Carrot and Potato Soup with Rosemary Garlic Croutons

This soup will forever be one of the most comforting things in the world to me. Growing up, it was a tradition that every Halloween, we had this soup for dinner before going out to trick or treat. We not only ate it on Halloween, but countless times every fall and winter. And if we were lucky, my mom would make homemade bread to go with it. I can still taste it to this day.

My mom’s version doesn’t have the croutons, but I decided to add them because who doesn’t love garlicky herby crunchy bread? Especially when mixed into creamy soup. So delicious!

The base of this soup is the simplest thing ever. It starts off with carrots, celery, and onion, sautéed in a little butter. Then you add red potatoes and chicken broth, and simmer for twenty minutes or until everything is tender. Then you purée it and voila! It’s really that simple.

It’s so true that sometimes the simplest of foods are the most delicious. This is totally one of those foods. For creaminess, I add milk at the end, but you could totally go the heavy cream route if you wanted the soup to be extra creamy. I definitely did add a drizzle of heavy cream over the top for serving though!

Even if it was warm on Halloween, we’d still have this soup. Here in Maryland, you never know what you’re going to get. It can be 80 degrees on Halloween, or 30. But this soup is light enough that you can totally get away with having it on a not-so-chilly day!

It’s one of those back pocket recipes that is SO easy and you’ll want to make all the time!

Croutons not optional!

P.S. Do you guys have any Halloween traditions?

5 from 1 vote

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Carrot and Potato Soup with Rosemary Garlic Croutons

This carrot and potato soup is super simple to make and so flavorful. It's only 7 ingredients, and the rosemary garlic croutons are the perfect addition!

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the soup

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 medium-large red potatoes, cut into 1'' chunks (I like to leave the peel on!)
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup whole milk or cream

For the croutons

• 4 cups cubed rosemary bread (or your favorite crusty bread)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉ for the croutons.

2. Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened. Add the potatoes and and stir until coated. Add the chicken broth and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil and once boiling, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and begin to fall apart when poked with a fork. Remove from heat.

3. While soup is cooking, make the croutons. Place cubed bread on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add the garlic powder, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss until coated and bake for 15 minutes or until croutons are golden and crunchy. Watch carefully because they will burn quickly!

4. Purée the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Be very careful when blending hot liquids and leave space in the blender for the soup and steam to expand. Pour soup back into the pot and stir in the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with croutons and a drizzle of cream if desired!