“Grilled shrimp on the barbie” – the simple method, with pineapple. For a tasty, wholesome supper, serve with your preferred rice and steamed green beans.
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 6 to 7 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds raw beets, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion, cut into large dice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
- 1 teaspoon toasted caraway seeds*
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or from a carton or can
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half (or whole milk)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Garnish: chopped hard-cooked egg
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
- Add beets, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until squash start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
- Add caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
- Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until beets are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree (adding fresh dill) until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid’s pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To ‘clean’ the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
- Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.
- *To toast caraway seeds, heat 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat until they start to gently pop and smell fragrant. Cool slightly, then crush with a rolling pin.
- Copyright 2004 USA WEEKEND and columnist Pam Anderson. All rights reserved.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 152 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 26 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 101 mg |
| Sugars | 7 g |
| Fat | 10 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I used 2 cans of beets which reduces cooking and 1 chicken bouillon cube for more flavor. Watch the cayenne though! I will make again.
Made it almost as written, already had cooked beets in my fridge so that was the only deviation-It was amazing! I came across this recipe because I had googled “beets, dill, hot soup,” to try and find a recipe to use up the beets and wilting dill in my fridge. A happy providence that will certainly bless my family for many meals to come! I love many soups, but this is without a doubt my new favorite! I adore pickles and this flavor combo was ?? My kids loved it too, but they are weird like me and love stuff like this. My 5 yo recommended it to my husband w the following praise, “This soup smells weird, but tastes so good.” The baby gobbled it up, trying in vain to remember the moment by staining everything around her. My husband agreed and said it would taste good w a Reuben sandwich. I actually thought it was surprisingly substantial on its own, considering its beets and onions and herbs. Highly recommend.
This soup was delicious. I forgot to add the dill to the blender, but it tasted just fine adding chopped dill after blending. I also added a few chopped radishes while cooking the beets, and used almond milk instead of half and half, and it tasted great. After blending, I added celery, mushrooms, red cabbage, and some roasted potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. Garnished with egg, radish, and parmesan. Perfect!
Wow, I forgot to add the dill! Yet the soup was delicious, and I will make it again. Hopefully it will be even better with the dill included. I used 1/2 cup 2% milk instead of 1.5 cups half and half, and the soup was the perfect thickness. The recipe says 8 servings, but without the extra cup of liquid it only serves 4 if you are serving in a bowl as a main course rather than in a small cup. I don’t know what kind of beets turn caramel colored when they are cooked…. mine turned the usual beet red color. Nevertheless, a great recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
I liked this soup very much, however I added a couple extra ingredients at the end. 2tbs of Apple Cider vinegar and a slice of jalapeño into the blender. Added a little extra zest, I enjoy!
We made this recipe exactly the way it was written. It is delicious. The recipe didn’t specify whether to peel the beets or not….we peeled them. I’m not sure what the recipe poster meant by “squash”…”golden brown”…or “rich spotty caramel color”…I just cooked everything according to the time frames given, and the soup came out just fine..
I am a beet freak, so I LOVED this soup! My kids not so much. Wasn’t sure what a pound and a half of beets were I used about 5, which included the largest beet I ever saw. Love the cayenne pepper, just the right amount of punch. Will make again and again.
Wonderful depth of flavor. Fresh beets and dill from mom’s garden. I have to point out, because I can’t help myself, that a beet is a root vegetable and not a squash. Not that it changes how good this recipe is. I had to switch to the regular blender, because I was making a mess with the immersion blender. Also, I actually garnished with crumbled feta cheese instead of the hard boiled egg.
The directions are questionable when it says to wait until the squash turns golden brown, and again when it says all vegetables take on a caramel color. My beets are red and after putting onions and garlic with them, everything is still red. After sauteing them and cooking a little longer they are still red.
i used coconut oil instead of olive and coconut milk instead of half-and-half. it was amazing.
Wonderful. I agree that beef broth is more authentic. Skipped the cream, just added sour cream to the bowls (a must!). Also add two potatoes for a little bulk. Love love love, reminds me of my summer in Russia.
I had to use up a few beets a friend had given me from her garden. I cut the recipe by a third, but still had too much soup to hold the egg. The egg sank and soaked in a lovely color. I also used only a dash of cayenne. I didn’t want it too spicy. It was awesome.
Excellent recipe! I made some changes, because we’re trying to eat plant based diet. I also wanted to stretch it a little, since others said it didn’t make much. I added a grated carrot for sweetness, a diced potato to make it creamy, a shallot to add a little more garlic/onion flavor since I also added 1 cup extra liquid. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and tofutti sour cream (1/2 container) instead of dairy (1/2 and 1/2). I also cut the beats in 1/4 inch slices and may have cooked just a bit longer. I gave this 5 stars, because I’m sure it would be fantastic the way it is written. The caraway seeds and dill make this dish unique and fabulous!
It was just ok, and I love beets! I found myself saying “bluh” after the first few spoonfuls, so I gave up.
I think this is one of my favorite recipes of all time. The caraway seeds are the key I think. I left out the sugar since beets are so sweet already and used 2% milk, and it was perfect. My parents also raved about it….more than once after I gave them some.
Love the dill/beet/caraway flavours! Don’t skip toasting the caraway seeds – makes a bit difference to the flavour. Used chevre instead of a boiled egg for garnish. Wonderful soup!
I am on the site to make this recipe for the second time. In the words of my husband “This is now my favorite soup you make!”. I hadn’t had beets before deciding a month ago to try them. They were so cheap and beautiful in the grocery store. This recipe looked easy and delicious, and I have to say I am a fan of dill. The flavors are wonderful, the soup is hearty without being too heavy, and you just feel healthier after you eat it.
this was my first time cooking with caraway, which is why i wanted to try the recipe in the first place.. i nearly tripled the pepper.. used dried instead of fresh for both the dill and garlic.. added a touch of vinegar bc the yogurt i used in place of half&half wasn’t pungent enough.. used canned beets (w/o vinegar) bc i didn’t have any fresh.. i like the recipe but am trying to figure out what it’s missing.. it’s like nothing i’ve ever tried before.. ty for introducing me to something new
This was a wonderful way to use some fresh organic beets. The caraway gives it a smoky balance to the sweetness. I replaced the half-and-half with greek yogurt (mostly because that’s what I had on hand) and it was very filling.
I loved this soup. I substituted the cream for 2% milk to make it a little less fatty and lower calorie. I had big plans to freeze some, but it was too delicious and didn’t last that long.
I like it! I didnt put sugar and added some carrots instead. Also, I only had a bit of half and half and a bit of whole milk, like a few spoons of each, so I only used that and I really liked the end result!