Roasted beetroot soup

They say that brightly coloured food is a sign that something is beneficial to your health. I’m referring to fruit and veg, not the brightly almost neon coloured, fake, additive laded, sugar soaked soft drinks that lure kids. By the way, am I the only person who get’s annoyed by raspberry ‘flavour’ being blue?

Back to the good stuff. Nature provides us with an abundance of beautifully coloured fruit and vegetables ranging from emerald green, to yellow and deep reds. Not only does this rainbow of food taste good, it also acts as medicine for our body and mind.

Beetroot is one of the big hitters in this department. Beyond the stunning purple colour and sweet, earthy flavour, beetroot is a powerful anti-oxidant. Beetroot is also rich in folate (which is very good for the kids and mums to be). They are rich in potassium (so good for the heart) and the high iron content helps the formation of blood cells (handy if you suffer from anaemia). Like I said, it acts as medicine.

Turn it into soup and serve with crusty bread and you’ve got a comforting colourful nurse. Just make sure you’re not wearing anything white when you enjoy a bowl.

Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1½hours
Equipment: Stock pot or large heavy based saucepan, chopping board and a sharp knife.

Ingredients
• 4 medium beetroot, ends trimmed
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 1 ½ litres of chicken stock, preferably homemade.
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• olive oil
• Salt & pepper and sour cream to serve

Directions
1. Preheat the over to 180degrees. Trim, wash and dry the beetroot. Wrap individually in foil, place them on a tray and bake for 1 hour. When finished, allow to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Place the stockpot over a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil and fry the chopped carrot, onion and celery.
3. When soft, add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic.
4. Peel and chop the cooked beetroot, watch out as they will still be hot.
5. Add the chopped beetroot to the pan along with the chicken stock, potato, bay leaf and thyme.
6. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. If you want a smooth soup, put it through a blender, (I just used my stick blender).
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve with a dollop of crème fresh or sour cream and a few shoots of fresh thyme.

Other things that go well in this soup include ¼ cup fresh orange juice, baby fennel and leeks.

More beetroot recipes

• Beetroot chips
• Beetroot and tomato power salad
• Chocolate, beetroot, chilli brownies

Tags: Beetroot

About the Author

Gareth Englishman in Sydney loves a whisky, pies and all things savoury. Digital Marketer by day, cook the rest of the time. Amateur writer, photographer & aspiring anthropologists.