture into saucepan with carrots and broth. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth while slowly pouring in the milk. Alternately, place all ingredients in counter top blender and puree until smooth.
Add spices and cream cheese. Heat to a simmer, but DO NOT BOIL. If cream cheese is still a bit lumpy blend again with immersion blender until smooth. Serve immediately.
