How to Make Quick & Easy Tomato Carrot Soup!
October 17, 2020. Sunny and cool. Quick & Easy Tomato Carrot Soup.
When my daughter was young and playing softball, we enjoyed stopping by the local Panera Bread to eat a lovely bowl of hot tomato soup after practice. It was always creamy, thick and delicious! And sopping up the last bit of soup with one of their freshly baked baguette slices was always a treat. My daughter enjoys eating cherry tomatoes, so liking the soup wasn’t a big leap. But I was very surprised that her little brother simply adores it too! In addition to the usual Mac and Cheese, this is his preferred item to order on the menu.
After eating so many bowls (and probably gallons) of this lovely soup, I decided to make my version at home! I love knowing exactly what goes into the soup and customizing it to suit my taste. On top of that, I usually make a large pot so we’ll have leftovers for another day.
This healthy, delicious soup is quick and easy to make with items probably already in your pantry and fridge. The key is the sweet carrots that balance the sometimes more vinegary tomatoes. Instead of using all fresh tomatoes, I add a large can of peeled tomatoes to really thicken up the soup. Caramelized onions and garlic add depth while dried herbs balance things out.
The best part is the soup can be made under an hour. A perfect dish to ward off the cold weather and feed hungry kids!
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients for Easy Tomato Carrot Soup
Listed roughly in the order used:
1 Tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
4 carrots, peeled, and chopped into large pieces
1 can 28 oz (794g) whole peeled canned tomatoes
4 fresh tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp dried basil (or your favorite dried herb)
3 cups water
sour cream or plain yogurt for topping (optional)
fresh basil leaves or fresh herbs of your choice for garnish (optional)
Cooking tools are a large soup pot and an immersion stick blender.
Making Quick & Easy Tomato Carrot Soup
Start by gathering all the ingredients. Next, preheat a large soup pot. Then, add olive oil and coat bottom of pot. When hot, add garlic and onion. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. You want to the onions to caramelized so that they would add sweetness and depth to your soup.
Next, add the carrots and stir for 1 minute. Then, stir in the canned tomatoes (juice and all) and heat for 1-2 minutes.
When hot, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and use an immersion blender to mash up the content. You can leave it chunky or blend until smooth, depending on your preference. Let the content simmer for 5 minutes on medium.
Next, add in chopped fresh tomatoes together with the salt, pepper and dried herbs. Then, use the immersion blender to blend the mixture again until the tomatoes are mixed well. Let the mixture bubble and boil on medium for another 10-15 minutes. Stir to make sure everything is combined. At this stage, the soup will have thickened. When hot, it has a tendency to bubble and spatter – so be careful and adjust the heat to minimize spattering.
When ready, ladle into soup bowl, add a dollop of soup cream or plain yogurt and top with fresh basil leaves (optional).
Easy Tomato Carrot Soup
Finally, serve the soup with fresh baked bread. This goes great with no-knead bread, or crusty rolls. Let’s eat!
Notes:
If you love garlic, add a few more cloves. If you are not a fan, leave it out.
To add another layer of flavor to the soup, try adding about an inch of chopped up fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon of dried ginger powder to the mixture together with the garlic and onion.
Add a dash of dried chilli flakes for more heat. I like a bit of spiciness in my soup and this is a wonderful quick addition.
For more flavor, use a chicken or vegetable broth instead of water.
I found this interesting article on Country Living for more ideas on soups to make, especially in the upcoming cooler weather=> https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g3569/fall-soups/
Delicious Tomato Carrot Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Immersion Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 carrots, peeled, and chopped into large pieces
- 1 can 28 oz (794g) whole peeled canned tomatoes
- 4 fresh tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp dried basil (or your favorite dried herb)
- 3 cups water
- sour cream or plain yogurt for topping (optional)
- fresh basil leaves or fresh herbs of your choice for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. Preheat a large soup pot. Add olive oil and coat bottom of pot. When hot, add garlic and onion. Fry for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add in carrots and stir for 1 minute. Next stir in the canned tomatoes and let it heat up for 1-2 minutes. When hot, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, and use an immersion blender to mash up the content. You can leave it chunky or blend until smooth, depending on your preference. Let the content simmer for 5 minutes on medium.
- Add in chopped fresh tomatoes together with the salt, pepper and dried herbs. Use an immersion blender again until the tomatoes are well mixed. Let the soup bubble and boil on medium for another 10-15 minutes.
- When ready, ladle into soup bowl, add a dollop of soup cream or plain yogurt and top with fresh basil leaves (optional). Serve with fresh baked bread. Let's eat!
Notes
More Fab Flavors:
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