Beet and carrot soup

This beet and carrot soup is the most photogenic member of the Portuguese soup rotation: ruby-red, silky smooth, and built on the national formula — olive oil, onion, garlic, a potato for body, and whatever the garden offered that week.

Beets bring the earthy sweetness and the spectacular color; carrots round it out; the optional teaspoon of red wine vinegar at the end is the small trick that makes all the flavors stand at attention.

Like every Portuguese sopa, it opens a meal or is one, with crusty bread and maybe a slice of cheese. And it converts beet skeptics with remarkable efficiency.

Beet and Carrot Soup Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 35 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~177 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 medium beets, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
• 4 cups water, or more as needed
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional, for brightness)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or dill, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and garlic 5 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the beets, carrots and potato, stir to coat, and cook 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the water, boil, then cover and simmer on low 25 to 30 minutes, until tender.
4. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (or in batches).
5. Season with salt, pepper and the vinegar if using; thin with water if needed.
6. Serve hot, garnished with parsley or dill, bread mandatory.

Recipe Notes

• The vinegar is the difference between good and “what is in this?” — do not skip it.
• A swirl of yogurt on top plays beautifully against the sweetness.
• It freezes perfectly and reheats without complaint.