Pureed Beet Soup (vegan recipe) 🌿

Some time ago I shared a recipe of borscht (Ukrainian beet soup) which we also regularly cook in my home country - Lithuania. It is a very popular and tasty dish and it is quite uncommon to serve it like I did in this recipe that I'm about to share 😁

Some cafes already serve this option here - they make pureed beetroot soup which is very similar to borscht since the ingredients are quite the same but it is also different at the same time.

I first tried this beetroot soup when I was in Lisbon and went to a vegan restaurant. The soup was amazing so I promised myself to replicate the dish back home. It took me some time but I did it! I'm sure there is still plenty of space for improvement, but the soup was still delicious and it was a nice way to make something new from beetroot. 🌿

I love beetroot just because of their color and how beautiful they look in any meal 😍 and it is nice to find ways how to include them in more of my meals.

You will need:
for ~3 portions

• 4 fresh medium-sized beetroots (weighed 575g when peeled)
• 2 potatoes (weighed 275 g when peeled)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium-sized onion
• 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt (I used Himalayan salt, others may be saltier, so you can add less and taste later)
• 1.5 teaspoons of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• A pinch of pepper
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• Fresh parsley (optional)
  

Preparation

1. Peel the beets and potatoes.
   
   Wash them.
   
   Cut them into small cubes.
   
2. Peel and chop the onion and garlic cloves.
   
3. Add about 1-1.5 tablespoons of olive oil and about 3-4 tablespoons of water to the cooking pot, add chopped onions and garlic and fry a little until they soften and turn yellow. If the pot bottom burns, add a little more water.
   
4. Put the chopped beets and potatoes in the same cooking pot. Pour cold water - just enough to cover all the vegetables. About 600ml was added in this recipe.
   
   Add the salt and mix together (I added 1 teaspoon of pink salt, you may want to add less).
   
5. Cook the vegetables on low heat for about 25-30 minutes or until the beets are soft.
6. When the vegetables are cooked, mix in the spices (cumin, ginger, pepper, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar) and leave to cool for a few minutes.
   
7. Blend all the vegetables with a hand blender (or another blending device) until smooth. You can add more water if the soup is too thick for you!
   
   The soup can be sprinkled with parsley, seeds or served with vegan cream/sour cream.

Enjoy!