Light Carrot Soup with Cheese Croutons

We offer you a recipe for Light Carrot Soup with Cheese Croutons. Carrots are not only healthy, but also quick to cook. And if you mix it with a few simple ingredients, it turns into a homogeneous, rich and slightly sweet soup, which will be a great hot dish.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 1 kg of carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, optional
• 4 tablespoons of sour cream

For garnish:

• Paprika
• Green onion, chopped

Cheese croutons for carrot soup:

• 8 slices of baguette about 1.5 cm thick
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C for cheese croutons.
2. Prepare the vegetables. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add butter and onion. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, 3-4 minutes, but do not let it brown. Season with a pinch of salt.
3. Add carrots, garlic and dried thyme and stir. Cook for 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
4. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes, until the carrots are very soft.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the cheese croutons. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Then generously sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake the croutons at 200°C until their edges are browned, and the Parmesan cheese begins to turn light brown around the edges, it is about 10-12 minutes. Remove the croutons and set aside.
7. Finish cooking the soup. When the carrots are soft, use a blender directly in the pot to blend the soup until smooth.
8. If you do not have a blender, remove the soup from the heat and let it cool slightly. Then you can mash it into a puree. Return the puree to low heat and season with salt and white pepper as desired.

How to serve the soup:

• Pour the soup into bowls and add about a tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl. Garnish the soup with small pieces of pepper and chopped green onions.
• Do not add sour cream to the pot, but only when serving in each bowl.

Light carrot soup with cheese croutons is ready. Enjoy your meal!