By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus time for cooking beets
- Rating
- 4(376)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Freshly cooked beets, though they take a while to prepare (see Tip), are so delicious that they’re worth the effort. Cook them the day before you need them and keep them in the fridge for up to a week, to use in salads or for a soup. For this borscht-inspired soup, a splash of vinegar tempers the beets’ natural sweetness, which is perfectly complemented by a splash of tart herby yogurt. The good news is this soup may be served warm or chilled; each way is refreshing.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1medium onion, diced
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1½pounds cooked, peeled red beets, chopped (See Tip)
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of ground cayenne
- ¼cup red-wine or apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
- 8cups water or broth
- 1cup whole-milk yogurt
- 3tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves
- 2tablespoons thinly sliced chives
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
104 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 884 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
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Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or deep, wide skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook slowly, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Step
2
Add beets and season generously with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of cayenne and pour in vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add water and raise heat to a brisk simmer. Taste broth and adjust. Cook for another 10 minutes, until beets are completely soft.
Step
3
Purée in a blender, in batches if necessary, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. (Consistency should be like heavy cream, no thicker – thin with water or broth as necessary). Return puréed soup to pot and reheat. In a small bowl, combine yogurt with tarragon and chives. Add a good pinch of salt and beat with a fork to loosen yogurt.
Step
4
Taste soup, and adjust for salt and vinegar. Ladle into individual bowls. Swirl a large (2 to 3 tablespoons) spoonful of herbed yogurt across the surface of the soup.
Tip
- To cook beets, cut off the greens and reserve for another use. Wash beets well, put them in a low baking dish and add 1 inch of water. Put on a tightly fitting lid or wrap tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees until they are fork tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. While beets are still warm, slide off the tough “skin” with the aid of a kitchen towel. Refrigerate cooked beets for up to 1 week.
Ratings
4
out of 5
376
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Cooking Notes
Tom
Simple and delicious as a cold soup. We substituted dill for the tarragon.terrific!
sy
I made this w gold beets and dry tarragon otherwise verbatim.I like it better cold. But also the herbed yougurt, with just a little of the beet soup like a beet sauce if you will, is also very tasty.I really like this recipe, very versatile and easy to amend for people.
Patrick
A nice spin on chłodnik, a delicious summertime chilled soup popular in Poland. Definitely use dill.
Wynne
Our yoghurt had morphed into a science experiment, so I used sour cream mixed with heavy cream, fresh chives and dill — then garnished this gloriously purple soup with pistachio nuts. YUM!
CBB
Such a delicious soup:rich, warming&flavorful! Pressure cooked beets for 20 minutes with quick release. Used beet water with better than bouillon for liquid and used immersion blender. With supplies on hand mixed greek yogurt with dill,charred scallion & Himalayan pink salt. Also for one serving added diced cooked potato and have also added a hard boiled egg. It's delicious on its own, warm, cold and with additions. Next time would like to try it with tarragon for a different flavor profile.
alphabetjohn
Delicious hot or cold! Tarragon doesn’t grow very happily here in the humid South, so I used “Texas Tarragon” (Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida.) I know that tarragon purists look down their noses at it, but it grows easily here. Actually, my two French tarragon plants don’t taste alike, either. But my best suggestion is to break up a couple of chive flowers into individual florets to garnish the yogurt. The silvery-lavender color on top of the yogurt is a feast for eyes and palate.
Monika
I love anything with beets and cook them quite frequently for various uses.A pressure cooker will cut the cooing time to less than a half.Afterwards I use rubber gloves and a porcelain surface to process them; because the beet juice stains quite a bit.Can’t wait to try this soup!
VD
Just made it and it came out great, I’m confused by the low rating. I roasted pink beets so it was very pale pink, but topped with additional tarragon for contrast. I used sour cream with Tarragon and chives, and it worked very well with the soup. But if you are Eastern European (my spouse), use dill or you’ll think something is off balance. Roasting the beets caramelizes the sugars in them and they taste sweeter. I roast them while cooking something else, 350 or 400F, they are very forgiving.
Morgan
Didn’t strain the soup after blending w immersion blender bc I didn’t feel like it. Not sure if this is controversial but I thought it turned out well anyway. Have been enjoying chilled with dill & yogurt. Feels v healthy.
patxcook
It is a perfect cold soup. I did use tarragon vinegar with the cider vinegar.
Tove
The tarragon yoghurt was a great addition!
LED
Made as directed but did not strain the soup. It is delicious.
janisani
was delicious, but I couldn't get past the fact that it looked just like blood, and had that kind of texture too. gory...
Tony Boskovich
Excellent flavor. You should strain if you want a more elegant soup; not straining was a small bit heartier but a little grainy, but the tarragon and chives diminished that.
Aaron
See a lot of people arguing for dill but it's personal taste; I found the tarragon was delicious.
Jared Garfinkel
I really enjoy this recipe. How did some folks avoid straining it? Mine was the texture of wet soil when it went through the food processor. It was very labor intensive to get the liquid out. I think I got about 8 cups of soup out of it. But, it left me with about 6 cups of sort of processed beets. Any thoughts about what to do with it? The processed beets taste like soup, but might not belong in the soup itself, as it would change the texture entirely.
CMPGH
Made this as a half batch. Did not have stock so I added a heaping spoon of miso to the broth (no added free salt) along with dried tarragon so it would hydrate. Like a sweet and sour beet soup I enjoyed it a lot hot. None left over to try cold.
mel693
Like Patricia, I found the vinegar overwhelming. Followed the instructions exactly and usually love anything with beets. This was disappointing.
Patricia R
Followed the recipe. Vinegar overpowered the beets. Tarragon also overpowered. Will not make again.
Elle Eff
I don’t cook with yoghurt, but wonder whether anyone can suggest an alternative? Perhaps one of the nut yoghurts? I’d be grateful for any suggestions. Thanks!
LW
I agree that not straining is a good idea. Texture was perfect.
Leigh
If you are even remotely thinking about making this soup, do it! I am not crazy about beets and this is just beautiful-I don’t know how it tastes so delicious from so few ingredients. Mind blowing.
CBB
Such a delicious soup:rich, warming&flavorful! Pressure cooked beets for 20 minutes with quick release. Used beet water with better than bouillon for liquid and used immersion blender. With supplies on hand mixed greek yogurt with dill,charred scallion & Himalayan pink salt. Also for one serving added diced cooked potato and have also added a hard boiled egg. It's delicious on its own, warm, cold and with additions. Next time would like to try it with tarragon for a different flavor profile.
alphabetjohn
Delicious hot or cold! Tarragon doesn’t grow very happily here in the humid South, so I used “Texas Tarragon” (Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida.) I know that tarragon purists look down their noses at it, but it grows easily here. Actually, my two French tarragon plants don’t taste alike, either. But my best suggestion is to break up a couple of chive flowers into individual florets to garnish the yogurt. The silvery-lavender color on top of the yogurt is a feast for eyes and palate.
BridgetG
This was excellent! Super easy and just delicious. I didnt make any changes to the recipe at all. I will make this again for sure.
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