Carrot & Goat Cheese Soup

Carrot & Goat Cheese Soup
Is there anything better than a big, warm bowl of soup on a cold Fall day?  Not in my book, especially if the soup calls for just 7 easy ingredients and can be made in about 20 minutes.  And that's if you chop it.  For the absolute fastest cooking time, grate the ingredients before adding them to the pot and they'll cook in a flash.  If you'd rather chop them to a rough dice, that's fine too; the cooking time will be slightly longer.   Use soft goat cheese for this recipe.  It'll melt into the carrot and potato and make for a really smooth, creamy texture.  The potato thickens the soup and adds substance.

Go on, get outside!
I love that this meal comes together so quickly.  Even on the busiest, craziest of days, you can still get this one going as soon as you get in the front door, and let it simmer while you get a few other things done, and then sit down for a satisfying, warm, flavorful meal.  Or, pack it into a thermos, grab a few slices of bread, and bring it on one last hike in the beautiful Autumn woods.



Carrot & Goat Cheese Soup

3 tablespoons oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 large carrots, peeled & grated
1 medium potato, peeled & grated
4 cups / 1 liter water (to make this faster, add hot or boiling water; otherwise cold is fine)
1 teaspoon salt; more to taste if needed
1 - 200 g container of soft goat cheese
chives, optional

In a medium-sized heavy bottom pot, heat the oil and then add the diced onion.  Cook until the onion is soft and translucent; about 5 minutes.  While the onion cooks, bring 4 cups/1 liter of water to a boil.

Add the carrots, potato and water to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook until the vegetables are soft: 10 - 15 minutes depending on how you cut them.  Turn off the heat and, using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth (alternatively you can pour the hot soup into a blender or food processor and blend it there).  Add the goat cheese and salt and stir until the goat cheese has melted and is fully incorporated into the soup.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Garnish with chives, if desired.  Serve with bread and maybe a small side salad.

Serves 4.

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