Roasted Beet Soup (Printable Version)

Earthy roasted beets blended into a velvety, creamy soup with vegetables and fresh herbs. Comforting and vibrant.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

05 - 4 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Dairy

07 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Seasonings

08 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
11 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

# Step-by-Step Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in foil and arrange on a baking sheet. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and chop into chunks.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrots, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add roasted beet chunks, fresh thyme, salt, and black pepper to the pot. Stir thoroughly to incorporate all ingredients.
04 - Pour vegetable broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and maintain a gentle simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors.
05 - Remove pot from heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until completely smooth, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved.
06 - Stir heavy cream and fresh lemon juice into the purée. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Ladle soup into serving bowls and serve hot. Garnish with a swirl of cream and fresh thyme if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasting brings out this concentrated sweetness in the beets that somehow feels like a secret ingredient you didn't know you needed.
  • It comes together in just over an hour and requires barely any active cooking time, leaving you free to do other things while the oven works its magic.
  • One batch easily feeds four people, or stretches further if you're serving it as a starter before something else.
02 -
  • Don't skip the roasting step by trying to boil the beets instead—roasting concentrates their flavor and creates this subtle caramelization that boiling simply cannot replicate.
  • The lemon juice isn't optional or something you add if you remember it; it's what transforms the soup from tasting heavy and one-dimensional into something bright and complex.
03 -
  • If your soup tastes even slightly flat despite your seasoning, add a tiny pinch more lemon juice rather than more salt—acid brightens flavors in ways salt cannot.
  • Make the soup slightly saltier and less creamy than you think it should be, since the cream you stir in at the end will mellow everything and stretch the flavors.
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