Carrot soup

This simple carrot soup recipe is the first choice way to dissipate a bag of carrots that have been forgotten on your produce drawer. The carrots cook collectively with aromatics like onions, garlic, and clean herbs earlier than being puréed into a silky easy soup this is delicious for dinner or packed up for lunch. Source: EatingWell Magazine, Soup Cookbook

Ingredients
Ingredient Checklist
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley
5 cups chopped carrots
2 cups of water
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, "no-chicken" broth (see Note) or vegetable broth
½ cup half-and-half (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
 Step 1
Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.

 Step 2
Stir in carrots. Add water and broth; bring to a lively simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 25 minutes.

 Step 3
Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Stir in half-and-half (if using), salt and pepper.