What’s better than a bowl of creamy, hot soup on a cold winter night?  How about one that doesn’t contain a drop of cream, packs a ton of flavor, is under 200 calories per serving and will fill you up?  Now we’re talking!

Curried Carrot Soup
Yield:  8 servings
Time:  20 minutes hands-on;  45 minutes total

3 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces
2 onions, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. ground pepper
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
5 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Place the butter in a very large stock pot or Dutch oven (8-12 quart).  Melt over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the onions and pepper.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until onions and peppers begin to soften.  Stir in the curry, ginger, salt and pepper.  Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.  Add the carrots.  Pour in the broth.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.  Once boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender.  Stir in lemon juice.

3.  Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender, filling the blender no more than half full each time.  Puree until smooth.  (Be sure not to overfill the blender, as the hot soup will expand as it is blended.  Also, to allow steam to escape vent the lid and cover with a dish towel while blending.)

4.  Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro to serve.

PDF to Print Recipe for Curried Carrot Soup

Recipe adapted from Great Food Fast, Everyday Food from the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living