Carrot & Celery Vegetable Soup

What you’ll need

Let’s do this

1. 1

   Soften the vegetables

   Heat the oil in a 4- to 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 9–10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables begin to soften. Reduce the heat if the onion starts to burn.

2. 2

   Add the aromatics

   Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the measured broth and scrape up any golden bits from the bottom of the pot.

3. 3

   Build the soup

   Add the remaining broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Raise the heat to bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce it to maintain a steady simmer.

4. 4

   Simmer until tender

   Partly cover and simmer for 18–20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until a fork slides easily into a carrot slice. If the vegetables are still firm, continue in 3-minute intervals.

5. 5

   Finish the bowls

   Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Taste a cooled spoonful and add more salt only if needed. Ladle into four bowls and serve hot.