Prep Time: 30 minutes or less | Cook Time: 30 minutes or less | Serves: 4
Lunch » Soup » American

 Ingredients:

I live on this stuff. It tastes super creamy and delicious, but the only fat in it comes from lean chicken or vegetable broth. The creamy part comes from ground up rice. It's cheap, easy to make, and good for you. The skill level and budget required for this soup is very low. The only thing a poor student or whomever might not have that is required is a food processor.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped*
1 pound (about 8 by my estimations) carrots, thinly sliced*
1/3 cup Arborio or similarly short grained white rice (I use carnaroli and I usually add a bit more rice to the recipe to make the soup a bit creamier)
4 cups defatted chicken broth, preferably homemade (yeah right!)
Salt and fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives (optional)

(*you don't need to chop these super thin/fine, the whole mess is going in a food processor at the end, so don't agonize if your peices are a little thick or clumsy.)

Hardware:
4qt saucepan
blender or food processor

Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften (2-3 mins). Stir in the carrots and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and broth and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then partially cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer until rice is soft and carrots are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 25-30 minutes.
Just after adding broth: