Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups red onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ancho chili powder
8 cups carrots, coarsely chopped
7 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh-squeezed and strained
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh whole cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon liquid from a can of chipotle chiles en adobo, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- When hot, add the onions, the cumin and chili powder and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes.
- Add the carrots and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for another 5 minutes.
- Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the carrots are very tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender to carefully purée until no chunks remain, about 3 minutes (be vigilant to make sure all of the chunks are gone).
- If you don’t have an immersion or stick blender, purée in batches in a blender, not filling the blender jar more than halfway and holding down the lid with a kitchen towel.
- Add the sour cream, lime juice, honey, the whole cilantro leaves, chipotle liquid, and salt; purée with the immersion blender to mix well. (You will have about 13 cups of soup).
