Carrot Vichyssoise (Chilled Vegetable Soup)

Carrot Vichyssoise is a colorful and refreshingly smooth chilled soup that’s perfect to serve for lunch or dinner.

this Recipe

This Carrot Vichyssoise recipe is another fabulous find from the Gordon Ranch recipe box. It’s my kind of recipe – easy to prepare with pantry ingredients. In fact, virtually all the recipes I’ve made from the Ranch recipe box fall into that category – and many of them are posted elsewhere on this site! The Gordon Ranch is owned by good friends, and my family spent a week or two on the ranch every summer, beginning when I was around 2 years old. I have fond memories of many fun activities on the ranch, including enjoying delicious meals. Dinner often started with some sort of soup as the first course.

I have loved vichyssoise since I was a little girl, enjoying it both at the ranch as well as our country club. It’s basically a leek, potato and cream-based puréed soup that is velvety smooth. To make traditional vichyssoise, root vegetables (potatoes, leeks, onions) are all cooked together in a flavorful chicken stock. One of the cooks at the ranch came up with the idea to add in carrots. Brilliant! Carrots not only add color, they layer in more earthy flavor with a touch of sweetness. After cooking, the vegetables and broth are puréed and traditionally combined with cream and butter. The ranch recipe cuts the heaviness of the cream by using half and half and milk instead of whipping cream. Yum!

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Carrot Vichyssoise (Chilled Vegetable Soup)

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Carrot Vichyssoise is a colorful and refreshingly smooth chilled soup that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. Root vegetables (carrots, potatoes leeks, onions) are all cooked together in a flavorful chicken stock. Carrots add color and a touch of sweetness to the traditional vichyssoise flavors. After cooking, the vegetables are puréed and combined with half and half and milk, reducing the heaviness.

• Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

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(See gluten-free adaptations in the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe.)

• 3 cups water
• 4 teaspoons chicken base (I like organic “Better than Bouillon” brand) – can also use bouillon cubes
• 2 cups peeled carrots (around 8 medium/large), sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 cups peeled russet potatoes (around 1 1/2 large), sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 large leeks, sliced 1/8-inch thick (white part only)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup whole (or 2%) milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
• Chopped carrot fronds or fresh parsley, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil.
2. Stir in chicken bouillon. Stir in carrots, potatoes, leeks and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender, around 35 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, uncover and set aside to cool.
4. Purée with an immersion blender until smooth (or purée in a standing blender, half at a time, then return to saucepan).
5. Stir in melted butter, half and half, milk and Tabasco. Add salt and/or Tabasco as needed (I usually don’t add anything.) Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably longer.
6. If needed, whisk soup just before serving. Serve cold; garnish servings with chopped carrot fronds or fresh parsley.

Notes

Gluten free: use a gluten-free chicken base (“Better Than Bouillon” is not gluten free).

Make ahead: Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated.

• Author: Lee Clayton Roper
• Category: chilled soups