Spring

Chilled Roasted Beet and Carrot Soup with Parsley Lime Cream

May 13, 2014
4
1 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds (about 6 medium) beets
  • 1/2 pound (2 or 3 large) carrots
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 6 cups vegetable stock (homemade or low sodium) or water
  • 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 large sprigs parsley, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 limes
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the beets and carrots and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread them on a rimmed baking sheet, toss them with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle them generously with salt. Roast the vegetables until they're soft (the carrots should brown a little), turning them once or twice with a spatula; this should take about 45 minutes.
  2. Put the stock or water in a medium saucepan, add the ginger and parsley stems and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the stock infuse while the beets and carrots cook.
  3. Put the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan and set it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another minute, and then add the beets and carrots.
  4. Remove the ginger and parsley stems from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to boil and lower the heat so the soup is simmering. Cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Puree the soup until smooth, adding a little water if it seems thick. Add salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (If you prefer hot soup, just keep going with the directions from here.)
  6. In a small bowl, combine the creme fraiche or sour cream, lime zest, chopped parsley and a generous pinch of salt. Serve the soup in individual bowls with a dollop of the creme fraiche.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • FrugalCat
    FrugalCat
  • chava
    chava
  • Pamela Jean McNab
    Pamela Jean McNab
  • bgavin
    bgavin
  • Sue Fell
    Sue Fell

16 Reviews

FrugalCat June 17, 2024
Good hot or cold. I like golden beets, especially since they don' make the kitchen look like a crime scene.
 
chava July 24, 2016
So what ARE we supposed to do with those two limes? Juice them? Juice and zest them? I know, I know - it's SOUP for heaven's sake. But I am still curious as to what Merrill had in mind.
 
Pamela J. July 19, 2015
The recipe calls for 2 limes, but doesn't specify how much zest to use and doesn't mention using the juice. Clarification? Thanks in advance.
 
bgavin July 10, 2015
I just made this and put it in the refrigerator. It is awesome.
Although there are a lot of steps, the single hardest part of the recipe was not eating those roasted beets and carrots when they came out of the oven.
Instead of the creme fraiche, I am going to garnish this with a pesto I made from the carrot tops, garlic and some toasted walnuts. With carrots (and beets, too) this fresh,mi want to leverage all the delectable bits!
 
Sue F. June 14, 2015
I've got the soup made and am making the cream. Does one use only lime zest? There's no role for the lime juice?
 
Molly June 17, 2015
So, just in case you make this soup again; I use only lime juice instead of zest and it is delicious that way as well.
 
Jeanne C. December 21, 2018
In the instructions you say use the zest. No mention of the juice.
 
Deborah D. May 25, 2015
May I freeze it? How long will it last in the fridge? Thanks!
 
Ben F. August 5, 2014
sounds great .... get a proof reader though!
 
Merrill S. August 5, 2014
Could you be more specific?
 
mainesoul June 1, 2014
I have been looking a long time for the perfect beet soup. This is it.
 
Merrill S. June 1, 2014
Thank you for the lovely compliment, and so glad you liked it!
 
DAVILCHICK May 30, 2014
This soup was ri-diculously delicious. Next time I might add a little more ginger but I might not. It was heaven. Perfect for a hot summer night.
 
Merrill S. June 1, 2014
I'm tempted to try it with more ginger one of these days, too...
 
Molly May 20, 2014
Holy moly. I made this soup for lunch and it was delicious. I added a bit more ginger than the recipe called for and it turned out wonderfully (I happen to be a big fan of ginger). This soup is refreshing and has a wonderful depth of flavor.
 
Merrill S. May 30, 2014
Glad you liked it!