Carrot and Orange Soup

My kitchen is always filled with the wonderful aroma of oranges whenever I make this carrot and orange soup.

The natural sweetness of carrot goes beautifully with oranges.  The carrots give the soup a wonderful bright orange color, while the oranges add the zing.

So not only does this soup look fantastic, but it tastes amazing as well.

Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

   2 medium onions
   Grated zest of 1 large orange
   25 g / 1 oz low-fat margarine
   1 garlic clove, crushed
   500 g /1 lb carrots, sliced
   3 ½ cups vegetables stock
   Juice of 2 large oranges
   Salt and black pepper

How to Make

Step 1

Chop the onions and carrots.  As the vegetables are going to be pureed they don’t have to be cut into bite-sized pieces.  The carrots should be cut small enough so that they cook through.   Whether you peel the carrots first is up to you.  If using young, fresh carrots it’s probably not necessary.

Step 2

Step 3

Melt the margarine in a large saucepan.  Cook the garlic, onions and grated orange zest in the butter for a few minutes until the onion softens.

Step 4

Add the carrots and stock and bring to the boil.  Cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.

Step 5

Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.   Spoon the soup into a food processor and puree until smooth.  It’s probably best to do this in several batches. 

Juice both the oranges and add the orange juice and blend again.  Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat but do not boil.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serving

Serve with crusty bread or croutons.

Enjoy this recipe?  You might like to try this one:

Curried Cashew and Carrot Soup