Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon

Stay in and snuggle up with a blanket and a warm bowl of this delectably creamy, smoky carrot soup with bacon bits. It’s perfect for snow days and is gluten-free, paleo, and whole 30 compliant.

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

We spent Christmas with my husband’s family this year, but on our way home we were able to stop by the post-Christmas Christmas get-together with my mom’s side of the family. Despite living 800 miles away, I’ve been able to see my family over the holidays every year since we moved. It’s not always on actual Christmas and it’s not always for a long time, but it’s nice to be able to spend time with my peeps. Plus, I love wrapping presents and I wouldn’t get to do it if we were mailing gifts.

Anyway, we were eating beef and cheddar croissants (homemade Portillo’s — yum!) at my aunt’s house and my cousin and his wife asked if I wanted some carrots, because they had extras from their garden. I said sure, and thought they were going to hand me like three carrots. Instead, they pointed to a huge canvas bag filled with carrots and told me to take as many as I wanted. I took a few, but was told NO it wasn’t enough carrots. I left with four pounds of carrots and I’m still not sure if it was enough in their eyes.

 

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Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Usually my carrots come from the grocery store, so all of the carrots in the bag are roughly the same size and the same perfect carrot shape. These were not those carrots. There were itty-bitty baby carrots, ginormous carrots, tripod carrots, you name it. In grocery store land, all of those non-perfect carrots just get thrown away or left on the ground by the carrot-pickers, which is wasteful and honestly, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Even though some of these carrots were a little weird shaped, they were delicious on salads, roasted with pork loin, and in today’s carrot soup recipe! I blended the last 2.5 pounds of carrots together to create a deliciously creamy and smoky carrot soup with little bacon bits folded in, and then more little bacon bits sprinkled on top. Who doesn’t love bacon?

This soup is gluten-free and paleo, and if you use sugar-free bacon it’s Slowcooker Carrot-Ginger Soup!

 
Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Ingredients:
4 strips of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2.5 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or other herbs)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
32 ounces chicken broth
1 cup full fat coconut milk

 


 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Prepare your vegetables: Peel and cut your carrots into chunks that are about an inch thick, thinly slice a large yellow onion, and mince your garlic. I know I always share it, but we’re completely obsessed with the Kuhn Rikon garlic press we received as a wedding present.

 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Chop four strips of bacon into small pieces (I cut the strips in half length-wise before chopping). Heat a stock pot over medium heat and then cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon bits and set aside, leaving the bacon grease in the pot.

 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Add the carrots, onions, garlic, and spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, and Italian seasoning) to the stock pot. Cook over medium heat until the onions begin to caramelize (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently.

Add 32 ounces (1 carton) of chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. I used low-sodium Swanson broth, but homemade broth or any other brand would be fine. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmering until the carrots are fork-tender (about 25-30 minutes).

 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

Gently pour the carrot/broth mixture into a high-powered blender (I always use my Ninja Ultima). Add 1 cup of full-fat coconut milk and blend until smooth.

I prefer my soups thick, so if you find that it’s too thick just blend in some more broth or coconut milk.

 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 

You’re done! I served my carrot soup with a drizzle of coconut milk and some more bacon bits, but you could also add a little hot sauce or a sprinkle of extra cayenne pepper.

 

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Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo

 
This post was shared at: Friday Finds, The Pretty Pintastic Party, The Handmade Hangout, The Wednesday Roundup, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Welcome Home Wednesdays, The Weekend Potluck, Crafting Along, Snickerdoodle Sunday, and Sundays at Home.

 
This post was featured at Sundays at Home

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Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon
Recipe Type: Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Alex from You Should Craft
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 cups
Stay in and snuggle up with a blanket and a warm bowl of this delectably creamy, smoky carrot soup with bacon bits. It’s perfect for snow days and is gluten-free, paleo, and whole 30 compliant.
Ingredients
  • 4 strips of bacon, chopped
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2.5 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or other herbs)
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 32 ounces chicken broth
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
Instructions
  1. Heat a stock pot on medium heat.
  2. Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving fat in the pot.
  3. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
  4. Cook on medium for ~5 minutes, or until the onions begin to caramelize. Stir frequently.
  5. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
  6. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the carrots are fork-tender.
  7. Gently pour carrot/broth mixture into a high-powered blender and add 1 cup coconut milk. Blend until smooth.
  8. Serve with a drizzle of coconut milk and a sprinkle of bacon bits.
  9. Enjoy!
Serving size: 2 cups Calories: 345 Fat: 5 Saturated fat: 3 Trans fat: 0 Carbohydrates: 65 Sugar: 47 Fiber: 9 Protein: 4 Cholesterol: 2

 

Creamy Carrot Soup with Bacon | YouShouldCraft.com #paleo