I recently re-created one of my all time favourite soups to share the recipe with you all.  This Crème of Roasted Beets Soup is the kind of meal that you definitely want to consume at this time of the year. It’s easy, warming, comforting and delicious. If you’ve never tried beets before, then this recipe is perfect to introduce you to the wonderful and naturally sweet taste of beets. Whether you add them raw into your salads or roast them for your soups and sides, this vegetable is well worth a try. And this Crème of Roasted Beets will convince you of just that!

To be honest with you, though beets are one of the most grown crops in Belgium (where I am from), I never cared for them too much while growing up. It’s only after moving to Canada and learning more about their health benefits while studying Holistic Nutrition that I decided to start experimenting with beets in the kitchen.

Talking about health benefits, here are some of the reasons why you should definitely add these ruby-coloured gems to your diet:

-They contain phytonutrients pigments, which act as powerful antioxidants for your body once ingested. According to some experts, beets even have a higher antioxidant ability than spinach, celeri or even carrot and broccoli!

-They are rich in folate, a B vitamin, essential for the health of your heart, nervous system, mental capacities and the formation of hemoglobin.

-They are also rich in potassium and magnesium, both essential for your energy metabolism and to help you relax.

-Finally, they are a rich source of dietary fibers, necessary for the health of your digestive tract and to promote healthy digestion.

Cool, right?! (Well, maybe only for me :p).

Now that you know why these are so good for your health, let’s get straight into this recipe, shall we?

Here is what you will need for this:

Crème of Roasted Beets Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 large beets, chopped + to be roasted
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed & finely minced
• 2 Tbsp of virgin coconut oil + 2 Tbsp of virgin coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil (to roast your beets)
• 2 Tbsp of curry powder
• 1 Tbsp of cumin
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp of cinnamon
• 2 carrots, chopped
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• 1 can of full fat coconut milk
• 5 cups of water (or vegetable broth)
• 3/4 cup of red lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp of thyme
• Optional: 1 tsp of rosemary

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, then proceed with prepping your beets. Rinse, peel and chop them into medium sized cubes. Place them in a baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper OR oiled with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil or coconut oil. Add some sea salt, thyme and rosemary to your beets.
2. Roast your beets for 40-50 minutes in the oven until tender and set aside.
3. In a large pot, sautée the onions and garlic until fragrant in coconut oil. Add your spices (except the bay leaf) and carrots and mix everything and let them cook a little bit for 5 minutes with the lid on.
4. Add the water, roasted beets, lentils and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium and let everything simmer for 20 to 30  minutes with the lid on.
5. Once your lentils are cooked through, taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then, remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender (or place the soup mixture in a regular blender) to purée everything up.
6. Return the puréed soup to your pot and turn off the heat. Add 3/4 of your full fat coconut milk and mix everything up.Reserve a 1/4 cup of the coconut milk to add separately in your bowl of soup to create a swirl or add more “cream” to your soup if desired.

And there you have it, the perfect comforting soup at this time of the year.

Bon appétit!

– Sarah.