Simple and fragrant with only a handful of ingredients, this simple carrot soup recipe is perfect served as a tasty lunch or dinner any time of year. So easy and healthy, too!
Sometimes the most nourishing foods are also the most simple and easy to make. This carrot fennel soup is just that. All you need are carrots, fennel, onions, olive oil, ground coriander, a little cayenne pepper, garlic, some vegetable broth, water, and salt. The soup comes together in less than an hour, prep included. Amazing!
Vegetable soups are probably the simplest soups ever made from scratch. Often in winter, when I am feeling too tired or lazy to think about what I am going to cook that evening, I just throw a pot on the stove, sauté some onions and garlic with olive oil and dried thyme, then add some vegetable or chicken broth, simmer it along with carrots (a staple in our household) and whatever other vegetables happen be to on hand – whether it be broccoli, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, pointed cabbage, celery root or even chopped up tomatoes – pretty much about anything goes. You just throw everything into the pot, season with salt and pepper and walk away. A quick and easy dinner. One that can easily be turned into something more energizing with the simple addition of quinoa, buckwheat or brown rice – or of course, your favorite soup noodles.
Cooking and blending this fennel and carrot soup
This carrot soup recipe comes together really easily on the stovetop (no pre-roasting the vegetables). You simply cook the onions down first, then add the carrots and fennel and cook for another few minutes, before adding the remaining ingredients. It simmers away until everything is tender and then it blended into a beautiful creamy soup. You could of course use an immersion blender, but I think its really at its best when it is blended using a high powered stand mixer. It’s the best at achieving a smooth, velvety texture. And if you are really wanting to impress, you could then pour it through a fine-mesh sieve to get the absolute silkiest soup possible.
How to adapt this simple carrot soup recipe
The original is simply terrific however you can also make some small tweaks to get a slightly different but equally delicious result.
- Roast the vegetables first to bring out their sweetness. Toss the carrots in olive oil, and roast them in a preheated oven at 400°F / 200°C for 10 minutes, then add the fennel, toss and roast for another 10 minutes. Then add them to the sautéed onions and proceed the rest of the recipe, but reduce the cooking time in half.
- Switch out ground coriander out for ground cumin.
- Skip the yoghurt or crème fraîche and serve with a squeeze of lemon. The perfect choice for an all vegan soup recipe.
- Top with a little crispy fried smoked bacon. Always a winner.
Looking for other vegetable soup recipes?
Then try one of these favourites:
- Easy Vegetable Soup
- Root Vegetable Soup with Barley
- Vegetable Loaded Detox Cure Soup
- Vegetable Barley Soup
Simple Carrot Soup with Fennel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 1 kg carrots, peeled, trimmed and sliced
- 2 bulbs of fennel, trimmed and sliced, fronds reserved for garnish
- 6 cups vegetable broth (1.5 liters)
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Greek yogurt or crème fraîche, to serve
Method
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Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.
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Cook the onion, stirring frequently until soft, about 8-10 minutes. If they start to brown, add a little water to the pot. Add the carrots and fennel, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
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Add vegetable broth, garlic, ground coriander and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover partially, and cook until vegetables are completely soft, about 30 minutes.
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Using a blender (or handheld immersion blender), work in batches to puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Return the pureed soup to the pot. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Spoon into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of yogurt or crème fraîche and the reserved fennel fronds.
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Enjoy!
Notes
- I also like to top my soup with fresh cilantro leaves and spice it up a little with freshly ground chili flakes.
- Depending on the type of broth you are using, and taste preference, you may want to use 2/3 broth to 1/3 water. I use organic bouillon cubes (2 cubes for 1 litre water) and 500 ml water.
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