Creamy Chipotle Carrot Soup with Goat Cheese

It really is that bright orange. 

It is probably just me, but even though I love to snack on baby carrots, I tend to have a nearly full bag of drying-out carrots before too long. Well, as to not let these dear orange friends go to waste, I whipped up some carrot soup! I'd never had it before, but it turned out quite delicious and very similar to my butternut squash and pumpkin soup. I read a few different recipes and then just kinda winged it. It was a tiny bit bland for my taste so I kicked it up with chipotle seasoning and goat cheese. Perfection. 

I ate two glorious bowls and thought- this is basically just carrots so it's totally okay to have seconds!

It's naturally gluten free, and can easily be made vegan or dairy free with a couple of substitutions. Sub in vegetable broth for the chicken broth, olive oil for the butter, and coconut or almond milk for the half and half. I really love how versatile it is!

What You'll Need:

1 lb bag of baby carrots, chopped (or one pound carrots, peeled and diced)

1 tbsp butter

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth 

1/2 cup half and half

1 cube chipotle seasoning or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, pureed

salt and pepper to taste

goat cheese crumbles 

What To Do:

Heat butter over medium heat and cook onions for 5 minutes or until translucent but not browned. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add carrots, broth, salt and pepper. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about twenty minutes or until carrots are very soft. Transfer contents into a blender and blend until completely smooth, doing so in batches if necessary. Pour back into pot and add half and half and chipotle. Stir together and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, topped with goat cheese crumbles. 

Delicious and healthy!