If you’ve only experienced beetroot that’s been crinkle cut, soaked in vinegar and packed into glass jars, then this Earthy, Fresh, Plant-Based Beetroot Soup will introduce you to a wonderful vegetable that is slightly sweet, rich, and has a wonderfully smooth and velvety texture.
Beetroot is very adaptable – you can grate it onto leafy greens, roast it with herbs and spices, and steam it, then slice it, to have on a sandwich with hummus. Plus, they’re rich in antioxidants and fibre.
If you’re new to fresh beetroot, here are some buying, storing and cooking tips.
Buying fresh beetroot
When you buy fresh beetroot, make sure it’s smooth and firm and unblemished. Go for smaller beetroots as they’ll be more tender than the bigger ones that may be tough and woody at their core.
You can even use the leaves as long as they’re crisp and fresh; just cook them like spinach. If you’re just wanting to use the beetroot, don’t worry if the leaves are a bit limp, they deteriorate faster than the root.
Storing fresh beetroot
If you’re not going to use the beetroot immediately, cut off the leaves and put them into the fridge. They should keep for about a week or so.
Cooking fresh beetroot
Wash the beetroot, don’t peel, then cut the stalks to 2.5cm/1 inch. Watch that you don’t trim them too close to the root or their colour will bleed.
You can then wrap them (with their skins on) in foil with some herbs and spices and bake in the oven at a low temperature for two to three hours, you can boil them in fresh water for about an hour, or you can cut them into quarters with their skin on and steam for 15 minutes.
If you can easily insert a fork or the tip or knife into the beetroot, then it’s cooked.
To peel the beetroot, put them onto your chopping board where you can rub off their skins with a paper towel. Remember to wear rubber gloves or your hands will be stained a lovely pink colour!
If you don’t fancy any of the above cooking methods, you can use them as I have here, in this earthy, fresh, plant-based beetroot soup.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Plant-Based Beetroot Soup
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring jug
- Sharp paring knives
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 1 inch cold water
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 500 g potatoes peeled and chopped into the same sized pieces, about half an inch
- 750 g fresh beetroot peeled and chopped into the same sized pieces, about half an inch
- 1.1 litre vegan stock I use Marigold Vegan Bouillon
- 1 handful fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- Add the water to a medium pot and cook the onion for about 5 minutes until they're soft.
- Add the potatoes, beetroot and stock. Stir the ingredients together, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, covered, for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes and beetroot are tender.
- If the veg is still hard, cook for another 5-10 minutes. You'll find that the smaller if you've chopped your veg the quicker they'll cook, the larger you've chopped them, the slower they'll cook.
- Once the veg are tender, remove from the heat and blend until smooth with either a stick blender or traditional blender.
- Serve into warm soup bowls and sprinkle with the chopped dill.
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe.
Let me know. Thank you!
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