Roasted Red Beet Soup

A bowl of roasted beet soup with a dill sprig.

Roasted beets, a sweet apple, red onion and fennel bulb add a complexity of flavor to this velvety smooth roasted red beet soup. A dish of roasted red beet soup is the perfect start to any meal or a stand-alone meal along with a salad.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 50

Servings: Servings

Calories: 183kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh red beets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
1 medium red apple cored and chopped
1 large fennel bulb trimmed and chopped
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ cup heavy cream for garnish
Fennel fronds for garnish
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Roast the Beets:

Preheat the oven to 400°F
Rinse the beets under cold tap water, scrubbing off any soil. Trim the top stem to 1-2 inches above the beet. Leaving part of the stem will keep you from cutting into the beet causing it to bleed out those juices. Leave the long tail.
Place the beets in an oven-proof casserole dish and brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
Cover the dish with it’s lid or foil and transfer to the oven and roast for 45-60 minutes (depending on the size of the beets) until tender when pierced with a wooden skewer at the beet top. Begin checking at 45 minutes
Transfer the dish from the oven, remove the cover and allow the beets to cool until comfortable to handle.
Place a folded paper towel in one hand with a cooled beet. With another paper towel, pinch off the root end of the beet and push the skin up, all around the beet toward the top stem, then give the top a twist to remove the peel and stem together.
Cut the beets into pieces and reserve.

For the Soup:

In a 6 qt. saucepan set over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the chopped onion, apple and fennel bulb. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until soft and tender.
Stir in the roasted beets, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and blend with an immersion blender or a standard blender until smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a spoonful of cream and fennel fronds. Serve with lemon wedges for guests to squeeze on top.

Notes

Purchase the fresh beets with the tops and not the trimmed beets in the bin. There is a huge difference in their taste.
For convenience, the beets can be roasted, skinned and refrigerated up to 3-5 days in advance.
I like to roast more beets than the recipe needs and keep the extra beets refrigerated for salads.
After trimming, roasting and skinning the beets you should have 1-1/2 pounds for the soup.
Roasting beets brings out their sweet flavor the beets, however, if roasted too long the sugar in the beets can burn and they will become bitter. Roast just until tender and still a little firm.
Choose a very sweet apple such as a Cosmic Crisp or Honey Crisp

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