A silky carrot and fennel soup with a hint of fresh squeezed orange juice that’s topped with shaved Parmesan and fresh herbs. It’s warming, delicious and just the thing for snowy winter days.
This post was originally posted in March of 2013. I’ve updated the photos and the recipe itself just a tad.
I’ve been waiting for the moment when I could post a good soup recipe. Though I absolutely love the holidays and all the foods and flavors that accompany them, tradition can feel constraining, too. So for now, I’m glad to find myself in the wide open space of deep winter.
A Simple Stovetop Carrot and Fennel Soup
This carrot and fennel soup is really an all-season kind of deal. But seeing as I found a trove of frost-sweetened carrots in my garden last week, it felt like a good time to make a big batch of carrot and fennel soup. Besides garden carrots and some hardy thyme, most of the ingredients are from the store: a few storage carrots (the deep orange kind without their greens), a fennel bulb, an onion, garlic, and a couple navel oranges.
For Best Texture, Use a Countertop Blender
The soup comes together pretty easily on the stovetop. Cook the onions and fennel down first, then add the garlic, carrots, Parmesan, and spices. Simmer it all in whatever kind of broth you prefer (I used vegetable broth here). Next, blend until everything’s smooth and velvety. I recently got a new immersion blender and have been loving it, but this soup should be really well blended and silky. It’s best made with a countertop blender to get the ideal velvety texture.
Finish the soup with fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, a hint of apple cider vinegar, spicy Hungarian paprika, shaved Parmesan, and fresh herbs like thyme and minced fennel fronds. Serve the soup as an appetizer or with pan toasted croutons or grilled cheese for a more sating meal.
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 small bulb fennel, woody green stems removed, cored, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
- 2 pounds carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced into ¼ inch thick half moons (about 4 cups sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon spicy Hungarian paprika, plus more for garnish
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup thinly shaved Parmesan, use a vegetable peeler to create paper thin slices, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon minced thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon minced fennel fronds, plus more for garnish
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Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind cumin and coriander seeds and set aside.
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In a large 5-quart Dutch oven or stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and fennel and sauté 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and all of the spices, and sauté 10 minutes more.
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Add the broth. Bring mixture to a gentle boil, then turn heat to medium-low heat for a gently bubbling simmer. Cook 20 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange zest and juice, apple cider vinegar, and Parmesan. Working carefully, use a blender or immersion blender to blend soup to a silky smooth texture.
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Pour soup back into the cooking pot and reheat over medium-low heat. Add the herbs and sea salt to taste.
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Ladle into bowls and serve with a few Parmesan shavings, fresh herbs, paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil.
I like the way the Parmesan rounds out the flavor of this soup, but it can easily be made vegan by omitting the cheese.
So pretty!!! And thanks for the giveaway opportunity 🙂
Thanks Winnie!
What an interesting sounding combination. And it looks beautiful!
Jess
Thanks Jess, I’m so glad you like the photo!
I like on fb as k. morris. Thanks for the yummy looking receipt & opportunity to win! My husband and I have been in major soup mode this winter, and with no signs of spring yet we may be in that mode for a while longer!
Hi Kristen, Like you, we are really looking forward to the end of soup weather. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
Sounds so good!
Thanks Liz!
This soup sounds really wonderful!
Hi Jen, I’m so glad you like it! Thanks for commenting.
Sounds yummy-always looking for new simple healthy recipes
I am SO with you on the time gap between wonderful winter vegetables and fresh from the garden ingredients, especially here in the upper Midwest. This soup sounds awesome, and will be appearing on our online lunch menus! Thank you.
This soup is AMAZING!
Very tasty! Added roasted jalapeños, daikon and turmeric. MI Familia loved it.
10.29.23 The receipe ingrediants and preparation sound excellent to use up my garden produce: fennel bulbs, fennel ferns, garlic, carrotts, onions and garlic. I suspect that this soup will be a staple in my receipe card index. Sounds yummy! I will substitute za’atar for the thyme, ( an Araic spice). Thank you.
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This soup was amazing! I used red onions because that is what I had on had and added ginger and a can of coconut milk!
Amazing!!!!