Savory Carrot Soup

Last weekend while at the grocery store I came across an outstanding sale on carrots and yellow onions: 5 lbs/$1, so I had to get at least one bag of each. The onions are a staple in many dishes so I wasn't too worried about using them. The carrots were another story. Then I remembered the recipe for a basic vegetable* soup where I could use them. Here is the recipe:

4 large carrots peeled and sliced in the large chunks
1 large white potato peeled and quartered
1 small yellow onion peeled and quartered
5 whole cloves of garlic peeled
Seasoning to taste (I used Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb, thyme, and freshly ground black pepper)

Makes 4-5 cups of soup

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat, then cook until the carrots are tender. Remove from heat and blend. I used a handheld blender directly in the pot, but a regular blender could be used or even a potato masher for a chunky soup. Serve plain or with crackers, croutons, or broken taco shells (my husband's idea).

I made this soup for lunch last week and did a double batch for dinner on Saturday night. It is a quick and easy meal that is tasty and healthy.

* The basic vegetable soup is built on the base of boiling potatoes and flavoring with garlic (can be minced and sauteed before adding) and/or onions. To this base one can also make spinach soup by adding spinach near the end of cooking time then blending. Another option is to use different root vegetables alone or together in the soup.