Vegan, gluten-free caramelized golden beet soup.
Like most Americans I have been totally engulfed in election coverage. With large chunks of my day glued to CNN. Obsessive checking of Facebook and Twitter. An occasional break to watch this to remind myself that comedy actually does help. Brain looping through anxious thoughts of what ifs and holy shits. Counting down the days till this nightmare is over.
The desert was calling me. I went to seek refuge. I left with relief – partial anyway. The days I spent there were breathy. Calm. Besides an Instagram here and there, I was unplugged. Spotty service. No tv. No checking. I reached a point that the chaos of it all no longer swirled around me.
I reluctantly packed my bags to come home. I went through airport security and was sidesmacked with appalling Trumpisms and Clinton scandals. Newspapers and headlines and televisions blasting. I realized my escape from reality was short-lived. I arrived home. I wanted a shower. Cat snuggles. A glass of wine and golden beet soup.
I needed nourishment. And love. This soup does all that for me. The subtleness of the golden beets mixed with the caramelized and roasted root vegetables is so savory, so smooth. Topped with garlicky yogurt or cashew sauce to keep it vegan is key. It comes together in a about 1 hour and makes almost 9 cups so leftovers or freezing a portion is definitely an option.
This soup will soothe your soul. Whether you’re a burnout out American, feeling hopeless about our future. Or a new mama like our friend, Cynthia. Today we celebrate you and your precious new little one. May your days be filled with cozy bowl-fueled food! Thank you Alana and Steph for hosting this celebration. Check out their blog posts here and here for more friends celebrating Cynthia.
A few more things!
I have a similar version of this recipe up on my FEAST Magazine column this month. It’s a little more beet-y and smoky. Check it out here.
My next pop-up, The Great Big Harvest is this Sunday. It’s my biggest one yet. And it’s sold out and I’m really nervous/really excited. After this I’ll be taking the rest of the year off from events, but I’m planning a winter feast to take place in January 2017. Details soon!
SELF Magazine asked me what I ate in a day, so I told them. Read it here if you’d like.
- 3 medium yellow onions, divided
- 5 carrots, divided
- 2 medium golden beets
- 3 parsnips
- 1 sweet potato
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons white wine or lemon juice
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups filtered water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Dice 2 of the onions into medium sized chunks. Scrub or peel 4 carrots, and the beets, parsnips and sweet potato. Dice those vegetables into small chunks. Spread them along with the onions onto the baking sheet. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper and toss to combine. Roast until golden brown and caramelized. This will take about 40 – 50 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large soup or sauce pot heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low. Mince the remaining onion and sweat for 5 minutes. Mince the garlic and add to the onions, sweat for another 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and add in the wine or lemon juice. Stir, gathering any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Dice the celery and remaining carrot small and add to the pot. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Then add in the bay leaf, and liquid and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until vegetables are done roasting.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and add to the pot. In small batches, blend until smooth in a blender. Serve hot or refrigerate and reheat to serve.
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons almond milk {any milk works!}
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- In a small bowl, blend all of the ingredients together until smooth.
- Use immediately or refrigerate until use.
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
Ooh yes, I love the sound of this soup with a hit of garlic cream! And those colors are just perfect for a grey day.
Tessa | Salted Plains says
Glad you got time away and were able to unplug. I always feel this time of year (election or not) calls for a time-out and some self-care. The desert sounds like the perfect place for that.
Smitten with this pretty soup. xo
steph says
Pure comfort! :)
Julia @ HappyFoods Tube says
This is what a bowl of deliciousness looks like! Love this recipe with roasted garlic and golden beets (which I am seeing for the first time in my life)!
Jodi says
Sherrie, I get anxiety listening to/watching the elections up here in Canada, so I can only imagine what your feeling. It’s not easy. In fact it’s pretty messy and so many other things in the world these days have made me feel pretty powerless. What can I do and where would I even start? Bah – things I’ve been thinking about lately, but like with most things in life to start – we just start. Anyways, I’m a lover of golden beets too, and this soup sounds nourishing on every level. Happy to hear you find some space in the desert. We all need that. Sending love x
Sherrie says
I’m not going to lie – things around here are real hard rn. Looking forward to more bowls of soup this winter to keep me plugging through. Thanks for the love sister, xx.
Em says
Your soup styling gets me so good, Sherrie! And that asymmetrical bowl is spectacular. And YES to a desert vacation from all this election bullshit. What a bunch of monkey business.
libby says
This is similar to a carrot soup that I love to make in the autumn. But my family gets tired of how often I want to make it. This will be a good substitute 1/2 the time!
Denisse | Le Petit Eats says
I love what a vibrant hue this soup has! Looks irresistible!
Dawn says
Gorgeous! Love pureed soups, comfort in a bowl.
cynthia says
You are the queen of the perfect soup swirl, Sherrie! Looking back at what you wrote about the election now that we are on the other side makes me wish even more that we had the results we were hoping for, but I am so glad to stand in solidarity with vibrant, brilliant women like you, and so very grateful that you took part in this wonderful baby shower. Thank you so much, dear friend.
Jeanie says
This looks so creamy and delicious! I’ve never made a soup with beets before, looking forward to trying it.
Sandy Gunther says
Made this soup today for dinner. Excellent. It’s going into my will make again soup notebook. Thanks bunches!
Sherrie says
I’m so glad you liked it, Sandy! That makes my day.
Jackie says
You might want to mention to take out the bay leaves before you blend up the soup. Otherwise I made it and its wonderful! I love the color of the golden beets.
Sherrie says
Ah, yes, good call, Jackie. I’ll make a note of that. Thank you!