I have a confession. I’m mildly obsessed with soup. Oh yes. I could order it all year long. You know that summer corn chowder from Panera. Let’s just say I eat my fair share. 😉 Come cooler weather… and I can’t pass up an excuse for a pot of bubbling soup on the stove. Add in some homemade bread in the oven and it just makes the house cheery and mama happy knowing that dinner is set and ready to go.

Soup. It does the heart good. 🙂

I made this for a fall-themed baby shower and all the ladies wanted the recipe, so I figured now was the perfect time to jot down the ingredients and share it! 

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic

1 large onion

1/3 cup of fresh ginger

6 Tbsp of butter

2 Tbsp of flour

6 c. of chicken stock

10 carrots (aprx. 4 cups diced)

1/2 c. half and half or heavy cream

1 tsp of salt

pepper to taste

Here’s how I go about whipping up a batch:

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger (these do not need to be fine as the soup will later be blended) and gently saute all this for about 20 minutes. About this time, I season it with salt and pepper. Next, sprinkle in the 2 Tbsp of flour (this may be omitted for gluten free) and gently stir for about 2 minutes as the flour coats everything and cooks slightly. Next goes in the chicken stock and carrots and these can be brought to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

It’s best to have the carrots more cooked than less as it will be easier to get a smooth soup, because next… we’re going to puree it! First, it’s a good idea to allow the soup to cool a bit as adding hot soup to the blender can be a bit dangerous (this is a great time to use an immersion blender if you have one!). I typically blend the soup in batches in my blender or magic bullet, pouring the pureed mixture into a different bowl until the original soup pot is empty. Then I just rinse the pot quickly to get rid of any remaining chunks of carrots or onions, and a I pour the pureed soup all back in. It makes a gorgeous fall color. At this point, I mix in the half and half or heavy cream to give it a bit of a creamy taste. Serve as is or garnish with creme fraiche, chives or even homemade croutons.

This soup is perfect for every day but can make an extra special addition to a fall tea party or even a side for Thanksgiving dinner.

Happy fall, friends!