Carrot Soup With a Secret

I make this soup for my kids. They love the colour, but I also tell them it is "cheese soup" and they eat their veggies without even knowing it! That is my little secret! It is basically just carrots, some orange squash, and cheese. I also make it in a fairly large batch and freeze some for later. For the squash, use any orange fleshed kind. For this one, I used butternut.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 8  medium carrots or 8  large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1  orange squash, peeled, cut in cubes
• 1  tablespoon onion powder
• 1  tablespoon garlic granules
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 1  cup  'old' cheddar cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 cup colby cheese, grated
• 1 -2  cup skim milk

Directions

1. Put the carrots and the squash in a large pot. Cover with water. Add the onion and garlic. (you can use fresh onion, about one small onion, miced, and about 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic, but the powdered form is easier to "hide")
2. Boil for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
3. Drain off about 3/4 of the water. (keep some aside in case it's needed to help thin out the soup).
4. Use a hand mixer to blend the carrots and squash into a thick liquid.
5. Add the grated cheese and paprika and let sit for about 5 minutes to let it melt. Blend with the hand mixer again while adding the skim milk until it is the desired consistency. I prefer a thicker soup, but add as much milk as you need. You may need to reheat the soup a bit after adding the milk, but if I'm giving it to the kids, this is still warm enough!
6. Enjoy!, (But don't tell them it's good for them!).