Recipe: Tangy Beet Soup

This vibrant and flavorful soup is perfect for your own meal or to serve to guests. Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, have an earthy, nutty, slightly sweet taste. This soup looks elegant and pairs well with Roasted Pork, but it’s surprisingly easy to make.   

Prep time: approximately 15 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves: 6
Serving size: 2 cups if served as a meal; 1 cup if served as a side dish

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 4 medium beets, scrubbed 
• 1 cup Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed (Substitute ginger; see recipe note below.)
• 1 medium cucumber
• 32 ounces reduced sodium vegetable stock 
• 32 ounces water

For topping (optional)

• Reduced fat sour cream
• Toasted pumpkin seeds
• Mint leaves

Instructions

Peel and quarter the onion and garlic clove. Trim and cube the beets, peel and cube the Jerusalem artichokes, and seed and quarter the cucumber. 

Add olive oil to a large pot over medium low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add salt, pepper, mint, and cayenne. Stir well. Add beets, Jerusalem artichokes, cucumber, vegetable stock, and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 30–40 minutes, checking the beets with a fork for tenderness after about 25 minutes. When tender, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. Be careful, liquid is hot. Or use a slotted spoon to remove all the solids and add to a high-speed blender with some of the liquid. Blend until smooth. Add the blender contents back to the remaining liquid. Stir. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. 

Ladle into bowls. Add a swirl of sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds, if desired. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve.

MOBE kitchen tips: 

• Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes or sunroots, are in season from late fall to early spring. 
• These root vegetables are rich in potassium and fiber. They have flavor like artichokes and texture like potatoes or water chestnuts. 
• To prepare, scrub the artichokes well (they have lots of nooks and crannies) and remove the edible peel before using in this recipe. 

Recipe notes:

• Beets are packed with anti-inflammatory antioxidants and their fiber is good for your digestive health. They’re also rich in nitrates, which can help improve cardiovascular health by opening blood vessels and helping to reduce blood pressure.  
• You can substitute a 1-inch piece of peeled ginger for the sunchokes. Add more ginger if you prefer spicier soup. 
• Frozen or canned no-sodium-added beets can be used in place of fresh beets. 
• The antioxidants in beets give them their bright color. After consuming beets, your urine and stool may have a reddish/pink hue. This is perfectly normal. 

Nutrition facts per serving

Calories: 90 / Total Fat: 4.5g (6% DV) / Saturated Fat: 0.5g (3% DV) / Trans Fat: 0g / Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV) / Sodium: 520mg (23% DV) / Total Carbohydrate: 11g (4% DV) / Dietary Fiber: 2g (7% DV) / Total Sugars: 6g / Added Sugar: 0g (0% DV) / Protein: 2g / Vitamin D: 0mcg (0% DV) / Calcium: 50mg (4% DV) / Iron: 2mg (10% DV) / Potassium:  423mg (10% DV)

Allergen statement: Contains milk if optional sour cream is added. 

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